Water Loss and Leakage Management - Level Three

Details

1-day course

CPD Credit: 6.5 hours, C1

Overview

A utility water balance refers to the apportionment of the water input to the utility’s system to the constituent water balance components. This balance is crucial for several reasons, and utility professionals employ water balance assessments to ensure efficient and sustainable water management practices.

Significant contribution to reaching the point of water accountability was the establishment of the International Water Association’s (IWA) Water Balance that is a useful tool in analysing the various components of water production, storage and distribution.

Through this analysis the magnitude of the water loss problem is identified, and priorities are set for rectifying the situation based on the component analysis of the Revenue and NRW components. The IWA Water Balance and relevant PIs have become international standard and are promoted by many regional and national professional associations around the world.

A recent innovative development is to link the water balance to the associated carbon emissions, thus creating the Water and Carbon Balance.

Course aim

This Level 3 course on water loss management will focus on building a water balance a water balance using data collected by the participants prior to the course. Also, there will be a deep dive into the constituent components of the Non-Revenue Water, namely Authorised Unbilled Consumption, Apparent Losses and Real Losses. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated that reducing leakage (Real Losses), associated carbon emissions are also reduced thus contributing to a greener environment.

It will be an interactive course where in the second half of the course the participants with the help of the Trainers will enter the collected or provided data into a freely available software to calculate the constituent components of the water and carbon balance and the relevant KPIs.  A Data Collection Template will be shared with the participants in advance of the course for relevant data gathering if desired.

Programme

1. Understanding Unbilled Authorised Consumption and Apparent Losses:

  • Components of Unbilled Authorised Consumption
  • Components of Apparent Losses
  • Reducing Unbilled Authorised Consumption and Apparent Losses
  • Impact of Apparent Losses on Water Balance
  • Maintenance and operational issues
  • Water meters and their functions

2. Understanding Real Losses:

  • Components of Real Losses
  • Managing Real Losses
  • Four Basic Leakage Constraint Activities
  • Key Performance Indicators
  • Strategies to Reduce Real Losses

3. Linking Water Losses to Climate Change:

  • Scope 1 carbon emissions
  • Low carbon initiatives
  • Leakage Carbon Emissions Initiative
  • Carbon emissions calculations

4. Water and Carbon Balance Data Calculation

  • Data collection and Audit Trail
  • Populate a Water Balance Software
  • Analyse and Discuss Results

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course participants should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the water balance and its constituent components and how these can be interpreted.
  • Understand the importance of data reliability and accuracy and how it can influence the outcome.
  • Appreciate the use of 95% confidence limits to validate the degree of uncertainty in calculating the individual water balance components.
  • Comprehend the dynamic interaction between the Apparent and Real Losses and how this can influence the results.
  • Analyse relevant KPIs and decide on appropriate water loss reduction strategy.
  • Link leakage reduction to carbon emissions and moving towards low carbon initiatives.

Who should attend?

This course will be of particular interest to engineers, contractors and project managers working with water utilities. This advance programme is aimed at those who already have some understanding in water loss management and wish to further their knowledge in the usefulness of the water balance beyond the simple exercise of calculating the volume of water lost.

Trainers Profile?

Bambos Charalambous

Bambos Charalambous BSc, MBA, CEng, MICE, CEnv, FCIWEM, FIWA

Over 40 years of experience in urban water distribution network management, including non-revenue water (NRW) and intermittent water supply (IWS) with application to water utility efficiency programs, water audits, NRW reduction strategies, PBC for NRW reduction, IWS management and control, utility governance, capacity building training and coaching. Well experienced in the development of comprehensive approach for technical and operational efficiency improvement in water utilities with well-defined, tangible, and realistic goals.

Over 20 years of international experience, including recent assignments in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, Middles East, East Africa, South Asia and South Pacific. Skilled in adopting participatory methods and techniques to stimulate awareness, creativity, and engagement of utility staff in the context of achieving higher levels of operational performance and efficiency.

Published numerous papers and books on issues related to urban water supplies. Past chair of the IWA’s Water Loss Specialist Group and Intermittent Water Supply Specialist Groups, member of the IWA Strategic Council and Past President of the Cyprus Water Association.

Stuart Hamilton

Stuart Hamilton CEnv, CMgr, FCIWEM, FIWA, FCIPHE, MCMI

Stuart has over 35 years of experience in water loss control and water management. Stuart is the managing director of Hydro Tec, a leading water management organisation providing consultancy services to water utilities and private business sectors globally. He is an expert in advanced water management control approaches and specialist techniques in acoustic technology. He works in both small and large diameter networks applying acoustic technological methods in intermittent supply, low-pressure and high-pressure systems. Stuart has managed large water loss management projects and resources throughout the world in 30 different countries.

Stuart holds membership of several water associations including fellow member of the IWA, FCIWEM and FCIPHE, Chair of the IWA Water Loss Specialist Group, Vice President of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association, committee member of AWWA and past executive committee member of EWRA. He is the principal author of several IWA books including ‘Leak Detection: Technology and Implementation’, ‘Current Leakage Detection Methodologies’ and ‘Water Management and Water Loss’. Stuart is also the co-author of the IWA manual ‘Technology and Equipment for Water Loss Management’.  

EI

Engineers Ireland supports the Sustainable Development Goals. This event contributes to Engineers Ireland's Sustainability Framework.

Please contact the Team for further information on scheduled course dates and In-Company options. You can reach us by phone: 01 665 1305 or email cpdtraining@engineersireland.ie