Water Loss Control

California Water Code Section 10608.34 requires the State Water Board to develop water loss performance standards for urban retail water suppliers between January 2019 and July 2020. The State Water Board is required to evaluate the life-cycle cost of achieving these standards.

Executive Orders B-37-16 and B-40-17 direct the State Water Board and Department of Water Resources (DWR) to minimize water waste through system leaks.

Pre-rulemaking Meetings and Workshops

Updated Economic Model April 15, 2021

Memo for Economic Model Release

Revised Economic Model

Public Stakeholder Webinar March 24, 2021

Agenda | Notice

Documents for March 24 Staff Workshop on Water Loss

Attached are the peer reviews and a staff summary that will be discussed at the workshop on March 24 from 1:00pm-3:00pm. For questions about these documents or the workshop, please contact Bethany Robinson at Bethany.Robinson@waterboards.ca.gov

Water Loss Staff Summary of Peer Reviews
Water Loss Peer Reviews

Public Stakeholder Webinar December 16, 2020

Agenda | Notice

Presentations

Revised Economic Model: Water Loss Performance Standards
Revised Regulatory Proposal and Process: Water Loss Performance Standards

Reference materials:

1. Fact sheet with overview of regulatory proposal and timeline
2. Draft economic model to calculate water loss standards
3. Summary of changes to economic model
4. Draft Guidance to draft economic model
5. Draft proposed water loss standards using default values in economic model
6. Questionnaires on:
1. Data quality
2. Asset management
3. Pressure management
7. Draft regulatory text
8. Proposed alternative compliance pathway for existing low loss
9. Draft Initial Statement of Reasons

Public Stakeholder Webinar May 13, 2020

Agenda | Revised Notice (Comment period extended to June 12, 2020) | Notice

Voluntary questionnaire for additional information on water loss audits

The purpose of the voluntary questionnaire is to support the State Water Board’s efforts towards assessing and establishing the reliability of and confidence in the water loss estimates reported in the water loss audits.

Materials for comment:

1. Proposed Water Loss Performance Standards: Overview and Timeline
2. Draft economic model for calculating volumetric standards (second version)
(The model contains proposed default values for inputs and uses example values for supplier-specific input values from water loss audits - see item 6 for all values)
3. Questionnaires for data submission requirements of the proposal on:
   1. Data quality (Apparent loss)
   2. Asset management
   3. Pressure management
4. Overview of proposed off-ramp provision
5. Summary of current leakage and proposed draft volumetric standards for urban retail water suppliers
6. Input values from water loss audits used to calculate proposed draft standards

Public Stakeholder Meeting #6 September 23, 2019, Sacramento

Agenda | Revised Notice | Notice

Reference material for the workshop was circulated through State Water Board’s conservation list serve. Sign up for the email list at https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/resources/email_subscriptions/swrcb_subscribe.html

Public Stakeholder Meeting #5 June 7, 2019, Sacramento

Agenda | Notice

Materials for workshop (Uploaded June 11, 2019): The uploaded materials are documents that were shared during or prior to the workshop. The following materials are subject to changes based on stakeholder input, as the stakeholder process is ongoing.)

• Overview of framework
• Reference document describing preliminary assumptions and proposals for standard development
• Initial assumptions and considerations for calculations of benefits and costs for the economic model
• Calculation of standards, overview of compliance requirements and low water loss values
• Adjustments and variance process

Public Stakeholder Meetings #4 Sacramento and February 4, 2019, Chino
Agenda | Notice

The uploaded materials are documents that were shared during or prior to the workshop. The following materials are subject to changes based on stakeholder input, as the stakeholder process is ongoing.

• Staff proposal for framework of water loss performance standards
• Staff presentations:
  Framework overview | Adjustments and Compliance | Economic basis

Public Stakeholder Meeting #3 September 17, 2018, Los Angeles
Agenda | Notice

Presentations:

• Avoided Cost of Water, State Water Resources Control Board
• IRWD’s Water Loss Control Programs and Cost-Effectiveness, Irvine Ranch Water District
• Water Loss Control in Los Angeles, LA Department of Water & Power
• Overview of Life Cycle Cost Assessment: Case Study of LCA Alternatives Assessment of Lead-Free Cast Brass for the Potable Water Supply Components, University of California Los Angeles

Public Stakeholder Meeting #2 June 1, 2018, Oakland
Agenda | Notice

• Monitoring and Estimation Technologies | Pressure management | Technology-Constraint Matrix, State Water Resources Control Board
• Machine learning and Pipeline Replacement Prioritization, East Bay Municipal Utility District

Public Stakeholder Meeting #1 March 9, 2018, Sacramento
Agenda

• Water audit data and topics, State Water Resources Control Board
• Water Loss TAP findings, WSO

Water Loss Auditing

California Water Code Section 10608.34 requires urban retail water suppliers to conduct and submit validated water loss audit reports to the Department of Water Resources on October 1, annually.

California Water Code Section 10631 requires all urban water suppliers to submit water loss audits with their Urban Water Management Plans every five years to DWR.

Department of Water Resources water loss program page, Water Loss Audit Reports, Regulations and Submission page

Water Audit Certificate Program by CA-NV AWWA’s Water Loss Collaborative

Technical Assistance

The State Water Resources Control Board awarded $3.2 million in funding in January 2016 for technical assistance programs for water suppliers to effectively conduct and validate water loss audits and comply with SB 555, through the formation of the California Water Loss Collaborative. The Water Loss Technical Assistance Program (TAP) provided training and validation to initiate California’s validated water loss auditing process.