New water loss validation requirement takes effect

New water loss validation requirement takes effect Posted on December 11, 2024

To effectively plan for the future, water utilities need to know how much water they are using and losing in their systems today. Water loss audits help utilities identify where water loss is occurring and where they may need to implement mitigation activities.

Starting January 1, 2025, all utilities that have an active financial obligation or are applying for financial assistance from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) will be required to have their annual water loss audits validated to improve the quality of the data. Water loss audit validation is a process that identifies uncertainty in the water loss audit and, as a result, provides more reliable data.

The validation process includes examining water loss audit inputs and gathering additional information to identify and correct data inaccuracies in alignment with industry standards. The TWDB will work with utilities to validate their submitted water loss audits at no cost to the utility, or utilities can choose to have the audit validated elsewhere if the validation follows the TWDB's guidelines.

"It's important for a utility to accurately calculate and understand how much water they are losing in their system," said Daniel Rice, Team Lead for the TWDB's Municipal Water Conservation Team. "Reliable water loss audits provide a better picture of how much water is actually being used and to better plan for future needs. The validation process also allows us to provide recommendations to the utilities based on more accurate data."

Recommendations can include activities such as implementing a meter testing program, master meter calibration, or revising data collection and billing accounting procedures.

In addition to identifying where infrastructure upgrades and other water loss mitigation activities may be needed in a system, audits can also be used to measure the effectiveness of the policies and procedures related to data collection and reporting. If water management strategies are developed using incorrect water loss audit data, a utility's water loss mitigation plan may be less effective.

The TWDB began offering voluntary water loss audit validation services earlier this year to refine and improve the process ahead of the requirement in January. The City of Hurst in Tarrant County was one of 23 utilities that participated in the voluntary validation process, and the TWDB's validators helped identify a more accurate water loss dataset for every utility that participated.

"We recognized the opportunity to not only be better prepared for the new audit requirement, but also an opportunity to roll up our sleeves together with the TWDB's team for a much more detailed and comprehensive exercise," said Chris Perry, Director of Utilites for the City of Hurst. "Working through the components of the audit together provided more of a one-on-one resource for any and every issue that arose."

Through the validation process, the City of Hurst identified areas for improvement in data recording, storing, and sharing that will optimize how the utility manages water supply, including compliance reporting and water loss mitigation efforts.

Utilities equipped with accurate and reliable data can make informed decisions when it comes to directing resources and meeting Texas' long-range water needs.

To learn more about water loss audits, visit the TWDB website.

This article is posted in Water Planning/ Water Supply/ Conservation.