Preventing Water Loss in Water Distribution Systems: Money-Saving Leak Detection Programs.
Abstract
Most Army installations do not keep records of water usage for each residence and facility since military personnel pay a base rate for an unlimited supply. For this reason, it is unclear at present how much water may be wasted through loss in the distribution system (e.g., via leaks in subsurface or directly into the sanitary or storm water sewers). A procedure is described for making a water loss survey part of an installations' regular maintenance program. The survey would consist of three levels: (1) house-keeping, in which facility and residential fixtures and water-using appliances are checked, (2) a water audit, which determines if losses are occurring in the distribution system and, if so, the general area of the leak, and (3) leak pinpointing by one or more of the current leak detection methods described. A procedure for estimating cost-to-benefit ratios is also given, along with a hypothetical example. The cost-effectiveness of a leak detection program depends on several factors--one of the most important of which is the water treatment/purchase cost. Keywords: Water distribution, Leak detectors, Leakage(Fluid), Water loss.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA167556
Entities
People
- John T. Bandy
- Richard J. Scholze
- Stephen W. Maloney
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory