Electro Scan Applauds New California Law for Reporting Water Losses
Senate Bill 555 to Require Water Suppliers to Meet New Performance Standards
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–October 12, 2015–Electro Scan Inc., a leading provider of leak detection devices and cloud computing applications for water, sewer, and gas pipelines, today applauded the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 555, signed last week by California Governor Jerry Brown.
The new law will require retail water suppliers to submit annual water loss audit reports as adopted by the Department of Water Resources, beginning October 1, 2017, and reporting for the preceding year.
Additionally, retail water suppliers must meet performance standards for the volume of water losses, beginning no later than July 1, 2020.
The new law will be added as Section 10608.34 of the Water Code and represents one of the toughest water loss control reporting standards in the nation.
SB 555 was introduced by Senator Lois Wolk (Senate District 3) and co-authored by Senators Benjamin Allen (Senate District 26) and Fran Pavley (Senate District 27), Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, and Assemblymembers Kansen Chu (Assembly Distrct 25) and Anthony Rendon (Assembly District 63).
Authors of the bill found that despite the availability of free audit software available from the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and establishment of Best Management Practice by the California Urban Water Conservation Council (CUWCC), water suppliers have been slow to realize the full potential of controlling water losses.
Authors cited unreliable audit data noting a CUWCC study that found 35% of water audit data submitted by California water suppliers was invalid.
In June 2015, the UCLA Water Resources Group Institute of the Environment and Sustainability published a report entitled Water Distribution System Efficiency An Essential or Neglected Part of the Water Conservation Strategy for Los Angeles County Water Retailers?
The UCLA report surveyed 10 of the approximate 100 water retailers in Los Angeles County on leak monitoring, system-wide water losses, and the implementation of best management practices, also influencing the bill’s passage.
Electro Scan Inc. supported SB 555 as an affiliate member of Citrus Heights-based Regional Water Authority.
“This new law will represent a big change for California water utilities,” stated Chuck Hansen, Chairman of Sacramento-based Electro Scan Inc., former Chair ASTM F36.20 Inspection and Renewal of Water and Wastewater Infrastructure, and California native.
“Not only must water utilities reduce the volume of apparent losses and real losses, but audit data must be independently validated based on known water system characteristics,” said Hansen.
“One city in California serving a population of over 70,000 people has used consultants to conduct numerous water audits relying on acoustic sensors to detect potential leaks. Yet, 70% of their system consists of plastic pipe, where acoustic sensors are not reliable,” stated Hansen.
In general, acoustic sensors, correlators, data loggers, hydrophones, and other listening devices have been used to find anomalies that might indicate leaks; however, ambient noise from road traffic, water table heights, pipe material, diameter, leak size, experience of the operator, recurring false-positive readings, lack of repeatability, and requirement for third party data interpretation, limits their usefulness in many pipes.
“By using legacy technologies many leaks may go undetected and never get repaired,” added Hansen. “Even worse, under reporting of water losses may lead some water suppliers to blame customers for losses while the problem may remain with the water supplier’s own assets.”
Retail water suppliers may also overstate the volume of billed consumption and unbilled consumption, causing apparent losses and real losses to be artificially understated as part of their water balance.
SB 555 specifically states that “any final water loss audit report found to be incomplete, not validated, unattested, or incongruent with known characteristics of water system operations” will be returned.
Recently, Electro Scan released its own international patent pending next generation Low Voltage Conductivity technology that automatically detects, locates, and measures (gpm) leaks in pressurized water mains.
“SB 555 may also cause a ripple effect throughout the construction supply chain,” stated Hansen.
“Pipe manufacturing trade associations have long resisted more stringent leak tolerances for newly installed pipes, with state and local governments often setting their own standards for acceptable leakage rates,” continued Hansen.
“Retail water suppliers may no longer be willing to certify and accept new pipes that surpass leakage thresholds of 100 gallon per inch diameter mile or greater, given water loss reduction requirements,” remarked Hansen.
“The adoption of innovative technologies has always been a collaborative exchange between up and coming technology companies and water utilities,” stated Hansen. “If something provides a better way of doing things, water utilities tend to adopt them. Once one utility starts, word eventually gets out and new standards of practice emerge.”
“Management consultant Peter Drucker has said that ‘if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,’ which holds true for water loss audits, too,” commented Hansen. “As a result, leak detection devices that deliver accurate location and meaningful leakage data should enjoy wide acceptance.”
Hansen is former Chairman of Hansen Information Technologies, a leading water & sewer asset management solution provider founded in 1983 and acquired in 2007 by Alpharetta, GA-based Infor Global.
Currently, Hansen is Managing Partner for a personal investment fund based in Sacramento and Investment Advisor to Folsom-based Moneta Ventures.
About Electro Scan
Electro Scan develops leak detection devices and cloud computing applications that automatically locate, measure, and report defect flows in water, sewer, and gas pipelines. Headquartered in Sacramento, California, Electro Scan Water Leak Detection Services are exclusively available from the Company.
Contacts
Electro Scan
Carissa Boudwin, +1 916-779-0660
carissa@electroscan.com