Assessing Water Performance Indicators for Leakage Reduction and Asset Management in Water Supply Systems

TL;DR

This paper critically examines water performance indicators used for leakage reduction and asset management, highlighting inconsistencies in the percentage leakage index through a case study and system layout analysis.

Contribution

It identifies and analyzes the flaws in the percentage leakage index (M1b), proposing improvements for more reliable water system management.

Findings

Inconsistencies in the percentage leakage index (M1b) are demonstrated.

Case study shows impact of indicator choice on management decisions.

System layout variations affect the reliability of leakage indicators.

Abstract

Water Supply Systems are essential infrastructures for the socio-economic life of urban cities. To improve their reliability, water utilities undertake several short- and long-term operational tasks based on technical and economic constraints. These activities are motivated by many factors, including increasing leakage rates due to infrastructure aging, increased consumer demands and need for sustainable use of water and energy. European and national regulatory bodies have promoted investment programs for allowing water utilities to reach common standards of reliability and quality of service among countries. Targets of management and operational achievements are usually measured using specific performance indicators. The Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment (ARERA) recently introduced the Regulation of the technical performances of water utilities. Performances on leakage management and investment plans of the utilities are thus based on two indicators named M1a (linear leakage index) and M1b (percentage leakage index). This paper analyzes in details the inconsistencies of the percentage leakage index (M1b), mainly due to its mathematical formulation and the ambiguity of defining water consumption as part of the total system inflow. The discussion is supported by a real case study, where both indicators have been calculated to assess their impact on management decisions and investment plans. The inconsistencies of the percentage leakage index are further demonstrated for various layouts of water supply systems.