Strategy for the renovation of water systems and decreasing water losses
Specialist seminar
Information on the seminar “Strategy for renovating water networks and lowering water losses” held as part of the project solution no. 8049 MŽP – VS1 “Specialist assistance for Slovak regional water companies”, ISPA/KF FM č. 2002/16/P/PA/008
On June 6th 2007, the Kerametal business centre in Bratislava witnessed the working meeting of managing, operational and technical employees of water companies whose management goals, work responsibilities and specialist interest were related to the renovation of water network and lowering water losses.
The holding of the seminar “Strategy for renovating water networks and lowering water losses” is constitutionally linked with the aim and the goals of the project “Specialist assistance for Slovak regional water companies” as part of which the seminar was organised.
This problem area is becoming more important, not only in relation to the increasing price of water, but also because it is focusing attention on the wider customer base of the general public, which includes approximately 85% of the population of the Slovak Republic, whose water comes from public water systems, and also for the reason that water losses have become an important indicator as part of the negotiations between water companies and the Regulatory Office for Network Industries on the price of water.
As the organisers of the seminar, we were motivated by the goal of making specific information focused on the problems of water losses and the renovation of water systems accessible to the employees of water companies, as well as experience of applications for identifying and eliminating leaks and organisational measures focused on this activity, as well as the assessment of the data collected. In the course of this, local and international working contacts were used, thanks to which we were able to have as lecturers Doc. L. Tuhovčák from the Czech Technical University in Brno, Ing. K. Thóthová from the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, Ing. F. Weyerer from the Vienna City Water Company, Ing. Z. Šenkapoulová from Vodárenská akciová společnost, a.s. Brno which operates within the territory of Southwest Moravia, Ing. Bednárika from Vodárenská spoločnosť Ružomberok a.s., Ing. K. Munk from the Water Research Institute in Bratislava as well as experts Ing. J. Dirhan and Ing. I. Petr from companies which supply instruments for searching for water leaks from pipes or water meters.
In the specialist part of the seminar, information was given not only on operational experiences, but also on the latest trends in water economy theory, a segment which is gaining an ever more important status and helps the managers of water companies in decision-making processes, unfortunately mainly abroad for the moment.
The lectures were focused on assessing the technical state of water networks and planning their renovation, on the economic aspects of reducing water losses which resulted in the fact that assessing the state of water systems solely based on the indicator of water losses is incomplete and unrepresentative. Seminar participants were also provided with lectures on the operation of the 3 200 kilometres of Vienna’s water network, which reports only 8 to 10% uncontrolled leaks, and information on the five-year programme of Ružomberok’s water company focused on systematically reducing water losses. They were also given information on the vertical and horizontal operational system of solving the problem of losses on the territory of Southwest Moravia. Further, the legal obligation for water companies in the Czech Republic to prepare a “Plan for Financing the Renovation of Water Systems”, containing the company’s intentions over five years, was also presented. In this way, this gives room for a real chance of planning and then preparing necessary steps to carry out strategic plans in the area of the renovation of public water systems in the Czech Republic. A further cycle of lectures was focused more on technical affairs, in particular on discovering uncontrolled water leaks, the need to be equipped with modern instruments and the principles of their operation. There were also discussions on how the standard results of flow measurement depend on correct assembly and on the use of the correct type and appropriate size of water meters, depending on the specific conditions of the measurement point, since only reliable measurement results are the basic condition for discovering and assessing leakages and losses.
The subject was concluded with lectures whose contents were topical and related to each other, on the different terminologies of reporting and assessing the extent of losses, on the assessment of water systems in the SR, on the assessment and comparison of data and results which only provide rational results in an environment of unambiguously identical and comparable criteria which were lacking to date in this segment of the water industry.
The seminar registered a positive response; over 90 employees of water companies and further specialists on the problems of the water industry attended. The given subject is very relevant, taking into the consideration the state of the water networks in Slovakia.
Ing. Pavol Helia
Specialist Assistance for Slovak Regional Water Companies
Activities carried out as part of the project
Activities under preparation