Subject 391-3-33 RULES FOR PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY EFFICIENCY
The purpose of these Rules is to establish policies,
procedures, requirements and standards to implement Chapter 5 of Title 12 of
the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A), relating to water resources
as amended in the new Code Section 12-5-4.1, and as included in the Georgia
Water Stewardship Act of 2010 to carry out the purposes of adopting standards
for public water systems to improve the efficiency of water supply through the
development and improvement of water loss abatement programs and to implement
the industry's best management practices for controlling water loss by
achieving recommended standards.
When used in this Chapter:
| (1) |
"Apparent losses" means the sum of
unauthorized consumption (theft or illegal use), customer water meter
under-registration (inaccuracies with customer water meters) and data handling
errors (meter reading and billing). |
| (2) |
"Billed metered consumption" means all
metered consumption which is billed from all groups of customers, such as
domestic, commercial, industrial or institutional. It does not include water
that is metered and then billed, and exported to neighboring public water
systems. |
| (3) |
"Certification
statement" means that a Qualified Water Loss Auditor has certified that the
auditor has examined the annual water loss audit results and the results meet
the requirements in the Georgia Water System Audits and Water Loss Control
Manual and the American Water Works Association methodology for water loss
auditing. |
| (4) |
"Current Annual Real
Losses (CARL)" means the real losses determined during the reporting
year. |
| (5) |
"Director" means the
Director of Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural
Resources. |
| (6) |
"Division" means the
Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural
Resources. |
| (7) |
"Economic Level of
Leakage" means the determination of the level of real (leakage) losses where
the sum of the cost of the real loss reduction and the cost impact of the real
losses is at a minimum. Reducing leakage levels below the Economic Level of
Leakage is not cost-effective, as the cost of the leak abatement activities
exceeds the value of water saved. Economic Level of Leakage is used for leakage
reduction target setting and setting the frequency of leak survey
investigations. |
| (8) |
"Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI)" means the dimensionless performance
indicator calculated by dividing the Current Annual Real Loss by the
Unavoidable Annual Real Loss (i.e., CARL / UARL) best used for benchmarking
leakage within a public water system. |
| (9) |
"Non-Revenue Water" means the sum of
apparent losses, real losses, and authorized water consumption (unbilled
metered and unmetered) that does not provide any revenue to the
utility. |
| (10) |
"Operational Basic
Apparent Losses" means a basic performance indicator that assesses Apparent
Losses in gallons per service connection per day. |
| (11) |
"Operational Basic Real Losses" means a
basic performance indicator that assesses Real Losses in gallons per service
connection per day or gallons per miles of water distribution mains per day
depending on the public water system's connection density. |
| (12) |
"Public water system" means a system for
the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption, if such
system regularly serves at least 3,300 individuals. Such term includes but is
not limited to any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities
under the control of the operator of such system and used primarily in
connection with such system and any collection or pretreatment storage
facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with
such system. |
| (13) |
"Qualified Water
Loss Auditor" means an individual who has completed a basic water loss auditing
course approved by the Division and who demonstrates the knowledge, skills and
ability to validate water loss audits in accordance with the Georgia Water
System Audits and Water Loss Control Manual. |
| (14) |
"Real Losses" means the physical water
losses from reservoir(s), the water treatment facility(ies), the pressurized
public water system and the finished water storage tanks, up to the point of
customer consumption. In metered systems this is the customer meter; in
unmetered situations this is the first point of consumption within the
property. The annual volume lost through all types of leaks, breaks and
overflows depends on frequencies, flow rates, and average duration of
individual leaks, breaks and overflows. |
| (15) |
"Unavoidable Annual Real Losses (UARL)"
means a theoretical reference value representing the technical low limit of
leakage that could be achieved if all of current best technology could be
successfully applied and is a key variable in the calculation of the
Infrastructure Leakage Index. |
| (16) |
"Unbilled metered consumption" means metered water consumption which is, for
any reason, unbilled and does not include water exported to neighboring public
water systems or utilities that is metered but unbilled. |
| (17) |
"Unbilled unmetered water consumption"
means any kind of water consumption authorized by the public water system which
is neither billed nor metered, and may include items such as fire-fighting,
flushing of mains and sewers, or street cleaning, and does not include water
exported to neighboring public water systems or utilities that is unmetered and
unbilled. |
| (18) |
"Water audit data
validity score" means a weighted scale, from 0 to 100, for the components of
consumption and water loss that demonstrates a public water system's confidence
and accuracy of data entered into a water audit software application. |
| (19) |
"Water loss audit" means the
investigation and completion of an assessment of public water system
infrastructure leakages and other losses in conformance with the Georgia Water
Loss Audit guidance, International Water Association (IWA) and American Water
Works Association (AWWA) methodology for water loss auditing and the latest
release of the AWWA Water Loss Audit software application package. |
| (20) |
"Water exported" means the water sold to
a neighboring water utility, public water system or regional water
authority. |
| (21) |
"Water use
efficiency" means the minimal amount of water that is technically and
economically feasible to achieve an intended water use function and reduce
water waste. |
These rules apply to any public water system that regularly
serves 3,300 or more individuals.
