Page 58 - Water Loss Control

40 Cha pte r F o u r

• In 2003, AwwaRF’s Research Advisory Council and the USEPA-funded project
#2928 “Leakage Management Technologies” to review internationally applied
proactive leakage management technologies, assess the applicability of these
technologies in North America and to provide guidance on how to practically
and cost effectively implement these technologies in North America. A
comprehensive report covering all aspects of this important research project
was published in 2007.
• The AWWA-WLCC is rewriting the AWWA M36 Manual of Water Supply
Practices, Water Audits and Leak Detection, to provide guidance on the IWA water
audit method, as well as progressive apparent and real loss controls. The new
AWWA M36 manual, entitled Water Audits and Loss Control Programs, is
scheduled for publication by early 2009.
• A free, introductory software developed by the AWWA WLCC became available
in early 2006. The software includes a water balance and performance indicators,
based on the AWWA-approved standard IWA water audit methodology and
performance indicators. The software can be downloaded from the AWWA Web
site’s WaterWiser homepage.
Significant progress was made in the United States over the past 5 years in a similar
way to the initial transitions that occurred in the United Kingdom during the late 1980s
and 1990s. The United Kingdom is now among the leading nations in terms of active
and efficient leakage management.

4.3 International Leakage Management
Leakage management projects funded by governments, utilities, and international
funding agencies are being implemented through out the world. However, only a few
countries have established successful nationwide leakage management regulations and
practices. This section provides the reader with a general overview of effective leakage
management structures in several countries around the globe, with a special focus on
England and Wales.

4.3.1 Leakage Management in the United Kingdom
This section refers to England and Wales when talking about the United Kingdom, since
those are the two regions with the most structured leakage management regulations in
the United Kingdom.
An interesting contrast can be drawn between the proactive system addressing
water loss in England and Wales and the current conditions in the United States. A
number of factors contributed to the establishment of England’s progressive demand
and leakage management structure in the 1990s. The reorganization, privatization, and
regulation of the small number of large water companies in 1989 created an important
change in the business model used for water supply. With revenue growth potential
limited due to government regulation of customer rates or tariffs, leakage reduction
was one of many efficiency improvements targeted by the companies to cut costs and
improve their bottom line. The National Leakage Initiative of the early 1990s was a
major research project underwritten by the water companies to determine the best
methods to employ to reduce leakage. The severe drought of the mid-1990s prompted
mandatory targets for leakage reduction from the government’s economic regulator,