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Measurement and Data

Overview

The cliché is true; we cannot manage what we do not measure and track. Collecting water use data and using that data to make informed decisions, is a fundamental water conservation practice that supports system-wide water efficiency for water providers and customers. For instance, providers can use water meter data to analyze water use by customer type, set efficiency benchmarks, and prioritize outreach to high-use customers.

However, to make the greatest impact, water data must be collected, managed, and communicated in a way that is easily understood – both by the provider and the customer. The Measurement and Data Best Practice Area addresses data collection, maintenance, analysis, and sharing.

For more on this best practice see the CWW Best Practices document, which includes additional information on:

Metering and measuring water use to inform decision-making.
Establishing water loss control practices to ensure a water provider’s distribution and billing system prevents unnecessary and, sometimes costly, water loss.
Establishing water budgets to support water efficiency through water benchmarking.
Leveraging data and data management to ensure residents and businesses have easy access to view and understand their water use through customer portals.

See external resources related to Measurement and Data.

Navigation

	Best Practices Guidebook Home
	Planning and Implementation
	Rates and Fees
	Measurement and Data
	Development and Codes
	Education and Communication
	Indoor Water Use
	Outdoor Water Use
	Case Studies

Key Takeaways

Metering

- Water meters are fundamental to water provider function. Metering is required under Colorado Revised Statutes 37-97-103 “Water Metering Act”.
- Measuring use and billing customers for what they use is fundamental to all water conservation efforts. Meters enable billing and provide essential information on consumption.
- Monthly meter reading is a best practice. Bi-monthly or quarterly billing is not frequent enough to provide useful, actionable information to customers. Monthly meter reads, or advanced metering infrastructure, are necessary for customers to be able to track and understand their use.
- Meters must be regularly tested, maintained, and replaced. A meter in the field should last 15 years and new electronic meters offer battery life that exceeds 10 years.

Water Loss Control

- AWWA’s M36 method is the best practice. The American Water Works Association water loss methodology (detailed in the M36 manual and described below) is considered the industry standard. The annual water audit is completed using a free Excel spreadsheet developed by industry experts and available here.
- An annual water audit is mandatory in Colorado. Auditing a water distribution system for real and apparent losses and evaluating the costs of those losses is the foundation of water loss control. Starting in 2024, all covered entities in Colorado must annually submit a completed M36 water audit to the CWCB. Every water provider should conduct an annual water audit and some water providers implement the audit process even more frequently.
- Water audit validation should be a goal. Validation refers to the process of examining water loss audit inputs to consider the water audit's accuracy and document the sources of uncertainty. AWWA’s M36 level 1 validation seeks to:

The Colorado Water Loss Initiative offers training and support in water loss control. Funded by the CWCB, this program provides comprehensive training and technical assistance for urban water systems across Colorado. More information can be found on the Colorado water loss website.

Water Budgets

Water budgets are a powerful information and management tool. Water providers use water budgets as a way of informing water users about the efficiency of their water use. In Colorado, water budgets are frequently linked with an inclining block rate to create a customized rate structure that strongly incentivizes efficient use.
Water budgets are a powerful drought enforcement tool. The water budget can inform all customers on a regular basis of the required use reductions. The water budget associated with a monthly bill can show each customer how much water they are allocated during the drought response.
Residential indoor water budgets can be calculated using three factors:

The number of people in the household
The average amount of water an efficient person uses daily (usually 40– 50 gpcd)
The number of days in the billing cycle

Landscape water budgets can be calculated using two factors:

The landscape size or irrigable area (usually in square feet)
The water requirement of the plants in that landscape which is often represented by the evapotranspiration (ET) rate

Data and Data Management

Water demand, water use data and associated customer information data are essential. Providing customers with access to information on their water use empowers them to make rational decisions about water management and efficiency. Customer information portals can help provide timely, actionable information.
Data enables water providers to target conservation programming. Targeting water conservation initiatives at the customers who have the greatest savings potential ensures water providers maximize impact.
Essential water use data include:

Production and delivery – entire system
Monthly consumption – by customer and customer category
Water budget vs. actual consumption
Efficiency program and participation

