I don't know nothin' but in this day and age, is there no tool to find
your leak before you dig. * *They invent new stuff all the time.

How deep is the pipe? * Is the dirt wet some place? *Can you hammer a
rod, (steel or maybe wood, pointed maybe, thin maybe) into the dirt
and see if it comes out wet, like using a straw to tell if a cake is
done yet)?

Can you call the city water department and ask how they find leaks?
Ask if they can do it for you. *If not, ask if they can tell you a
private plumber who will do it, or what words to use when shopping.
He can find the leak and you can do the digging, etc. * Just tell him
upfront what you are hiring him for. * And read whatever you sign.

Have you called Miss Utility, or whateve they call it there, to have
them mark your electric, gas, phone, etc. to make sure you don't
pierce or cut other utilities when you probe or dig? *It's free.

P&M

I live in rural Oregon. No one out here has leak detection equipment.
I did talk to the water department and they bluntly told me it wasn't
there problem, go fix it myself and don't bug them about it. I talked
to a few plumbers, and the only outfits with acoustic leak detectors
are in the city, and it would cost more to have them come here to find
a leak than to just replace the pipes