1. 2015 Spring Conference & Expo
Macon, Georgia
Tuesday April 14
Presented By Mark French, Wachs Water Services
CH2M HILL

2. Agenda
 Purpose of Program
 Overview of Program
 Communities
 Results
 Lessons Learned
 What’s Next?
 Case Study – PRASA
 Lessons Learned
 Acknowledgements

3. Purpose of Program
 GEFA (The Georgia Environmental Authority)
developed a Grant Program for small rural utilities to
gain access and knowledge to reduce NRW through
education and contractors that would provide a service
& training.
 The communities affected would then start programs
of their own (in house or hiring a service provider)

4. Georgia’s water loss initiatives are gaining
national attention
4

5. Overview of Program
 Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Water
Loss Control Technical Assistance program for small water
systems (as defined by the 2010 Water Stewardship Act)
was initiated in June of 2012 and concluded in April of 2013.
 Phase I Cavanaugh & Assoc/ CH2MHill provided training
in Water Audits for small communities
 Phase II Services encompassed Water Audit Training,
Finished Water Meter Flow Verification, Customer Meter
Testing and Pilot Leak Detection, with two (2) technical
assistance contractors per project type.
 Phase IIa Continuation of Phase I for more communities

6. 6
GEFA
Customer
Meter Testing
Contractor
142 meters in 5
systems
Customer
Meter Testing
Contractor
110 meters in 6
systems
Leak
Detection
Contractor
420 miles in 12
systems
Leak
Detection
Contractor
330 miles in 11
systems
Finished Water
Meter
Contractor
18 meters in 6
systems
Finished Water
Meter
Contractor
21 meters in 11
systems
Program
Manager
Small Water System Technical
Assistance – Phase II Program Structure
• Hired two contractors per project
type for negotiation purposes
• Program Manager manages the
daily activities of contractors

7. Communities
 ADAIRSVILLE GA0150000
 ADEL GA0750000
 ALMA GA0050000
 ASHBURN GA2870000
 AUBURN GA0130000
 AUSTELL GA0670001
 BALDWIN GA1370001
 BANKS CO - MOUNTAIN CREEK GA0110026
 BARNESVILLE GA1710000
 BAXLEY GA0010000

8. Communities
 BLACKSHEAR GA2290000
 BLAIRSVILLE GA2910000
 BLAKELY GA0990000
 BLUE RIDGE GA1110000
 BOWDON GA0450000
 BRASELTON GA1570000
 BREMEN GA1430000
 BUFORD GA1350000
 BUTLER GA2690000
 BYRON GA2250000
 CAMILLA GA2050001
 CAVE SPRING GA1150000
 CENTERVILLE GA1530000

9. Communities
 CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTY GA0530002
 CHATTOOGA COUNTY GA0550000
 CHICKAMAUGA GA2950000
 CITY OF OGLETHORPE GA1930003
 CLARKESVILLE GA1370002
 CLAYTON GA2410000
 CLEVELAND WATERWORKS GA3110000
 COCHRAN GA0230000
 COMMERCE GA1570001
 COOSA WATER AUTHORITY GA2910006
 CORNELIA GA1370003
 CUTHBERT GA2430000
 DAHLONEGA GA1870000
 DALLAS GA2230000
 DAWSON GA2730001
 EASTMAN GA0910002
 EATONTON PUTNAM WSA GA2370000
 EFFINGHAM COUNTY GA1030131
 ELBERTON GA1050001
 FAIRBURN GA1

10. Small System Water Loss Technical Assistance
–Phase II
51 Projects
10

11. Small Water Systems Technical Assistance –
Finished Water Meter Flow Verification (FWMFV)
7
19
2
11
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
FWMFV Global Statistics Summary
Pass
Fail
Inconclusive
total # meters not tested
18%
49%
33%
Finished Water Meter Flow Verification
Pass Fail Inconclusive or Untestable
11

12. Small Water Systems Technical Assistance –
Customer Meter Testing (CMT)
44
40
16
47
6 4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Displacement Compound/Fireline/Ultrasonic
CMT Global Statistics Summary
Pass Fail N/A
54%40%
6%
Customer Meter Testing
Pass Fail Inconclusive or Untestable
12

13. Small Water Systems Technical Assistance –
Phase II Project Summary
Production costs include chemical and energy
costs – often times these are forgotten
13

14. Water Loss Phase IIa – Small Water System Technical
Assistance
14

15. Small Water System Technical
Assistance – Phase IIa
47 projects
Back By
Popular
Demand!
15

16. Communities
 Dallas Fairburn
 Tallapoosa Cave Spring
 Stockbridge Dahlonga
 Coosa Towns
 Hiawassee Clayton
 Towns Fort Oglethorpe Hartwell
 Greensboro Monticello Harlem
 Sparta Swainsboro
 Garden City Dawson
 Pelham Quitman
 Folkston

17. 17
GEFA
Customer
Meter Testing
Contractor
281 meters in
13 systems
Leak
Detection
Contractor
680 miles in 22
systems
Finished
Water Meter
Contractor
34 meters in 13
systems
Program
Manager
Small Water System Technical
Assistance – Phase IIa Program Structure• Hired one contractors per
project type for negotiation
purposes
• 48 projects
Back By
Popular
Demand!

18. Small Water Systems Technical Assistance –
Phase IIA Project Summary
18

19. Lessons Learned
 Many communities that were part of the program did
not have GIS, accurate maps, a program to collect data
 Communication between Host, Client, Contractor
 Continuing services for Utilities after program ends
 Continuing program by client on their own
 Future programs should require “skin in the game”

20. What’s Next?
 GEFA has a desire to institute this program for mid
size Communities
 This program may broaden its Scope to include
additional services driven by
 Client desires
 Holistic approach that is driven by Asset Management
 GEFA encourages the use of SRF and has more funding
than recipients requesting loans (currently)

21. PRASA Leak Detection Project
• 5,000 miles in 18 months
• Superacueducto: 40 miles
• Metro Region: 2,000 miles
• Este Region: 1,500 miles
• Norte Region: 1,500 miles
• Rotating every few weeks
• Initial survey of Superacueducto completed
• Surveyed 4,256 miles surveyed

22. PRASA Leak Detection Project
• 2,403 leaks pinpointed, estimated loss 15.5 MGD
• 296 incidents of theft identified
• 177,587 survey records (~75 per mile)
• 4,457 valves “discovered” (33%)
• 4,441 hydrants “discovered” (54%)
• 237 miles of pipe “discovered” (10%)
• 4,272 unusable valves identified (37%)
March 24, 2015

23. Leak Detection Process

24. Leak Detection Process

25. Leak Detection Process

26. Leak Detection Process

27. Leak Detection Process

28. Leak Detection Process

29. Leak Detection Process

30. Leak Detection Process

31. Leak Detection Project

32. Lessons Learned
• Sound-then-pinpoint approach
• Training program
• Robust information systems
• Process > “trained ears”
• Performance monitoring is critical
ARG Resource
Total
Survey pts
Total
Miles
Survey Pts
per Mile
Leaks Flagged
per Mile
False Positive
Rate
Javier Serrano 4,174 71 59 1.2 4.3%
Joel De
LaCruz
1,452 77 19 1.3 9.4%
Anthony
Reyes
2,439 77 32 0.3 0.0%

33. Acknowledgements
 GEFA- Jason Bodwell
 CH2MHill – Brian Skeens
 Cavanaugh & Assoc – Steve Cavanaugh/Will Jernigan
 Wachs Water Services – Ryan McKeon/Henry
Scott/Georgia Brooks