Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia
Department 391 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Chapter 391-3 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Subject 391-3-33 - RULES FOR PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY EFFICIENCY
Rule 391-3-33-.02 - Definitions

(1) "Apparent losses" means the sum of unauthorized consumption (theft or illegal use), customer water meter under-registration (inaccuracies with customer water meters) and data handling errors (meter reading and billing).

(2) "Billed metered consumption" means all metered consumption which is billed from all groups of customers, such as domestic, commercial, industrial or institutional. It does not include water that is metered and then billed, and exported to neighboring public water systems.

(3) "Certification statement" means that a Qualified Water Loss Auditor has certified that the auditor has examined the annual water loss audit results and the results meet the requirements in the Georgia Water System Audits and Water Loss Control Manual and the American Water Works Association methodology for water loss auditing.

(4) "Current Annual Real Losses (CARL)" means the real losses determined during the reporting year.

(5) "Director" means the Director of Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources.

(6) "Division" means the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources.

(7) "Economic Level of Leakage" means the determination of the level of real (leakage) losses where the sum of the cost of the real loss reduction and the cost impact of the real losses is at a minimum. Reducing leakage levels below the Economic Level of Leakage is not cost-effective, as the cost of the leak abatement activities exceeds the value of water saved. Economic Level of Leakage is used for leakage reduction target setting and setting the frequency of leak survey investigations.

(8) "Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI)" means the dimensionless performance indicator calculated by dividing the Current Annual Real Loss by the Unavoidable Annual Real Loss (i.e., CARL / UARL) best used for benchmarking leakage within a public water system.

(9) "Non-Revenue Water" means the sum of apparent losses, real losses, and authorized water consumption (unbilled metered and unmetered) that does not provide any revenue to the utility.

(10) "Operational Basic Apparent Losses" means a basic performance indicator that assesses Apparent Losses in gallons per service connection per day.

(11) "Operational Basic Real Losses" means a basic performance indicator that assesses Real Losses in gallons per service connection per day or gallons per miles of water distribution mains per day depending on the public water system's connection density.

(12) "Public water system" means a system for the provision to the public of piped water for human consumption, if such system regularly serves at least 3,300 individuals. Such term includes but is not limited to any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facilities under the control of the operator of such system and used primarily in connection with such system and any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with such system.

(13) "Qualified Water Loss Auditor" means an individual who has completed a basic water loss auditing course approved by the Division and who demonstrates the knowledge, skills and ability to validate water loss audits in accordance with the Georgia Water System Audits and Water Loss Control Manual.

(14) "Real Losses" means the physical water losses from reservoir(s), the water treatment facility(ies), the pressurized public water system and the finished water storage tanks, up to the point of customer consumption. In metered systems this is the customer meter; in unmetered situations this is the first point of consumption within the property. The annual volume lost through all types of leaks, breaks and overflows depends on frequencies, flow rates, and average duration of individual leaks, breaks and overflows.

(15) "Unavoidable Annual Real Losses (UARL)" means a theoretical reference value representing the technical low limit of leakage that could be achieved if all of current best technology could be successfully applied and is a key variable in the calculation of the Infrastructure Leakage Index.

(16) "Unbilled metered consumption" means metered water consumption which is, for any reason, unbilled and does not include water exported to neighboring public water systems or utilities that is metered but unbilled.

(17) "Unbilled unmetered water consumption" means any kind of water consumption authorized by the public water system which is neither billed nor metered, and may include items such as fire-fighting, flushing of mains and sewers, or street cleaning, and does not include water exported to neighboring public water systems or utilities that is unmetered and unbilled.

(18) "Water audit data validity score" means a weighted scale, from 0 to 100, for the components of consumption and water loss that demonstrates a public water system's confidence and accuracy of data entered into a water audit software application.

(19) "Water loss audit" means the investigation and completion of an assessment of public water system infrastructure leakages and other losses in conformance with the Georgia Water Loss Audit guidance, International Water Association (IWA) and American Water Works Association (AWWA) methodology for water loss auditing and the latest release of the AWWA Water Loss Audit software application package.

(20) "Water exported" means the water sold to a neighboring water utility, public water system or regional water authority.

(21) "Water use efficiency" means the minimal amount of water that is technically and economically feasible to achieve an intended water use function and reduce water waste.