ruidoso water audit summary report - new mexico office of ......2007/04/12 · daniel b. stephens...

Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc. 6020 Academy NE, Suite 100 • Albuquerque, New Mexico 87109

Ruidoso Water Audit Summary Report

Prepared for New Mexico Office of the State Engineer Water Use and Conservation Bureau Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico

April 12, 2007

D a n i e l B . S t e p h e n s & A s s o c i a t e s , I n c .

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Table of Contents Section Page

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1

2. Water System Summary ......................................................................................................... 3

3. Water Losses .......................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Meter Error (Apparent Loss)............................................................................................ 9

3.1.1 Source Meter Error ............................................................................................. 10 3.1.2 Customer Meter Error ......................................................................................... 12 3.1.3 Low-Flow Accuracy............................................................................................. 15

3.2 Database Error (Apparent Loss).................................................................................... 15 3.3 Real Losses................................................................................................................... 16

4. Sector Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 16

5. Water Audit Summary ........................................................................................................... 23

6. Existing Conservation Measures........................................................................................... 25

7. Leaks and Leak Detection..................................................................................................... 28

8. Recommended Actions ......................................................................................................... 29

9. Summary............................................................................................................................... 32

References.................................................................................................................................. 33

List of Figures Figure Page

1 Site Location Map ..............................................................................................................2

2 Village of Ruidoso Billed Water by Sector in 2005........................................................... 19

3 Village of Ruidoso Billed Water for Commercial Sector in 2005 ...................................... 20

4 Village of Ruidoso Billed Water for Residential Sector in 2005........................................ 21

5 Village of Ruidoso Billed Water for Multi-Family Housing Sector in 2005........................ 22

6 Village of Ruidoso Calculated Increase in Summer Water Use in 2005 .......................... 24

7 Breakdown of Revenue and Non-Revenue Water, Village of Ruidoso, 2005 .................. 26


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List of Tables Table Page

1 Village of Ruidoso Production Wells .................................................................................. 3

2 Village of Ruidoso Municipal Water Supply Water Production and Water Billed for 2005..........................................................................................................4

3 Current Monthly Minimum Water Charges by Sector......................................................... 6

4 Current Water Commodity Charges................................................................................... 6

5 Number and Size of Meters by Sector in 2005 .................................................................. 7

6 Unbilled Metered Water Use by Account in 2005 .............................................................. 8

7 Size, Type, and Number of Village Production Well Meters ............................................ 10

8 Potential Impacts of Increased Production Well Meter Measurement Error .................... 12

9 Comprehensive Water Audit Balance, Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, January 1 through December 31, 2005 ............................................................................................ 17

10 Metered Water Use by Sector in 2005 ............................................................................. 18

11 Calculated Increase in Summer Water Use in 2005 ........................................................ 23

12 International Standard Water Audit Format...................................................................... 25

13 Phased Watering Restrictions.......................................................................................... 27

List of Appendices Appendix

A Water Audit Questionnaires

B Ruidoso Population Data

C Village of Ruidoso Water Conservation Ordinance


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Acknowledgements

Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc. (DBS&A) would like to acknowledge Ken Mosley, Elaine

Beltran, Ken Perryman, Carlos Salas, and Corena Baca with the Village of Ruidoso for providing

the data used in this water audit. Cheri Vogel with the Water Use and Conservation Bureau of

the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NM OSE) has overseen all aspects of the project

and has assisted closely with the water audit interviews and data collection effort. Additionally,

John Longworth, Molly Magnuson, and Jerry Keller, also with the NM OSE Water Use and

Conservation Bureau, contributed to the project through their meeting attendance and helpful

document review.


Ruidoso Water Audit Summary Report

1. Introduction

On behalf of the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (OSE), Daniel B. Stephens &

Associates, Inc. conducted a water audit using Village of Ruidoso (Village) (Figure 1) data. The

project objective was to help the Village better estimate revenue versus non-revenue water and

to distinguish real and apparent losses using a water accounting technique based on the

International Water Association/American Water Works Association (IWA/AWWA) water

balance model. This report also provides an accounting of commercial, residential, and multi-

family housing water use in 2005.

The scope of this project included developing two water audit questionnaires for completion by

Village staff and then coordinating and evaluating their responses to the questionnaires.

Personnel from DBS&A and the OSE met with Village of Ruidoso staff on May 5, 2006, after

their initial response to the questionnaires, and discussed the Village water system and

associated data needs. Completed questionnaires are presented in Appendix A. Personnel

from DBS&A and the OSE met with Village of Ruidoso staff again on March 14, 2007 to clarify

the information presented in this final report.

