Page 285 - Water Loss Control

254 Cha pte r F i f tee n

before and after the meter reading in order to register some consumption and not draw
scrutiny as a zero consumption account. If the water utility is lax in gathering meter
readings—and the customer thief is aware of this—the jumper may stay on the line
indefinitely while the customer pays a reduced fee based upon an erroneously low
estimate. In a similar guise, the Philadelphia Water Department documented an instance
of over 100 residential meters being swapped into varying customer addresses in a
small neighborhood of the service area. Apparently, one person had taken on the role of
full time meter-jumper in order to generate reduced water bills for his customers.
Depending on the brand and age of individual water meters, tampering may be
attempted in order to change the register reading on the meter. Any attempt to corrupt
the registration of actual consumption at the meter is a form of meter tampering.
With the same motives in mind, some customers have attempted to disrupt the billing
process by tampering with meter reading equipment of automatic meter reading (AMR)
systems. This is more readily detected than meter tampering, since most AMR systems
include tamper detection capabilities that send an alert to the water utility when tampering
has been detected and the meter reading process is interrupted. This is one of the most basic
features now offered by manufacturers to help thwart unauthorized consumption.
Detecting unauthorized consumption that occurs via illegal piping connections or
valve operations is more difficult than water taken from fire hydrants or water meters,
and typically relies on physical inspection of building piping and meter pits by the water
utility. An illegal pipe installed into an unmetered
fire line may be plainly visible in the basement of a
building, but personnel must be directed to any sus-
The Philadelphia Water
picious property and be trained in identifying an ille-
Department documented an
gal connection. In extreme cases (at least for developed
instance of over 100 residen-
countries) the water thief may excavate to install an
tial meters being swapped into
illegal piping connection, and then backfill the exca-
varying customer addresses in vation, covering the new illegal pipe. Unless the
a small neighborhood of the excavation and illegal pipe connection are observed
service area. Apparently, one when carried out, such a connection will not be
person had taken on the role of detectable from above ground. If such a connection is
full time meter-jumper in order suspected, evidence of illegal piping might be gath-
to generate reduced water bills ered by using pipe locators or performing test shut-
downs of various segments of the customer service
for his customers.
connection to identify the water source. New valves
may need to be installed at different points in the ser-
vice line to perform the conclusive shutdowns. Water utilities can benefit from cross-
training employees—particularly meter technicians, meter readers, and backflow
technicians—to observe and identify occurrences of meter or meter reading equipment
tampering, illegal connections, or illegally opened valves.
Requirements for continuous provision of water service vary across utilities or
political jurisdictions. Some utilities or communities prohibit water utilities from halt-
ing water service to customers under any circumstances, least of all nonpayment of
water fees. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) believes that water utili-
ties have the right to terminate water service if payment is withheld. The AWWA policy
statement on discontinuance of water service for nonpayment is given in Fig. 15.4. For
water utilities that do discontinue water service, a hardened portion of this customer
population will make strenuous attempts to illegally restore their water service. Many
water utilities terminate service to residential customers by closing the curbstop valve