Page 28 - Water Loss Control

10 Cha pte r T w o

leakage reduction represents a new source of water. Such “newly found” water can be
sold to new customers or can help avoid demand restrictions during periods of drought
or water shortage. Apparent losses occur at the “cash register” of the water utility and
directly impact the water supplier’s revenue stream. Yet many systems around the
world have such unstructured water accounting
and billing practices that they don’t even compre-
Many water systems around hend that such loss is occurring. It is evident that
the world can’t account for reducing water loss would not only improve water
their lost water. Can you imag- supply operations but would also result in increased
ine if banks couldn’t account revenue. Sound water loss management, therefore,
is a practice that usually generates a direct and quick
for all of our money?
payback to the water utility!

2.5 Forces Driving Change in the Way Water Loss Is Viewed and Managed
Managing water losses to an optimum has many benefits for the public, for the water sup-
plier, and for the environment. Some of the most beneficial reasons to reduce water losses
are among the leading forces driving change in drinking water supplies, including
• Improved public health protection
• Reduced pressure on water resources and therefore the environment
• Increased level of service to customers through increased reliability of supply
• Recovered losses often stand as best source for new water resources
• Cost efficiencies for the water supplier and better control of water rates for the
customer population
• Deferment of capital expenditure on water resources and supply schemes
• Improved public perception of water companies
• Reduced liability to water suppliers due to use of best leakage management
practice

The technical aspects behind these driving forces will be discussed in more detail
throughout the manual. The following two subsections provide insight into some of the
more commonly known forces driving change in how water losses are viewed and
managed.

2.5.1 Water Losses and Their Impact on Public Health
Many areas of the world have water shortages and are unable to provide a continuous
supply of treated water 24-hours/day. The World Bank reports that over one billion
people in the world today lack access to safe drink-
ing water and three million people die every year
Over one billion people lack from avoidable water-related diseases. This situa-
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access to safe drinking water tion has often been viewed as a problem faced only
and three million die from by developing countries, but this is not true. In the
avoidable water related dis- United States alone 24% of waterborne disease out-
eases every year! breaks reported in community water systems dur-
ing the past decade were caused by contaminants