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The ASR Revamped In the Main - A technical assistance newsletter for Public Water Suppliers
Winter 2008
By Richard Friend
In the summer of 2007 MassDEP convened the Annual Statistical Report (ASR) Task Force to review and update the ASR submitted by public water systems. Task force members included public water suppliers, staff from MassDEP and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and a member of the Neponset River Watershed Association. The task force updated the ASR to make it easier to complete and to improve the quality and reliability of the data reported by public water suppliers. The task force paid particular attention to revising the Water Management section of the ASR. In this section water suppliers calculate and report their unaccounted-for-water (UAW) losses and residential gallons per capita day (RGPCD) water use.
UAW is defined as the difference between the total water volumes entering a distribution system minus those metered water volumes distributed and the confidently estimated volumes used for municipal purposes (e.g. hydrant flushing and fire fighting). The Massachusetts Water Resources Commission's (WRC) state standard for UAW is 10% or less. UAW can reflect unmetered water uses and distribution system leaks, which represent actual water losses to the system. It may also indicate source and/or service meter errors, which while not real losses of water represent potentially unbilled water distributed. Suppliers are required to submit their calculations and supporting documentation for their confidently estimated municipal uses with the ASR.
RGPCD is a measure of the volume of water an average resident uses per day of the year. RGPCD values vary depending on indoor use factors (low-flow toilets, leaking valves, etc.) and outdoor use factors (pools, lawn watering, etc.). High RGPCD values most frequently reflect seasonal increases caused by lawn watering. WRC's Performance Standard for RGPCD is 65 gallons/person/day or lower. The accuracy of RGPCD depends on collecting accurate residential usage volumes and an accurate determination of the residential population served by the PWS.
Prior to 2006, MassDEP simply recorded the UAW and RGPCD values reported in the ASRs. For the 2006 ASR, however, MassDEP assessed the reported values in more detail, making adjustments using the information provided in the ASRs. The 2006 reported and adjusted UAW and RGPCD values are available on MassDEP's web site at http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/watercon.htm#managemt. MassDEP posted these values to inform water suppliers of any adjustments in the calculations submitted and to provide them an opportunity to submit any additional supporting documentation to further revise the numbers or to contact us with questions.
MassDEP adjusted many of the UAW values reported by public water suppliers in their 2006 ASRs. The two most common reasons these values were adjusted were insufficient documentation of estimated municipal uses and claiming leakage as an accounted-for municipal use. Documentation of municipal use must be provided in order for MassDEP to be able to assess its validity. In addition, MassDEP considers leakage as unaccounted for water, with the exception of short-term major water main breaks. MassDEP understands this has been a concern for many suppliers and has agreed to discuss the idea of crediting "unavoidable leakage," consistent with AWWA standards, as accounted for water. We will be discussing this issue in the upcoming year with the WMA Advisory Committee and our 2008 ASR Workgroup, which has yet to be convened but will include water supply representatives.
For the 2007 ASR, MassDEP conducted a number of workshops in early February to assist water suppliers in properly completing the Water Management section of the ASR (Section G), particularly the UAW and RGPCD calculations. MassDEP believes that between the ASR workshops, the new, clearer ASR instructions, and the knowledge that MassDEP will be reviewing these forms in detail, will result in more reliable data in the 2007 ASRs. We believe that these improvements will reduce the number and magnitude of adjustments to the reported values. This year prior to posting the adjusted values on our web site, MassDEP will provide suppliers an opportunity to review the adjusted values, provide additional information, and request further review by MassDEP.
If you have any questions about the Water Management section of the ASR, including calculation of UAW and RGPCD, please call Richard Friend at 617-654-6522 or email him at richard.friend@state.ma.us.
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