Water Audit, Grafton, MA

Tata & Howard, Inc. was retained by the Town of Grafton, MA to complete a water audit of the water distribution system based on data and system information for the calendar year 2015. The project included assessing the amount of lost water using the methodology outlined in AWWA’s Water Audits and Loss Control Programs, Manual of Water Supply Practices – M36, Fourth Edition, published in 2016. The final report estimates the volume of lost water in terms of non-revenue water, identifies potential sources of lost water, and estimates system performance indicators including the Infrastructure Leakage Index.

The AWWA water audit results found that the Town had total water losses of approximately 182 million gallons in 2015 and the associated annual cost of water lost was over $312,000.  Of this, 11% is Unavoidable Annual Real Losses (UARL). Recommendations to reduce water loss include volumetrically testing master meters and performing a field to database audit of SCADA flow reported from master meters and interconnections, beginning a customer meter testing and replacement program, documenting unbilled and unmetered water use with the use of meters whenever possible, and conducting a third-party review of the leakage detection program. The estimated cost of recommended improvements to the District’s water loss control program was $20,000 for the SCADA audit and leakage detection program review, $129,000 to replace customer meters over 25 years old, and $7,000 in annual costs for establishing master meter and customer meter testing and replacement programs. Implementation of all recommendations would result in an expected ROI of less than one year.