Beyond Water Audits into Asset Management: The Process of Non-Revenue Water Reduction and Revenue Enhancement Activities

Abstract

For many water utilities, the true amount of non-revenue water is a mystery, or at least a guess. With the growing use of tools like the AWWA Free Water Audit Software, many utilities are beginning to have a better understanding of how their water system is operating. But with this realization, comes the next question, which is how to economically reduce water losses. There are many things that can be done, but which should be done, and to what level of implementation are the tough questions. The concept of economic level of losses is important, but most water systems will not be close to determining this level after first assessing their non-revenue water. This paper will go describe the approach to identifying the quantity and components of non-revenue water through an initial audit, bottom-up activities, evaluating, selecting and prioritizing corrective approaches, and implementing water loss control activities for effective results. The ability to change course in mid-stream is also important, and so accurate progress reporting is critical. A comprehensive non-revenue water reduction program integrates and informs with other utility management functions, such as asset management. In particular, the level of rehabilitation and replacement of pipelines is related to the non-revenue water goals and economics. This relationship between asset management and non-revenue water becomes the cornerstone for ongoing planning and improvement.