Description: Do you know how much treated water your system loses in a year? Do you know whether your losses are the result of undetected leaks, metering issues, or something else?  Do you know whether your water loss control activities are having any real impact? The first step to answering any of these questions is to perform an AWWA water audit using the standard Free Water Audit Software v6.1 (FWAS) – the time tested, industry standard tool for developing a clear understanding of non-revenue water in any sized utility.

Done correctly a water audit will tell you how much water you’re losing through leaks and breaks, and how much revenue you’re losing due to inaccurate metering, system errors, theft, and water you’re giving away. More importantly it provides guidance for next steps  – including how to improve future audits with better data, and what water loss control activities might be applicable to your situation.

This session focuses not just on completing the water audit, but “Auditing for Action” to ensure that you are getting the most out of your efforts and optimize your outcomes when completing a water loss audit.  After all, just doing an audit won’t save water or money  – taking action based on your results is the key to effective water loss control. We will cover the latest version of the FWAS (6.1) with a focus on developing solid data for all the inputs, interpreting audit results correctly and determining what to do next.

If you’ve never completed a water audit, or have, but aren’t sure if you did it right or what to do next, join us to learn how to perform this critical analysis.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the data a utility needs to collect in order to complete a water audit
• Learn how to input data into the AWWA M36 Water Audit Method
• Understand what data grades are and how to apply them to a water utility
• Understand how to interpret Water Audit Metrics
• Understand the overall importance of water loss auditing to the overall utility

Trainers: James Markham, Research Engineer and Ryan Magee, Water Utility Trainer and Specialist, Southwest Environmental Finance Center

CEUs: This training has been submitted for pre-approval of continuing education credits though we cannot guarantee it. Regardless, we will provide attendees with a Certificate of Attendance for their personal record. 

Who Should Attend:

• Managers, owners, and operators of small water systems serving less than 10,000 people
• Decision-makers for water utilities, including mayors, finance officers, utility managers, public works directors, city councilors, board members, tribal council members, and clerks
• Consultants and technical assistance providers serving water systems