Water Online

November 2017

Water Innovations gives Water and Wastewater Engineers and end-users a venue to find project solutions and source valuable product information. We aim to educate the engineering and operations community on important issues and trends.

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up against. The water industry is staffed with highly competent professionals with whom we entrust our public health. What we are up against is systematic gremlins that endeavor to introduce error into the underlying data we rely upon to develop the water balance and conduct the annual water audit. These gremlins live in the supply measurement systems — through meter wear, poor meter siting/installation, and conversion/transfer/ archival error. They can live in our consumption measurement systems — through data transfer, archival, and coding error. Largely, these issues stem from the original system design rather than system operation, which means the root cause traces back years and even decades to when the systems were installed. Like many problems that are long in the making, they don't get solved right away. But the industry's level of awareness and the toolkit to address these gremlins continue to gain steam through the work of AWWA and its expert volunteers, the increased focus on water loss research from WRF, and the ever-changing water loss regulatory landscape. Validation Versus Auditing Validation can occur at graduated levels of effort and outcomes. As defined by WRF project 4639 (2016), Level 1 validation is an examination for correct application of the audit methodology, including errors evident in summary data and confirmation of data grading applications. Level 2 investigates raw data and archived reports at a deeper level to ensure the best sources of data have been used. Level 3 focuses on bolstering data reliability through instrument accuracy tests, pilot leak detection studies, and similar field tests. Currently in California, Georgia, and Hawaii, Level 1 validation is required for annually submitted AWWA water audits. California is presently underway with the largest water audit 13 WATERLOSSCONTROL Innovative Chemical Feed Solutions JCS Industries, Inc. I PO Box 90028 I Houston, TX 77290 Ph: 281-353-2100 I www.jcsindustries.us.com Industries Inc. wateronline.com n Water Innovations The '3Vs' of the M36 Methodology A validated water audit provides useful insight into a system's profile of water loss components — expressed in validity, volume, and value, known as the "3Vs."

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