How Western Utilities Are Rethinking Leak Detection Before California's 2027 Deadline
July 21, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM CT | 11:00 AM PT
Duration: 60 minutes
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Summary
Featuring Sacramento Suburban Water District on using targeted leak detection to find what rotational surveys miss, reduce non-revenue water, and build a water loss program that holds up under regulatory scrutiny
In the West, water loss isn't just an operational metric – it's water your region cannot get back. California's water loss enforcement kicks in 2027, and other western states are watching. When a regulator asks "how did you decide where to look?" – a rotational schedule isn't an answer.
Greg Bundesen of Sacramento Suburban Water District will share how SSWD shifted from rotational surveys to targeting the pipe segments most likely to fail, finding nearly 8 million gallons in hidden leaks, including non-surfacing failures no one knew were there. Together, the panel will cover how failure probability data drives targeted leak detection in practice, what it takes to build a non-revenue water program you can defend to regulators, leadership, and the public, and where to start if you're not there yet.
Key Takeaways:
- How AI-based failure risk models work and what data they actually need to run.
- How Sacramento Suburban translated failure risk data into a targeted, defensible leak detection program.
- What Sacramento Suburban found, and what it means for your distribution system.
- How utilities can identify hidden water loss and underperforming meters.
- Practical steps for shifting to risk-based leak detection using data you already have.
Speakers
Greg Bundesen
Conservation and Communications Supervisor
Sacramento Suburban Water District
Greg Bundesen has spent nearly 15 years at Sacramento Suburban Water District managing water conservation, water loss programs, and the regulatory accountability that comes with both. As current Chair of the California Water Efficiency Partnership and former President of the Sacramento Area Water Works Association, he brings a ground-level perspective on what it actually takes to build programs that hold up under scrutiny – from the state, from leadership, and from the public.
Benjamin Schroeder
CTO
VODA.ai
Ben Schroeder is Chief Technology Officer at VODA.ai. With more than 15 years of experience in AI, machine learning, and SaaS product development, he has led teams from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies. His work focuses on turning advanced AI research into products that solve real-world infrastructure challenges – helping organizations apply automation, data science, and cost-efficient design to achieve measurable impact.
Nathan Walker
Director of Sales - West
VODA.ai
Nathan Walker leads western U.S. growth at VODA.ai, working hands-on with water utilities to help them move from gut-feel infrastructure decisions to data-driven ones. Before joining VODA.ai, he spent over 15 years in enterprise analytics and AI-driven platforms – giving him a practical understanding of how complex data tools actually get adopted in the field.
