Report looks at Austin Water leaks, losses that could fill 12,000 Olympic pools

Leaks and inefficiencies throughout the local water system cause Austin Water to lose more than 8 billion gallons per year – enough to fill 12,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The loss totals were some of the findings from a recent outside analysis by Black & Veatch that looked at Austin Water’s existing programs to track losses and the steps the utility can take to detect problems and fix the system. The report will be discussed today at the Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force and at Wednesday’s Water and Wastewater Commission meeting.

Austin Water’s system loses approximately 6.9 billion gallons per year in real losses, plus another 1.5 billion gallons of “apparent losses,” described as loss due to unauthorized consumption and metering inaccuracies. The lost water means about $12 million in losses each year for Austin Water through a combination of costs for treating water that is lost, and not charging consumers and businesses properly for their actual water usage.

The trend lines for Austin Water were also found to be headed in the wrong direction, with total losses nearly doubling since 2010. The city’s infrastructure leakage index – a measure that compares actual losses against the amount of industry-accepted unavoidable losses – was found to be 4.1, or well over the long-term goal of 3. The analysis showed the city has had an ILI of more than 3 since 2014, with substantial losses growing since at least 2010.

Among the recommendations from the review, Austin Water plans to expand its current program for replacing underperforming water service lines and improve the accuracy of production meters at its treatment plants. The utility is set to pilot district metering areas to reduce water loss through better pressure management. That program is currently testing two DMAs, which are expected to go live by the end of 2024 as part of the My ATX Water initiative.

Other areas for improvement include enhancing leak detection activities, refining estimates for unbilled authorized consumption such as water used for firefighting and system flushing, and bolstering training for staff involved in water loss management. The report also noted the importance of improving data collection and validation, particularly in large meter testing and unauthorized consumption.

“AW should consider additional staff (internal and/or contractor) to focus on distribution main leak detection. This will renew oversight, improve management of the reporting, data collection, and validation completed by leak detection staff,” the report noted. “AW’s leak detection and response efforts should continue incorporating the Real Loss Component Analysis as part of their annual auditing process. An annual component analysis provides the leak detection team with recommendations for improved speed and quality of leak repair, proactive leak detection, and pressure management.”

The utility was also advised to increase its capital investment budget to replace aging water mains and sewer lines. For context, the report found that in 2022, Austin Water experienced 370 water main failures, or one per every 9.2 miles of water lines. For comparison, the American Water Works Association standard is one failure per every 25 miles of water lines.

The city has also been working on reuse projects and more efficient water management as part of its Water Forward 100-year plan, which aims to secure the city’s water future through innovative conservation and reuse techniques.

Last month, a staff memo offered unclear details on the effectiveness of the water reuse regulations at the six-month mark since passage. The memo reported no projects had applied for the program’s incentives, and no projects had elected to use the fee-in-lieu option related to on-site conservation requirements.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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