This report provides, based on the completed questionnaires, a summary description of the

Ruidoso water system, an analysis of water billing data for 2005, and estimates of unmetered

water use and meter error. Also included are information on how estimates and breakdowns

were calculated and an explanation of the obstacles encountered. Finally, recommendations on

possible additional approaches the Village can use to augment their existing efforts to minimize

non-revenue water are provided.

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Figure 1

RUIDOSO WATER AUDITSite Location Map


2. Water System Summary

The Village is supplied by groundwater from aquifers in the Permian San Andres Limestone,

Permian Yeso Formation, Tertiary to Cretaceous Cub Mountain Formation, Tertiary Sierra

Blanca Volcanics, and by surface water from Eagle Creek and Rio Ruidoso (JSAI, 2005). The

Village has 10 supply wells, the primary three of which (NF-1, NF-3, and NF-4) (Village of

Ruidoso, 2006) are completed in the Sierra Blanca Volcanics (JSAI, 2005). The names, aquifer

in which they are completed, and associated OSE file numbers for these supply wells are listed

in Table 1.

Table 1. Village of Ruidoso Production Wells

Production Well Name a Completion Aquifer b NM OSE

File Number a

North Fork 1 (NF-1) Sierra Blanca Volcanics H-1979 North Fork 3 (NF-3) Sierra Blanca Volcanics H-1981 North Fork 4 (NF-4) Sierra Blanca Volcanics H-1982 Green Sierra Blanca Volcanics and

Cub Mountain Formation H-1497

Brown Sierra Blanca Volcanics and Cub Mountain Formation H-1497-S

River NA H-1979-S2 A-1 Cub Mountain Formation H-1979-S A-2 Cub Mountain Formation H-1979-S7 Hollywood (HW) Yeso Formation H-272-S Cherokee Yeso Formation H-272

Note: Wells used strictly for irrigation (for the Links golf course) not included

a Village of Ruidoso, 2006 b JSAI, 2005

NA = Information not available

Surface water diverted from the Rio Ruidoso is stored in the Grindstone Reservoir, and surface

water diverted from Eagle Creek is stored in Alto Reservoir (Village of Ruidoso, 2006).

Reservoir storage capacities are 1,520 acre-feet (Grindstone) and 343 acre-feet (Alto Reservoir)

(LA and JSAI, 2006). Water supplied from the Grindstone Reservoir generally supplies

approximately a quarter of the Village’s supply, although the quantity of surface water available

varies widely from year to year. In a good year, surface water accounts for as much as 70



percent of the Village’s source of supply, while in other years, the Village uses only groundwater

(Village of Ruidoso, 2006). The Village has 160 miles of surface distribution lines and adds

approximately 100 new connections each year, at least half of which are vacation homes

(Village of Ruidoso, 2006).

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 7,698 people lived in Ruidoso in 2000, a 67.3 percent

increase over the total population in 1990 (U.S. Census, 2000). The 2000 census listed

7,584 housing units in Ruidoso, 3,434 occupied and 4,150 vacant, with an average household

size of 2.22 people (Appendix B; U.S. Census, 2000).

Total metered production by the Village system was 610,103,000 gallons in 2005 (Table 2), with

an average production of 1.67 million gallons per day (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). In 2005 the

Village billed customers for 421,557,659 gallons (Table 2), and per capita use for all sectors

based on total population as reported by the U.S. Census (2000) was 220 gallons per day

(based on adjusted production that takes meter error into account [Section 3.1.1]). The Village

does not export any water.

Table 2. Village of Ruidoso Municipal Water Supply Water Production and Water Billed for 2005

Month Total Production (gallons) Water Billed (gallons)

January 46,107,000 33,568,730 February 32,853,000 25,763,300 March 55,860,000 40,404,211 April 47,545,000 25,238,901 May 49,785,000 44,864,889 June 61,011,000 43,220,810 July 54,700,000 43,236,789 August 52,623,000 40,888,696 September 67,003,000 39,433,958 October 46,096,000 28,412,709 November 46,338,000 26,596,006 December 50,182,000 29,928,660

Total 610,103,000 421,557,659

Source: Village of Ruidoso, 2006 Note: Wells used strictly for irrigation (for the Links golf course) not included



The Links golf course irrigates its greens using two Village production wells that are not listed on

Table 1 (NM OSE file numbers H-272-S7 and H-272-S8). An agreement between the golf

course and the Village allows for a total of 200 acre-feet (65,180,000 gallons) of water to be

withdrawn from these wells for this purpose each year (Mosley, 2007). This use is metered and

reported to the NM OSE, but metered production for these two wells has not been included in

Table 2. The Cree Meadows and Innsbrook golf courses also irrigate their greens using

groundwater. Each of these golf courses has its own well and water rights (Mosley, 2007), and

the water use by these golf courses is not included in Table 2.

