Water Loss Management: A Case Study in Korea

A case of water loss management on a small city whose water supply is approximately 34,000 m³/day is examined. Revenue water ratio was just 55% mostly because of water loss caused by old pipes and difficulties in pipeline management in the beginning 2004.

A block system was introduced first to monitor and maintain the pipelines more conveniently, from small to medium to large blocks. Depending on the pipeline conditions, such as water leakage or quality, 50km of pipeline have been replaced from 2005 to 2006. Use of pressure control valves have also resulted in an increase of revenue water ratio by 10%. Overall, through systematic management and rehabilitation/replacement of pipelines, water leakage has decreased dramatically, and the revenue water ratio has increased from 55% to 70% in just 2 years.