Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2011FL269B

Sustainable Urban Infrastructure and Water Loss Management Including a Case Study of Sanford Florida

Institute: Florida
Year Established: 2011 Start Date: 2011-03-01 End Date: 2015-03-28
Total Federal Funds: $69,412 Total Non-Federal Funds: $138,828

Principal Investigators: James Heaney

Project Summary: Continued growth in water demand in many parts of the country including Florida has placed significant stress on traditional groundwater and surface water sources for urban water supply. Regional water supply assessments by the water management districts have shown significant negative impacts of these developments including lowered groundwater tables accompanied by reduced flows in rivers and springs, declining lake levels, and increasing nutrient loads on receiving waters. In response to these problems, water utilities are required to evaluate alternative water supplies and water conservation to meet future water needs. Water losses on the utility side of the customers meters can be as high as 15-20%. A similar loss range exists on the customers side of the meter. Improved methods of water loss control can reduce these losses to 5% or less. The City of Sanford will be used as a case study to evaluate innovative methods of water loss control and the addition of water conservation devices. The EZ Guide 2.0 model will be refined to address these needs to find cost-effective solutions. EZ Guide 2.0 has been developed by the Conserve Florida Water Clearinghouse to find the optimal portfolio of traditional and alternative water supply options and demand management.