Low-Tech Leak Detection

(Originally posted on waterefficiency.net)

By Elizabeth Cutright
Editor
Water Efficiency

Over the weekend, I spent some time frolicking in the Nevada desert just south of Las Vegas. Okay … frolicking might not be the right word, considering the temperature got as high as 122 degrees. In that kind of extreme environment, any patch of blue or green is a miracle to behold and the winding Colorado River—sparkling blue under a cloudless sky—almost mocks you with its apparent abundance as thousands of gallons of water rush by on their way to thirsty southern California.
On this particular weekend, I wasn’t dazzled as much by the river as I was by the 2 x 2 foot square of violently green grass that has recently sprouted up in my parents’ otherwise-desolate front yard. In the past, two palm trees presided over a wasteland of yellowed weeds, but some enthusiastic weed whacking had stripped away the dead vegetation, revealing a neat patch of dirt, mostly uniform in color except for this one, verdant corner.
“We must have a leak” reasoned my father—and sure enough, we quickly determined a damaged pipe was to blame for their own little patch of green or, as I took to calling it, their little patch of low-tech leak detection.
Jokes aside, unaccounted for water is no laughing matter. Currently, experts estimate that, in the US, up to 6 billion gallons of water per day are lost to leaks and damaged conveyance systems. That’s enough water to supply 10 of the largest urban centers in the country. It’s the antithesis of efficiency and an appalling misuse of one of our most valuable resources. When you factor in the amount of energy (and fossil fuels) required to treat and transport all of that lost water, the cost is astronomical, both in terms of actual dollars, but also in greenhouse gas emissions and our continued dependence on foreign oil.
So what’s the solution? Currently, most of the nation’s water utilities are not required to conduct regular water audits, and until we have solid data regarding the amount of water being used (and lost), attempts to reduce waste will be for naught. But water audits alone are not enough. As our editorial advisory board member George Kunkel pointed out in a March 2008 guest editorial, “in order to truly achieve water efficiency on a large scale, efficiency programs must have clearly defined goals, attributes, and measures that can be monitored to ascertain that a desired water efficient outcome is reached.” (“Water Efficiency and Accountability,”)
There are solutions on the way, including a water audit methodology developed by the AWWA and the International Water Association (IWA) in 2000, to publish a water audit methodology that features a variety of well-defined terms and an array of performance indicators. A straightforward methodology is a good first step, but clearly more is needed. What do you think? Does it make sense to mandate water audits on a national level, or can communities be trusted to take care of their own resources as they see fit?