Page 21 - Water Loss Control
P. 21
Intr oduction 3
The fact that somebody else has done it before makes, in many cases, the job of selling
an aggressive program and budget to an executive manager or board of directors more
feasible. The steps undertaken in a water loss control program are discussed and
reviewed in detail throughout this manual. The chapters are self-contained and do not
need to be used in order although an operator with no experience in progressive water
loss control methods is urged to read the entire book. The manual focuses heavily upon
the progressive methods pioneered in the England and Wales in the 1990s and transferred
widely on an international basis. It also consistently evaluates the more “traditional”
conditions that exist in North America, and other nations, where water loss has not
been a foremost priority. This is done to demonstrate that the need to proactively control
lost water exists in even the most developed nations, and that easily transferable
technology now exists to control water losses.
The manual includes sections that allow the reader to
• Understand the nature and scope of water loss occurring in public water supply
systems
• Learn about the latest analytical methods and tools
• Assess water losses for any system by using a standardized water audit and
component based analysis of real losses
• Follow through all steps of a successful water loss control (optimization)
program
• Implement field interventions to control real losses
• Implement field interventions to control apparent losses
• Implement demand control
• Perform cost to benefit calculations
• Identify when and how to use a contractor or consultant
This manual is intended to be a hands-on tool for water system managers who are
motivated to understand the nature of water loss and take meaningful action to reduce
it. Its content provides a detailed road map for any water system operator to implement
a program that is the appropriate response for an individual water system’s needs.
References
1. Central Intelligence Agency. The World Fact Book [Online]. Available: www.cia.gov/cia/
publications/factbook. [Cited: March 10, 2007].
2. Dickinson, M. A., “Redesigning Water Loss Standards in California Using the New
IWA Methodology.” Proc. of the Leakage 2005 Conference, Halifax, Canada: World
Bank Institute, 2005.