Water is supplied to approximately 25 residential connections outside of the Village, but these

connections predate an ordinance now in effect that prohibits serving people outside the Village

limits. Water will continue to be supplied to these connections, but no new connections outside

of the Village will be made. Water use by these 25 connections is included in the total metered

production and in the number of residential connections.

The Village water rates reflect monthly minimum service charges dependent on meter size for

the commercial and industrial sectors and independent of meter size for the residential sector

(Table 3). Additional commodity charges apply for use of greater than 4,000 gallons (Table 4),

although commodity charges for certain governmental, medical and other facilities defined by

the Village council are capped at $6.50 per 1,000 gallons. Summer conservation fees of $2.00

per 1,000 gallons for all usage over 15,000 gallons (in addition to other charges) is billed during

April through September for water users in all sectors (Village of Ruidoso, 2004a). The number

and size of meters by sector are listed in Table 5.

A water conservation plan is being prepared that will include recommendations for changes to

the current water and sewer rate structures. Anticipated recommendations include raising the

water commodity charges for the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors, increasing the

sewer (collection) commodity charges, and adding a new wastewater (treatment) rate and

commodity charge. This plan will be presented to the Village Council before the new fees take

effect (Mosley, 2007).



Table 3. Current Monthly Minimum Water Charges by Sector

Charges ($)

Meter Size (inches)

Maintenance Fees

Capital Maintenance

Fees Base Rate Total Minimum

Water Bill

Commercial ⅝ 2.93 3.19 17.73 23.85 1 2.93 3.19 33.62 39.74 1½ 2.93 3.19 33.62 39.74 2 and above 2.93 3.19 73.36 79.48

Residential All sizes 2.93 3.19 13.75 19.87

Industrial / Institutional ⅝ 2.93 3.19 33.62 39.74 1 2.93 3.19 73.36 79.48 1½ 2.93 3.19 73.36 79.48 2 and above 2.93 3.19 113.09 119.21

Source: Village of Ruidoso, 2004a

Table 4. Current Water Commodity Charges

Fee per 1,000 Gallons ($)

Range Residential Commercial,

Industrial, Institutional

4,001-25,000 2.00 2.00 25,001-35,000 4.00 2.75 35,001-55,000 8.00 2.75 55,001-75,000 16.00 3.50

75,001-100,000 32.00 4.25 100,001-125,000 64.00 5.00 125,001-150,000 64.00 5.75

150,001-1,000,000 64.00 6.50 > 1,000,000 64.00 18.75

Source: Village of Ruidoso, 2004a Note: Government, medical, and other facilities defined by the Village Council

are exempt from commodity charges.



Table 5. Number and Size of Meters by Sector in 2005

Meter Size (inches) Commercial Residential

Multi-Family Housing

Total Number of Meters

⅝ 391 6,471 175 7,037 1 104 33 3 140

1½ 5 3 0 8 2 49 7 11 67 3 3 1 0 4 4 5 0 0 5 Total 557 6,515 189 7,261

Source: Village of Ruidoso, 2006

The Village is in the process of replacing all customer meters, at a rate of 500 per year, as they

phase in automated reading systems. Meters are being replaced with Neptune T-10 meters of

the same size as the ones being replaced, along with Firefly automated meter reading systems.

The replacement program began in 2003, and meters located in the most snow-prone areas are

being replaced first. A total of 1,076 automated reading meters were in place in 2005,

approximately 15 percent of the total number of meters to be replaced.

Water, wastewater, and sewer impact fees are paid by developers at the time that new meters

are installed, and these impact fees are more expensive for larger sized meters. Meter size is

usually determined by the architect working on a project, and this combined with the difference

in impact fees by meter size makes it difficult to change the size of a meter after it has been

installed, as meter replacement would necessitate a partial refund of the impact fee paid at the

time of installation (Mosley, 2007).

