caldwell county regional water and wastewater planning study

APPENDIX HWater Rate StructureAn increasing water rate structure can motivate customers to reduce water use andpractice conservation measures. Establishing an average monthly consumption rate for allclasses of users and gradually increasing charge will encourage limits on watering anduse. Peak seasonal rates and City Limit boundary considerations should also be includedin the rate structure.Water AuditsAlthough it is impractical to attain 0% loss in water systems, it can be substantiallyminimized with monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual audits. Audits requireaccountability and responsibility for substantial loss is a system. Improvements arerequired and goals should be established to decrease the losses in a system and kept to aminimum. Larger cities than those in Caldwell have recorded water loss under 10%.Long-term planning at the city level should develop goals of minimum and maximumwater loss with action plans ready to be implemented in the event goals are not met.HB 3338 Water Auditing Reporting Information was enacted in the 78 th Legislature in2003. The bill requires “each retail public utility that provides potable water to conduct awater loss audit once every five years and to report the results of the audit to the TexasWater Development Board (TWDB). The water audit addresses four main points ofwater loss: loss from distribution lines; inaccuracies in meters; deficiencies in accountingpractices; and, theft of service.” Submission of the 2006 deadline for the report hasresulted in a response rate under 50%.MeteringMetering all the customer base is the only tool available that can account for water use.Proper calibration and routine testing can increase accuracy of measurements. It would be