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In early 2002 the Leak Detection and Water Accountability Committee of the American Water Works Association compiled a Committee Report that advocates the use of new international methods of water supply auditing and loss control to promote stronger stewardship of water supplies in North America. This paper provides an overview of the approaches recommended for use to quantitatively manage drinking water supplies. As of the above date, the Committee Report has received approval of the Leak Detection and Water Accountability Committee and is navigating the formal AWWA approval path in the hope of becoming the stated position of the organization on water loss control. Despite growing pressures on drinking water suppliers from a variety of issues, the North American water industry has yet to mount a focused effort to implement reliable and consistent water supply auditing and loss control in its operations. A detailed survey funded by the AWWA Technical and Educational Council recently queried state and regional water oversight agencies on the reporting and monitoring practices that they employ. The findings of this "States Survey" project confirm that practices used by these agencies are quite limited and vary widely across the United States, providing minimal impact in terms of motivating water and revenue loss reduction. A lack of accurate methods for water accounting and loss control has traditionally constrained water system managers in maintaining sound controls on water loss. Fortunately, a new method for constructing a water supply audit was developed by the International Water Association's Task Force on Water Loss and published in 2000. This "international method" was intended to be applicable to water supply systems world wide and gives a framework to tabulate all uses and losses of water encountered in a water utility. It features consistent and well-defined terms and definitions, and the notion that all water is accounted for, as either a use or a loss; hence, no water is "unaccounted-for". The method also features rationally defined performance indicators that are effective in setting targets, benchmarking and in assisting accreditation efforts. While the international method provides a reliable means to evaluate and audit water use and loss, proactive loss control interventions have also been developed in recent years. Effective leakage management methods have been advanced with great success, particularly in the United Kingdom, where some estimates state that as much as 85% of all recoverable leakage has been abated within the past decade. With effective water resources management becoming increasingly challenged by growing populations, drought and infrastructure needs, the discipline of Water Loss Control offers great potential in sustaining existing water supplies and recovering much needed revenue. Includes 17 references, tables, figures.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Number of Pages: 23File Size: 1 file , 430 KB