Water use is metered but unbilled for nine accounts in Ruidoso, and total use for these accounts

was 4,054,580 gallons in 2005 (Table 6). The vast majority of the unbilled water (96 percent)

was used to irrigate athletic fields (i.e., ball field at Fire Station 2, new soccer fields, Little

League Park Gavilan). The other metered unbilled accounts listed on Table 6 include the Fire

Department (which used less that 1 percent of the unbilled metered water use in 2005),

irrigation at a YMCA and two parks, and use by the Senior Citizens Center (a recreational

center with a swimming pool). Soccer field irrigation accounted for 89 percent of unbilled


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8

Table 6. Unbilled Metered Water Use by Account in 2005

Unbilled Water Use (gallons)

Month Circle Fire

Department Ball field at

Fire Station 2 New Soccer

Fields Little League Park Gavilan

Y at Hwy 70

Hughes Park

Senior Citizens

Two Rivers Park Total

January 0 500 0 1,200 0 0 20 11,730 0 13,450 February 0 700 0 2,700 0 0 0 2,060 0 5,460 March 0 0 5,800 33,200 3,840 0 0 2,450 0 45,290 April 0 0 8,300 190,800 31,270 0 5,390 80 2,100 237,940 May 520 5,100 33,600 769,300 27,320 100 0 70 2,700 838,710 June 0 3,800 33,200 1,167,600 9,250 100 0 22,320 2,900 1,239,170 July 0 8,200 54,900 1,089,100 7,160 0 0 5,580 3,800 1,168,740 August 0 2,300 15,900 104,900 5,300 0 0 10,020 2,300 140,720 September 0 3,400 12,600 128,000 2,130 500 0 10,440 2,500 159,570 October 0 900 300 42,900 310 200 0 19,250 1,600 65,460 November 0 1,000 54,700 69,100 0 0 0 7,840 0 132,640 December 0 1,100 100 240 0 1,000 0 4,990 0 7,430

Total 520 27,000 219,400 3,599,040 86,580 1,900 5,410 96,830 17,900 4,054,580



metered water use in 2005. Irrigation of the soccer fields is currently exempt from compliance

with the time of day watering restrictions (before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.) specified by the Village

water conservation ordinance. As recommended in Section 8, soccer field water usage could

be reduced by removing this exemption and/or requiring the soccer fields to pay for the water

that they use.

Total maximum daily load (TMDL) management plans have been prepared for bacteria,

temperature, nutrients, and turbidity in the Rio Hondo Watershed (which includes the Rio

Ruidoso, Rio Bonito, and their tributaries) and were approved by the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) on February 10, 2006 (NMED, 2006). The Ruidoso wastewater

treatment plant discharges to the Rio Ruidoso, and the Village is considering eliminating such

discharges due to the 0.1-mg/L total phosphorus TMDL (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). The Village

estimates that the water treatment necessary to comply with the total phosphorus TMDL would

cost $30 million (Village of Ruidoso, 2006).

3. Water Losses

The Village billed customers for a total of 421,557,659 gallons in 2005, leaving a total of

197,696,886 gallons of water that the Village was not paid for (based on adjusted production).

There are no unmetered uses of water in the Village, but there are some metered unbilled

accounts, whose usage totaled 4,054,580 gallons in 2005. This includes 27,000 gallons that

were used by the Fire Department. The remaining 193,642,306 gallons was either lost to leaks

or was the result of metering inaccuracy or data handling error. Meter and database errors,

classified as apparent losses, are discussed in Sections 3.1 and 3.2. Real water losses are

discussed in Section 3.3.

3.1 Meter Error (Apparent Loss)

Meter error cannot be estimated accurately without performing an actual system-specific field

survey, as recommended in Section 8. Sections 3.1.1 through 3.1.3 provide an estimate of

production and customer meter error based on a meter study report from a different water

system in New Mexico, product specifications, and AWWA standards.



3.1.1 Source Meter Error

Flow from the Village’s 10 production wells is measured by turbine and magnetic (mag) meters

of varying sizes (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). The size, type, and number of meters used on the

Village’s wells are shown on Table 7. These meters range in age from 1 to 5 years old.

Production meters are not calibrated or serviced unless a problem is identified (Village of

Ruidoso, 2006).

