Nancy Cho, C.P.E.S.C. serves as a senior project manager in our environmental services group. She is a certified professional in erosion and sediment control (CPESC) and specializes in water loss audits; risk and resilience assessments; emergency response plans; consumer confidence reports; stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) development; permitting and inspection; wellhead protection planning; wetland delineations; wetland, waterway, and floodplain permitting; national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) compliance; permitting for industries and municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) communities; and MS4 ordinance and policy development.
For many utilities, water loss audits start as a requirement. Data is gathered to meet a regulatory deadline, the audit is submitted, and then it’s on to the next task.
It’s easy to see this process as just another box to check.
However, utilities that get the most from water loss audits view them differently. They treat them as a tool for understanding how to improve their system. Their audits revolve around the question: How confident are we in our data?
When the data is reviewed for production, consumption, and assets, they create a clearer picture of how the water is moving through the system. Often, this picture shows issues a utility is already aware of.
Occasionally, new questions come to light such as:
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Why might loss be trending up?
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Are we maintaining our meters?
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Is there missing information that we could easily track?
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This is where we walk alongside clients to guide them through interpreting the data and creating solutions.
Moving from compliance to confidence means the audit is a starting point for action. Instead of filing it away, utilities can connect the results to real decisions. Some utilities may prioritize meter testing while others may focus on leak detection, mapping, or billing records.
Small improvements, better records, consistent processes, and closer looks at outliers can make a noticeable difference over time.
As regulations change and funding opportunities become more competitive, confidence in your data is important. Strong, reliable information supports better planning, justifies investments, and strengthens applications for funding programs.
We're here to help utilities make systematic improvements. Year after year, as data and systems improve, so does the ability to make informed decisions.
Water loss audits are a tool for clarity, planning, and progress. And that’s where the shift happens from simply meeting the requirement to having confidence in your system.
There is no water problem we can’t solve together™.
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