| (1) |
Water
Loss Audits. Public water systems shall conduct an annual water loss
audit in accordance with the International Water Association (IWA) and American
Water Works Association (AWWA) methodology for water loss auditing as provided
by the Division in the most current versions of the Georgia Water System Audits
and Water Loss Control Manual and AWWA Water Audit Software. |
| (2) |
Reporting. By March 1 of
each calendar year, annual water loss audit results for the previous calendar
year shall be submitted to the Division in a form and manner prescribed by the
Division and shall include documentation of the basis of the audit in the
comments section of the Reporting Worksheet. A certification statement shall be
included with each annual water loss audit reporting that a Qualified Water
Loss Auditor has examined the annual water loss audit results and the results
meet the requirements in the Georgia Water System Audits and Water Loss Control
Manual and the American Water Works Association methodology for water loss
auditing. |
| (3) |
Review by the
Division. Public water systems shall cooperate with the Division during
Division review of the submitted water loss audits, including providing
responses to follow up questions by the Division and the submittal of
additional supporting information for the audits. If the Division determines
that an audit is of poor quality, the Division may require the Public water
system to have their audit reviewed and resubmitted by a third party Qualified
Water Loss Auditor. |
| (1) |
Water Loss Control Program.
By July 1, 2016, Public water systems shall develop and conduct a water loss
control program to investigate, assess, and implement efforts to improve water
supply efficiency. Water loss control programs shall be updated periodically as
needed. Water loss control programs may include, but are not limited to, the
following:
| (a) |
Leakage Management, including
distribution system water leakage detection and repairs; |
| (b) |
Finished Water Meter Flow
Verification; |
| (c) |
Customer Water
Meter Testing and Calibration; |
| (d) |
Resource Allocation, including planned preventive maintenance; and |
| (e) |
Revenue Recovery Activities. |
|
| (2) |
Individualized
Goals. Each public water system shall establish individual goals to set
measures of water supply efficiency and to improve water supply efficiency.
These measures may include, but are not limited to:
| (a) |
Infrastructure Leakage Index; |
| (b) |
Water Audit Data Validity Score;
|
| (c) |
Operational Basic Apparent
Losses; |
| (d) |
Operational Basic Real
Losses; and |
| (e) |
Economic Level of
Leakage |
|
| (3) |
Demonstration of Progress.
| (a) |
Public water systems shall make progress toward improving water supply
efficiency. Progress may be demonstrated through process and performance
measures:
| 1. |
Improvement in data validity
score to the extent practicable for a specific utility as a process measure of
data reliability; |
| 2. |
The
development and implementation of the water loss control program; |
| 3. |
Improvement in performance measures once a
reliable level of validity score has been achieved:
* Operational Basic Real Losses; * Operational Basic Apparent Losses; and |
| 4. |
Economic Level of Leakage has been
achieved and maintained. |
|
| (b) |
Demonstration of progress shall be
documented by public water systems upon application to the Division for a water
withdrawal permit or increase in permitted drinking water service connections
and may be evaluated by the Division as part of the review of the following
applications:
| 1. |
An application to renew a
water withdrawal permit under the Georgia Groundwater Use Act of 1972, O.C.G.A.
Section 12-5-90et seq.,
or the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-20et
seq.; |
| 2. |
An application to
modify an existing water withdrawal permit which includes an increase in the
permitted water supply under the Georgia Groundwater Use Act of 1972, O.C.G.A.
Section 12-5-90et seq.,
or the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-20et seq.;
or |
| 3. |
An application to increase
the number of permitted service connections issued to a public water system
under the Georgia Safe Drinking Water Act of 1977, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-170et
seq. |
|
| (c) |
For
applications submitted after July 1, 2016 as described under paragraph (3)(b)
above, failure to demonstrate progress toward improving water supply efficiency
may result in an action by the Director including, but not limited to, the
following:
| 1. |
A reduction under paragraph
(3)(b)1. above in the permitted water quantity for a water withdrawal permit
issued to the public water system under the Georgia Groundwater Use Act of
1972, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-90et seq.,
or the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-20et
seq.; |
| 2. |
A denial under
paragraph (3)(b)2. above of an application to modify any water withdrawal
permit issued to the public water system under the Georgia Groundwater Use Act
of 1972, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-90et seq.,
or the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-20et
seq.; |
| 3. |
A denial under
paragraph (3)(b)3. above of an application to increase the number of permitted
service connections issued to the public water system under the Georgia Safe
Drinking Water Act of 1977, O.C.G.A. Section
12-5-170et
seq. |
|
|
| (4) |
Administration and
Enforcement. The administration and enforcement of this Rule shall be in
accordance with the Georgia Water Quality Control Act, the Georgia Groundwater
Use Act, the Georgia Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Georgia Administrative
Procedure Act. |