Table 7. Size, Type, and Number of Village Production Well Meters

Meter Size (inches) Meter Type

Number of Meters

2 Turbine 1 4 Turbine 5 6 Turbine 3 6 Mag 1

Total 10


Although the water treatment plants and Rio Ruidoso diversion are also metered, surface water

is independently metered only as it is added to existing storage. The Village calculates the

quantity of surface water used by subtracting the volume of water coming into the plants from

the production wells from the total volume of water (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). As

recommended in Section 8, surface water should also be metered as it is withdrawn from

storage before it is mixed with groundwater at the treatment plants. The Alto Crest Plant (water

treatment plant 3) is metered using a 5-year-old mag meter, and the Grindstone Plant (water

treatment plant 4) is metered using a 5-year-old Ultrasonic meter. Rio Ruidoso surface water

diversions are metered using a Stevens Circular Chart Recorder (CCR), which is a flow meter

that is programmed to report instantaneous flow (Stevens, 2006).

Turbine meters register flow proportionally to the spin of a rotor (Vickers, 2001). In mag meters,

water acts as a conductor as it flows through the pipe, inducing a voltage that is proportional to

the velocity of flow (Sparling, 2006). Turbine meters can under-register flows if their rotor

blades become coated or clogged with sediment (Vickers, 2001). Mag meters are free from



mechanical parts and therefore require little maintenance, although they must be properly

installed and calibrated to ensure accuracy.

Production meters must be level and need to be installed in a location with stable, full pipe flow

for accurate readings. Product specifications list the limit of acceptable accuracy for each type

and size of meter, but model and brand name information for Village production meters were

unavailable. Product specifications for 6-inch mag meters cite operational accuracies of ±<1

percent (Sparling, 2006; Endress+Hauser, 2006; Krohne, 2006). Product specifications for

turbine meters listed a range of accuracies from ±0.2 percent to 2.0 percent; however, product

specifications cannot be linked to each meter due to the lack of brand and model information.

AWWA standards (Neptune, 2006) require that turbine meters measure the following flows

within ±1.5 percent accuracy:

• 2-inch meters: 4 to 160 gallons per minute [gpm]

• 4-inch meters: 15 to 630 gpm

• 6-inch meters: 30 to 1,400 gpm

In order to meet product specification accuracies, the meters must be correctly installed.

Because correct installation has not been independently verified, Village production meters

cannot be assumed to be meeting their product specifications.

Production meter error can be very large, primarily as a result of installation errors, and can be

either positive (over-reporting actual production) or negative (under-reporting actual production)

(NM OSE, 2006). For the purposes of this analysis, Village production was assumed to be

under-reported by 1.5 percent. Adjusted total production was calculated by adding the volume

assumed to be under-reported due to production meter measurement error to the measured

production data. Total potential real water loss was calculated by subtracting authorized

consumption and apparent losses from adjusted production.

Village production data received from Village staff were in the form of monthly totals (Village of

Ruidoso, 2006) and are not broken down by meter, meter type, or size. Total production



measured in 2005 was 610,103,000 gallons (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). Based on the 1.5

percent assumed under-reporting, the total production meter measurement error in 2005 was

9,151,545 gallons. This assumption leads to an adjusted total production of 619,254,545

gallons, total potential real water loss of 176,780,000 gallons, and total non-revenue water of

approximately 32 percent (Section 5). Adjusted total production, total potential real water loss,

and total non-revenue water have also been calculated to show values for production meter

measurement error if production totals are over-reporting by 5 percent under-reporting by 5 and

10 percent, or reporting accurately (Table 8).

Table 8. Potential Impacts of Increased Production Well Meter Measurement Error

System Parameter Impact of Error (gallons a )

Production meter error −5% 0% 5% 10%

Production meter error 30,505,150 0 30,505,150 61,010,300 Adjusted production 579,597,850 610,103,000 640,608,150 671,113,300 Total potential real water loss 137,123,305 167,628,455 198,133,605 228,638,755 Total non-revenue water 158,040,191 188,545,341 219,050,491 249,555,641 Total non-revenue water (%) 27.27 30.90 34.19 37.19

a Unless otherwise noted

3.1.2 Customer Meter Error

Most customer meters are positive displacement meters, which have either an oscillating piston

or rotating disc that moves to allow water to pass through the meter, translating measurements

of volume into measurements of flow (Vickers, 2001). Positive displacement meters will give

inaccurate readings if the piston/disc is damaged or if they wear out by operating at high flows

for long periods of time (Vickers, 2001). The rate of decline in accuracy will depend on (1) the

sand content and quality of the water that flows through the meter and (2) changes in system

pressure. Customer meter accuracy also depends on whether the appropriate meter size is

used for a connection, based on the typical range of flow through the meter. Customer meter

error is not directly proportional to meter size or age and is most accurately quantified by

system-specific meter testing programs (Balliew, 2006). Although the Ruidoso water system

has a lot of pressure zones, individual customer meters are at low pressures and do not see



numerous changes in pressure. The presence of multiple pressure zones in Ruidoso is thus not

anticipated to affect meter readings.

