Leaks an untapped opportunity for water savings
Reducing leaks a cost-effective way to save urban water without draining utilities

Date:
March 8, 2022
Source:
University of California - Davis
Summary:
The first large-scale assessment of utility-level water loss in
the United States found that leak reduction by utilities can be
the most cost-effective tool in an urban water manager's toolkit,
provided utility-specific approaches are used. California is among
the first in the world to require water utilities to regulate
their water losses.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Before a drop of treated water in California ever reaches a consumer's
faucet, about 8% of it has already been wasted due to leaks in the
delivery system.

Nationally, the waste is even higher, at 17%. This represents an untapped opportunity for water savings, according to a study from the University
of California, Davis.


==========================================================================
The study, published in the journalEnvironmental Research Letters, is
the first large-scale assessment of utility-level water loss in the
United States. It found that leak reduction by utilities can be the
most cost-effective tool in an urban water manager's toolkit, provided utility-specific approaches are used.

"When I first heard about 'leaks' I thought it sounded boring, but leaks
are a huge component of our water systems and have a larger opportunity
than many other water-saving methods to make an impact," said lead
author Amanda Rupiper, a postdoctoral scholar with the UC Davis Center
for Water-Energy Efficiency.

"As the first state to regulate its water losses, a lot of eyes are
watching California, and this is an opportunity to impact policy here
and elsewhere." Amid a multiyear drought, the passage of Senate Bill
555 in 2015 made California the first in the nation and among the first
in the world to require water utilities to regulate their water losses.

Be specific Using data from more than 800 utilities across California,
Georgia, Tennessee and Texas, the authors characterized water losses
across the country. They developed a model to assess the economically
efficient level of losses, and used that model to compare various water
loss regulations and modeling approaches.



==========================================================================
The study found that one-size-fits-all approaches to leak management
are not effective, economical or equitable for utilities, which vary in
size and resources. Uniform approaches could lead to the mismanagement
of urban water losses. However, applying utility-specific performance
standards can deliver a similar amount of water savings at a profit for
both utilities and society.

"Regulations that impose a uniform standard across all utilities will
result in water reductions that are too stringent in some cases, too
relaxed in others, and too costly overall," the paper concludes.

Saving drips without draining utilities Ideally, no leaks would occur in
a system. However, while some leaks are obvious and accessible, others
can be harder and more cost-prohibitive for some utilities to find and
repair. The authors' model assessed when utilities could save the most
water for their dollar to find and fix leaks in the system.

They found that for the median utility, it is economically efficient to
reduce water losses by 34.7%, or 100 acre-feet per year. The median cost
of water savings from leak management is $277 per acre-foot -- cheaper
than most traditional water management tools, including conservation
campaigns and rebate programs.

"It's cost-competitive to do this and should be part of the profile of
how we manage our water," Rupiper said. "We tend to think of leaks as
being a little drip, but leaks are not inconsequential. Drips add up to
big flows, and we can't ignore them anymore." The study's co-authors
include Frank Loge, Joakim Weill and Katrina Jessoe of UC Davis, and
Ellen Bruno of UC Berkeley.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_Davis. Original written by Kat Kerlin. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Amanda Rupiper, Joakim Weill, Ellen Bruno, Katrina Jessoe,
Frank Loge.

Untapped potential: leak reduction is the most cost-effective urban
water management tool. Environmental Research Letters, 2022; 17
(3): 034021 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac54cb ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220308102834.htm

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