The Macon Water Authority
790 Second Street • Macon, GA 31202-0108 • (478) 464-5600
MWA completes Water System Audit
Apr 30, 2012 by Dr. Chris Wood
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division applauds the Macon Water Authority's efforts to implement a model Water Efficiency Program.
When the Macon Water Authority (MWA), under the guidance of professional consultants from Cavanaugh & Associates, completed its Water System Audit late last year, it marked the beginning rather than the end of the process to establish a Water Efficiency Program to benefit the utility and its customers.
With Phase I of the process finalized, the Authority has collected valuable data on its system to establish benchmarks for water efficient facilities and operations according to industry standards. Officials at Cavanaugh & Associates note the first phase Audit identified opportunities where the Authority could make progress in system efficiency, while laying out a plan for a program to do so.
Phase II of the process involves the development of the Authority’s Water Efficiency Program, with goals for specific water loss reductions. The Authority’s program is focusing on a combination of real water loss and apparent water loss controls, while increasing the overall confidence in its data collection.
Apparent water losses are occurring because of unauthorized consumption, metering inaccuracies, and systematic data handling errors. Likewise, real water losses occur due to leakage on distribution mains, leakage and overflow at storage tanks, and leakage on service connections.
The MWA Water Efficiency Program will evolve over the next five years, with short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives being pursued. A Water Efficiency Team is in place, consisting of a dozen or so MWA employees from all key departments. The team meets monthly to track and analyze water audit data collected to date, while reporting on progress and outlining objectives for the future.
In February, the MWA submitted its Water Audit to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) for its review. The state’s regulatory agency applauded the Authority’s work, noting that the MWA Water Audit was among the most thorough of those submitted by water utilities throughout Georgia. EPD officials also asked to share the MWA Audit with other utilities to serve as an example of a model water audit that could be emulated.
Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu
Tagged: macon water authority, water audit, water efficiency program, cavanaugh associates