Major Benefits and Considerations

Category	Definition
Water Savings	Metering Compared to unmetered water use, metered water use can reduce average customer water use by 15-30% (Hanke & Flack, 1968; Mayer et al., 2004; Tanverakul & Lee, 2015). However, since all customers in Colorado who are part of a water provider with 600 connections or more are supposed to be metered, much of the initial water savings from metering has already been achieved. Additional water savings could be available through customer leak detection using AMI. There may also be potential savings from individually metering apartments and condo units, provided the installation costs do not outweigh the benefits for some water providers. Water Loss Control A systematic approach to reducing non-revenue water loss can result in substantial system wide water savings. Water Budgets Water budgets inform water users about their overall efficiency and are a proven tool for reducing excessive use.
Other	Metering Metering ensures that all customers are responsible for the water they use, providing equity and accountability. Metering water use and communicating water use through customer portals allows water providers to educate customers on their water use to help them take action to reduce use. Water savings associated with metering, the reduction of non-revenue water loss, and the use of water budgets may decrease treatment needs, decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted through water treatment or distribution. Metering water use allows a water provider to more accurately measure and bill for water use and to recoup the actual cost of purchasing, treating, and providing water to customers. Water Loss Control An annual non-revenue water audit is a useful educational tool for the utility itself to help understand demand and system losses. Water loss control provides stewardship and accountability in provider operations and sets a positive example for customers. Water Budgets Water budgets have the potential to protect the utility from overuse and to protect the customer from having their water allocated to other uses or micromanaged by the utility. (Mayer et al, 2008). During a drought or water shortage, water budgets have the potential to assist water providers in more fairly and effectively apportioning demand reductions among customers with different needs and among different customer classes. Additionally, a water budget drought enforcement program automatically identifies every customer who is not complying, enabling fair and uniform enforcement.

Costs

Category	Definition
Water Provider Costs	Metering Water meters themselves range in cost from under $100 to thousands of dollars depending upon the size, type, and quality of the meter. Electronic meters are generally more expensive than mechanical meters. Fixed-infrastructure AMI requires more up-front investment. Additionally, from a staffing perspective, the type of meter also has different staffing implications depending on if meters must be read manually or not. Water Loss Control Utility costs for water loss control vary. Initial implementation of the AWWA water loss audit methodology using the free software costs little more than staff time. Water Budgets Water providers will face financial costs in the form of staff or contractor time needed to develop and implement water budgets. Billing systems may need to be upgraded to accommodate water budgets. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can enable establishment of water budgets on a system-wide scale, but GIS is not a requirement for creating landscape water budgets. Other less expensive methods have been used and water providers that have already calculated pervious and impervious areas as part of a stormwater management program can reuse that same information to establish landscape water budgets. Customer information portals are usually implemented with a “software as a service” contract from a provider. The cost is often based on the size of the water provider. As a result, implementing a customer portal is a recurring, high-cost, annual expense for a water provider. On the flip side, while demand tracking requires time, it is a low-cost activity that most water providers can implement on their own.
Customer Costs	Metering Meter purchase and installation costs are not directly billed to customers except in rare circumstances. Developers typically pay the meter costs as part of the tap/connection fee (see the Rates and Fees Best Practice Area for additional information). From the customer perspective, the most significant impact of metering is that they are accountable to pay for the measured amount of water used. If a more expensive metering system is selected by the water utility, it is ultimately the customers who will pay for the difference through the water rates and fees. Water Loss Control Customers do not have direct costs associated with water loss control. However, if large loss problems exist, customers will ultimately bear costs related to repair and replacement of infrastructure. Water Budgets Water budgets can help customers reduce excessive use and realize cost savings. Understanding water use with data is essential to measuring and realizing financial savings. There are no direct customer costs associated with implementing water budgets, but customers do finance the programs through water bill payments as with all water provider functions and programs. Water budgets are tailored to the customer, and thus the costs or savings vary with each customer.

Case Studies

Colorado WaterWise
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management@coloradowaterwise.org

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Denver, CO 80250

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