Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008 - (Page 34)

7. Water accountability Water quality and quantity issues are in the news virtually every day. We simply can no longer look at clean water as an unlimited resource that we can use any way we please. Utilities need to start looking at how our water is being used, and ﬁ nd ways to lower our unaccounted-for water percentages. It starts with conducting water audits to see where the water is actually going, and some utilities are already utilizing water-use ordinances and water conser- vation public education programs. As we’ve seen countless times in the past, if we don’t start policing ourselves, someone else is going to do it for us. 8. Water efficiency When looking at water use, don’t forget to look at your own. Because it doesn’t really cost the utility anything to use your own water, many times, operators don’t really think about how much they use. Non-controlled pre-lube lines or faulty check valves on wells can waste a lot of water, as can ﬂushing hydrants for 2-3 times longer than is necessary to get fresh water in the mains. Wasted water is wasted money, so consider using directional ﬂushing and getting ﬂow readings on your hydrants so you know just how long they need to be ﬂushed to get a turnover of water in that section of main. 9. Communications It’s always more efﬁcient to be communicating effectively, and I’m not just talking radios, pagers and cell phones here. Management communicating with employees, ofﬁce staff communicating with operators, one department communicating with other departments, and everyone communicating with customers/taxpayers all adds up to better, more efﬁcient operations. Simply put, it costs money when one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing. 10. Operations In many cases, operators don’t think about efficiency because they have no idea what things cost. The bills come in to the office and are paid without them seeing them, so there’s no opportunity for them to offer ideas on ways to save money. Get everyone involved in the money saving and efficiency improvement process. Also, get some outsider input on how you’re currently doing things. It’s far too easy to continue doing something just because that’s the way you’ve always done it. Maybe someone else has found a far easier and cheaper way of doing it. When it comes to improving utility efficiency, every gain doesn’t have to be something that provides instant, dramatic savings and improvement. Every little bit helps in the long-run, pennies add up to dollars, dollars add up to hundreds of dollars, etc. In time, those pennies and dollars can be used to improve in other areas. And in the end, both our customers and the environment benefit from our actions. XXX Xxx 1/2v B&W Reprinted with permission from the Wisconsin Rural Water Journal, Fall 2007 issue, from the Wisconsin Rural Water Association. 34 • Third 369323_grpumps.indd 1Quarter 2008 2/8/08 12:50:00 PM http://www.grpumps.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008 Contents From the President From Hypo to Gas - A Forward Leap If You Lose All Your Data Today... Would You Still Be in Business Tomorrow? Weaving the Wireless Web Rural Water and the Farm Bill Ensuring Your Water System's Security Guarding Against Becoming a Victim of Fraud 10 Ways to Improve Utility Efficiency New Technology Making a Difference By Being Involved Regulatory Update Source Water Protection Corner Throwing My Loop Cub Scouts Visit Alliance of Indiana Rural Water's Spring Conference Advertisers.com Index to Advertisers From the CEO

Rural Water - Quarter 3, 2008

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