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

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27,
				2024
When used in this Chapter:
(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.
O.C.G.A. Secs.
				  12-5-4 and
				  12-5-4.1.