leakage in water supply pipes 1

[colum]

Doing some work on water distribution networks and just wondering if there are any 'rules of thumb' regarding economical levels of leakage. I know leakage can be expressed in %UFW, l/prop/hr and l/km/day, with each being more suitable for differenct types of network, e.g. urban vs. rural. It would be useful to know what is generally considered a realistic target for leakage.

 

[rconner]

I think this could be a very hard question to answer with generalities as this can be a little more complex subject than perhaps publicly perceived. "Unaccounted for" (in some areas perhaps synonymous with unmetered or billed?) water of course may or may not be "leakage" for perhaps many reasons (including apparently substantial metering errors reportedly found in some locales, water used for flushing/fire fighting or other uses etc. that for whatever reason is not run through an accurate meter, water "flat out" stolen etc.) While these terms are no doubt sometimes used synonymously (in some cases perhaps rather accurately, but perhaps in others due to a lack of specific knowledge, or maybe even for political or various specific business promotional reasons), perhaps this should be kept in mind in talking about this subject.

 

[cvg]

how about 1 cubic foot water per day per inch of inside diameter per mile of pipe? this is a test requirement for new pipe that we we require at 1.5 times the design working pressure. More than this would be considered defective pipe.

As far as economics, this depends upon your (additional) costs to acquire the water, treatment, storage, pumping etc. and should be compared to the annualized cost to repair the leaks.