This percentage comes from the latest measurement by engineers.

According to City Clerk George Barnes, there are many "opportunities" for the system to lose water.

"The water system is well over a hundred years old and in a hundred years a lot can happen. It's just the nature of it," he said.

Barnes discussed how there are no particular locations where water is leaking.

"Every hydraulic system will leak somewhere," Barnes said. "Sometimes it can leak a lot. It's a wonder it isn't more considering the city's history of mining." As for now, the city will continue repairs on known water leaks.

"You plug the leaks you find," Barnes said. "Sometimes you find leaks that have been running for a longtime."

Specific areas of water loss and the direction the city will take in solving this issue, is still up in the air, according to Public Works Director Phillip Korte.

"We're in the middle of investigating that," he said.

While there are still many questions left to be answered, the city is taking strides to solve the problem.

The city has applied for grants with the Water Infrastructure Financing Authority of Arizona to help with the process and costs.

Barnes said that Tombstone has applied for two grants with WIFA.

The first grant is to find out what is causing the leaks in the system and the
second is to help with the treatment of the water levels.

One way to meet water standards is to blend water from two or more sources, like well water and spring water.

With the possibility of being awarded a grant, Barnes hopes to have a few
questions answered about how the city can more effectively blend water.

WIFA Technical Program Supervisor Melanie Ford Ford is a part of the agency's financial services division, which oversees debt and loan programs.

She said grants awarded are capped at $35,000. Ford said this year WIFA has $150,000 available to award for grants.

The grant money would be used for a community's planning and designing of a water infrastructure system. The funds cannot be used for any of the project's
construction process.

As soon as the city has its project prepared for construction, officials can apply for a loan from WIFA, which is federally funded.

"WIFA has plenty of money to offer through its loan program, but limited in the amount we can offer as grants," Ford said.

Grant applications are still under review, and will be awarded by Dec. 16.

Though the grant is not guaranteed, Barnes explained that the city would
continue to applyfor grants to help with the water problem.

"It's a perpetual process," Barnes said. "You're continuously applying for money.
It's the only chance you'll get any."

For now, the city is looking ahead.

"Right now we have no problem meeting our needs," Korte said. "We're looking for the future, in case there's development over the next 20 years or so."