As long as we’ve been moving water, we’ve been losing it.
With water loss exceeding 30% in some areas, the consequences of non-revenue water have never been greater and it’s imperative that we start to apply the lessons we have been learning.
A few weeks ago, we looked at the idea of “drought shaming,” where people are being called out on social media for conspicuous consumption and wasting water.
To illustrate what’s happening across the country in this area, the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has created a nifty clickable map showing the states and their efforts for water resource management. You can check it out here.
As long as we've been moving water, we've been losing it. With water loss exceeding 30% in some areas, the consequences of non-revenue water have never been greater and it's imperative that we start to apply the lessons we have been learning. A few weeks ago, we looked at the idea of "drought shaming," where people are being called out on social media for conspicuous consumption and wasting water. To illustrate what's happening across the country in this area, the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has created a nifty clickable map showing the states and their efforts for water resource management. You can check it out here. [text_ad] It's not surprising that drought-stricken California has implemented many best practices in water resource management and reporting. However, it is quite interesting that dry states like Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico have no water loss reporting requirement in place.
- Annual water loss reporting with AWWA standard terminology is required
- Annual use of AWWA free water audit software is required
- Validation of water loss data is required
- Volume based performance benchmarking is required
It’s not surprising that drought-stricken California has implemented many best practices in water resource management and reporting. However, it is quite interesting that dry states like Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico have no water loss reporting requirement in place.
The NRDC recommends that:
- Annual water loss reporting with AWWA standard terminology is required
- Annual use of AWWA free water audit software is required
- Validation of water loss data is required
- Volume based performance benchmarking is required
The AWWA makes their water audit software available for free, and if you’re not familiar with it, you should be. Check it out here. Identifying the problem is the first step in creating solutions.
For those of you who live in states that still seem to have some work to do as far estimating, locating, and reducing leaks, what are you waiting for? Are you aware how much non-revenue water and water loss is affecting your water district?
