Water Loss from underreporting meters is one of the largest problems utility companies face.

Water loss refers to the difference between all water entering the supply system and the actual water reported as used. All systems experience some water loss as an ordinary part of operation and generally report those amounts as a percentage of the total amount pumped or purchased. The water industry goal for unaccounted-for water is ten percent (10%). In order to achieve this goal, municipalities need to implement water-loss management programs.

There are many potential sources of water loss including system leaks, fire hydrant flushing, evaporation and theft. System leaks in the mains and services often receive the most attention; however, water losses due to metering problems have a much greater affect on the bottom line.

For most utility companies, the revenue lost because of under-reporting of water meters is more than 10 times greater than the cost of water lost from system leaks*. The American Water Works Association estimates that for many large utilities, as many as half of all commercial meters are under-reporting. With our technical equipment and many years of experience guiding us, we can quickly identify under-reporting meters and recommend cost-effective targeted approaches to meter replacement.

*This data was presented in a study submitted at the Conserve 99 Conference.