17 - Reliable water system

Goal 3 - DCC 17 - A reliable water system meets health and safety standards.

Albuquerque’s water reserve capacity is improving significantly with the advent of surface water supply, correcting existing deficiencies. Water loss is a continuing issue, although actual water lost (# gallons) is relatively stable. Citizens recognize the importance of this condition, ranking it highest among all conditions.

INDICATORS

17.1 Peak Water Demand vs. Reserve Capacity by Water Trunk
17.2 Distribution System Water Loss
See Goal 5, Indicator 30.2 Drinking Water Compliance Rate

LOCAL TREND:

Water reserve capacity is benefiting from 2 positive trends – lower peak day consumption and greater capacity being created by the advent of surface water supply as the primary source of supply. Reserve capacity in several water trunks was negative in 2002 and 2006 and these will be completely corrected by 2009 when surface water supply is used. Unaccounted-for-water has remained relatively stable since 2005, ranging from more than 3.1billion gallons to approximately 3.7 billion in 2007.

NATIONAL/REGIONAL COMPARISON:

No data exist to compare peak demand and water reserve capacity in other communities. Customer perception data exist indicating that Albuquerque area residents are similar in their perceptions about the reliability of their respective water supply and the adequacy of water pressure when compared to customers of other largest systems in the United States (RKS Research and Consulting, 2008). The amount of water loss has been within the median range when compared to other similar utilities for the past three fiscal years.

CITIZEN PERCEPTION:

Albuquerque citizens ranked this Desired Community Condition as the highest among all the desired conditions, reflecting the realities of living in a high desert. They also perceive that our community has made significant progress in planning for a sustainable supply, procuring new sources of water, developing treatment and distribution systems, and delivering efficient, quality water.

Opportunity to