Calculation Proposal for the Economic Level of Apparent Losses (ELAL) in a Water Supply System

Arregui, Francisco J.; Cobacho, Ricardo; Soriano, Javier; Jimenez-Redal, Ruben

doi:10.3390/w10121809

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Therefore, companies should ensure that the best and most effective loss reduction strategies are developed. It is advisable that water supply companies minimize water losses to the economic level of leakage specified for a given distribution system [54][55][56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Water Losses and Assessment of Initiatives Aimed at Their Reduction in Selected Water Supply Systems

Ociepa

Mrowieć

Deska

2019

Water

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This paper presents the analysis and assessment of water losses in water distribution systems of three water supply companies operating water supply networks in the area of effect of underground mining. The analysis of water losses was conducted based on numerous indices allowing for obtaining objective information on the condition of the water supply system. The method of the analysis of percentage water loss index was extended by the methods of determination of losses according to the International Water Association. The results of the analysis lead to the conclusion that with regular actions, the companies have reduced water losses in recent years to a level considered to be good compared to national data and average compared to international standards. The value of the failure intensity index for all companies in 2011 was over 1.0 while currently it is about 0.5. The decrease in Non-Revenue Water basic loss index (NRWB) from more than 20% for all analysed companies in 2008 to a few percent in 2017 and the decrease in Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) for companies A and C to less than 2.0 are evidence of the good condition of the network. This is also confirmed by the unit water loss index per capita, with its value in 2017 being 9.1 dm3/(inhabitant day) for company A, 11 dm3/(inhabitant·day) for B and 7.4 dm3/(inhabitant·day) for C. The several years of analysis and evaluation of numerous indices of water loss presented in the paper reveals the effectiveness of the adopted strategies of reducing leakages in the distribution system. It should be emphasized that the analysed companies have been involved in comprehensive initiatives aimed at reducing water leakages, resulting in a substantial reduction in water losses. GIS monitoring systems and databases are particularly helpful in reducing water losses. The basis of the activities is monitoring of flow and pressure in water supply networks and active leakage control. Network zoning with simultaneous observation of minimum night-time flows allows for preliminary location of the failure. Equipping companies with special leakage detection devices such as geophones, stethophones or correlators enables quick detection of leakages. The next step is to replace water meters with more and more accurate ones and to implement radio reading of water meters. All analysed companies perform systematic replacement of old steel and cast iron pipes which cause a large number of leakages that are often difficult to identify, thus leading to water losses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Water Losses and Assessment of Initiatives Aimed at Their Reduction in Selected Water Supply Systems

Ociepa

Mrowieć

Deska

2019

Water

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“…Statistical tools and techniques were used to examine residential drinking water demand [7], while water evaluation and planning models were used to analyze trends in water use and demand [5]. Performance indices were developed to assess the economic level of apparent losses in WDNs [8]. Several models such as rainfall-runoff model, reservoir optimization model, and water quality model can be used to assess water and environmental effects in multifunctional weirs operations [9].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Arregui et al [8] presented a methodology to assess the economic level of apparent losses (ELAL) in a water distribution system of a water utility. The economic point is the point where the marginal benefit of increasing the frequency of apparent losses reduction activities breaks even with the marginal cost of their implementation.…”

Section: Drinking Water Supply Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Networks Management: New Perspectives

Kanakoudis

Tsitsifli

2019

Water

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Real water losses in water distribution systems may well be considered a potential water resource, as the significant water volumes being wasted through these physical losses should be replaced eventually. Advanced tools and strategies can be used for the efficient and sustainable management of water resources toward circular economy. The present Special Issue presents new perspectives for water networks management. The 10 peer-reviewed papers collected in this Special Issue have been grouped in two categories—drinking water supply systems and water resources and irrigation systems. These papers are being briefly presented in this Editorial.

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“…A recent study introduced the concept of the Sustainable Economic Level of Leakage, which includes not only the long-term utility cost and benefits, but also the external social and environmental leakage cost, such as traffic commotion during pipe repair, the carbon footprint and health risk effects from leakages at low pressure [23]. A few studies tried to calculate the economic level of apparent losses (ELAL), but were limited only to calculating the optimum replacement frequency of water meters [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the Economic Level of Water Losses (ELWL) in the Water Distribution System of the City of Malang, Indonesia

et al. 2021

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All of the possible strategies to reduce water losses in piped distribution systems follow the law of diminishing returns: the higher the expenditure on water loss reduction, the lower the progressive return in terms of water saved. Therefore, water utilities need to estimate the economic level of water losses (ELWL) so that they can reduce their water loss to the level where the cost to reduce the water losses is equal to the value of the water saved. This paper aims to estimate the ELWL using four different methods: the total cost method, the marginal cost method, the cumulative cost–benefit method, and the component-based methods. This analysis is based on data (2011–2016) on the water utilities of the city of Malang (PDAM Kota Malang), Indonesia. It was found that the total cost and marginal cost methods gave almost similar results for ELWL. However, the total cost method is preferred to calculate ELWL because it is the most accurate, easier to apply, and does not need a long data series. In addition, the estimated ELWL for PDAM Kota Malang was 21.76%, which is 3.71% higher than the water loss level estimated in 2016, which means that their strategies to reduce water loss are not cost-efficient. Moreover, the lack of data is a major challenge in the estimation of ELWL in Indonesia. This study emphasizes the importance of estimating the ELWL so that water utilities, especially in Indonesia, can evaluate their strategies in reducing water loss and improving their cost-effectiveness.

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Calculation Proposal for the Economic Level of Apparent Losses (ELAL) in a Water Supply System

Cited by 19 publications

References 19 publications

Analysis of Water Losses and Assessment of Initiatives Aimed at Their Reduction in Selected Water Supply Systems

Analysis of Water Losses and Assessment of Initiatives Aimed at Their Reduction in Selected Water Supply Systems

Water Networks Management: New Perspectives

Estimating the Economic Level of Water Losses (ELWL) in the Water Distribution System of the City of Malang, Indonesia

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