Guide to Water Loss Reduction

The authors of this extensive work include: Zheng Yi Wu, Ph.D., Bentley Fellow, research director, Bentley, U.S.A.; Malcolm Farley, CEng, CEnv, C.WEM and FCIWEM, principal consultant at Malcolm Farley Associates, U.K., and leader of the Publications, Communication and Conferences team of IWA Water Loss Task Force; David Turtle, BA (Oxon), CEng, MICE, supply planning manager, United Utilities, U.K.; Sanjay Dahasahasra, Ph.D., member secretary, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, India; Madhuri Mulay, Ph.D., head of IT Cell, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, India; Joby Boxall, Ph.D., professor of Water Infrastructure Engineering, University of Sheffield, U.K.; Stephen Robert Mounce, Ph.D., research associate, University of Sheffield, U.K.; Yehuda Kleiner, Ph.D., senior research officer and group leader at National Research Council, Canada; and Zoran Kapelan, Ph.D., professor in Water System Engineering, Centre for Water Systems at the University of Exeter, U.K.

In reviewing the book, Kobus van Zyl, professor, University of Cape Town, South Africa, said, “Water Loss Reduction provides an excellent exposition of water loss modelling and management from an engineering perspective. It neatly fills the gap that existed in the literature between the fields of water losses and network modelling. All the important topics, including water losses, data management, hydraulic modelling, leak detection, and pressure and asset management, are covered in an integrated and practical way. I welcome this book and recommend it as an essential resource for engineers and managers working in water distribution systems.”

To successfully address water loss problems, water utilities are challenged to be cost-effective and efficient in implementing long-term programs that consistently reduce both commercial losses (from, for example, theft) and physical losses from leakages. Well-developed information management, water system simulation and optimisation modelling technology, and increasingly improved monitoring of systems are valuable tools that can help engineers effectively execute water loss reduction programs. For example, Bentley’s modelling technology leverages the usage of asset information and enables engineers to quickly construct hydraulic models, simulate leakage with pressure-dependent demand analysis, and identify the likely leakage hotspots during the model calibration process.

Commenting on the problem, Ian Costigan, water asset management director for United Utilities in the U.K., said, “Leakage in England and Wales has been reduced primarily through a combination of managing water pressures in distribution networks and water mains rehabilitation programs. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to detect leaks that remain in distribution systems, and so we must turn our attention to leakage modelling and detection technology. This book, written by a group of outstanding engineers and researchers from around the world, describes important advances that have been made in these areas.”

Added Dr. Zheng Yi Wu, Bentley Fellow, technical editor and co-author of Water Loss Reduction, “Model-based leakage detection is a growing activity in utilities, as it enables them to send their engineers to locations along pipelines where there’s a high probability they’ll find a leak. This book explains the process and techniques of conducting such programs.”

Wu continued, “Other water loss reduction best practices, such as pressure management, water balance or water audit (which is recommended by the International Water Association), minimum night flow monitoring, and various device-based leakage detection methods, are also discussed in this comprehensive technical reference. Without question, Water Loss Reduction is an essential guide for utilities committed to detecting, managing, and limiting water loss.”