There are multiple brands of customer water meters in Ruidoso, including Neptune, Badger,

Rockwell, Precision, Sensus, Hersey, and Carlon, and the Village is in the process of replacing

all customer meters with Neptune T-10 meters and Firefly automated meter reading systems

(Village of Ruidoso, 2006). If new meters are correctly installed and maintained, the complete

customer meter replacement should improve the quality of customer use data collected. Firefly

automated meter reading systems are already in place on 15 percent of customer meters and

will be in place on all meters by 2018. The Firefly automated meter reading systems make it

possible to identify anomalies in customer use data on a day-to-day scale compared to on a

monthly scale, which is all that has been possible without the Firefly systems. The Village tests

the accuracy of customer water meters at the request of customers or whenever inaccuracy is

suspected and replaces meters that are difficult to read or are broken, but it does not have a

long-term customer meter testing program.

A regular customer meter testing program needs to be implemented, as recommended in

Section 8. Following the current meter replacement program, customer meters should be

replaced at least every 15 years to minimize error (Balliew, 2006). In 2005 approximately 15

percent of Village customer meters were new automated reading meters, and the other 85

percent of meters were read manually.

Meters being replaced are assumed to be old and no longer meeting AWWA standards. The

AWWA standards are nonetheless provided here for use with future revisions of this analysis,

when a higher percentage of meters have been replaced and meters can be assumed to be

meeting the AWWA standards. Bench-top meter testing of replaced meters is recommended to

determine how accurate those meters have been. The testing results can be used to quantify

apparent loss of old meters still in the system.

The normal operating range of customer meters differs by size: the larger the meter, the higher

the minimum normal operating range flow. AWWA standards require positive displacement

meters to measure the following flows within ±1.5 percent accuracy (Neptune, 2006):



• ⅝-inch meters: 1 to 20 gpm

• ¾-inch meters: 2 to 30 gpm


• 1½-inch meters: 5 to 100 gpm


New meters are expected to perform better than these acceptance standards (Balliew, 2006).

For example, the normal operating range for Neptune T-10 ⅝-inch meters is 0.5 to 20 gpm with

error of ±1.5 percent, exceeding the AWWA standard of 1 to 20 gpm. Error may exceed ±1.5

percent on flows that are less than the normal operating range.

In addition to the sizes listed above, Ruidoso has 3-inch and 4-inch customer meters. The

types of these larger meters (i.e., mag, turbine, or positive displacement) are not clear and the

standards differ by meter type (additionally, AWWA standards are not provided for positive

displacement meter sizes greater than 2-inch). If customer meters are sized and installed

correctly, flow will occur within the specified flow ranges for each meter size, keeping total

customer meter measurement error within ±1.5 percent.

Customer meter measurement error is generally negative, under-reporting actual flow.

Because any inaccuracy tends to under-record actual loss, customer meter measurement error

is normally an apparent system loss. The decline in accuracy of large meters typically occurs at

low flow rates first, and any level of inaccuracy by the large meters in a system can account for

a significant amount of non-revenue water due to the volume of water that flows through them

(Jackson, 2007).

As no meter testing program results are available for the Village, results of a meter accuracy

testing program for another system in New Mexico were examined. In this testing program, the

accuracy of meters more than 10 years old was tested. Results indicate that meters were

under-reporting, with average accuracies of 97 percent for ⅝-inch and 1-inch meters, 93 percent

for 1½-inch and 2-inch meters, and 99 percent for 3-inch, 4-inch, and 6-inch meters (NM OSE,

2006).



For the Ruidoso audit, customer meter accuracy was assumed to be 96 percent (the average

customer meter accuracy reported by the system testing program reviewed by the OSE),

resulting in a total customer meter measurement error of 16,862,306 gallons for 2005.

3.1.3 Low-Flow Accuracy

Evaporative coolers use water steadily at low flow rates, and low flow accuracy is thus important

in communities where evaporative cooler use is widespread. Although there is some

evaporative cooler use in Ruidoso, it is not widespread. Low flow accuracy is therefore not

thought to be a large issue for the Village and has not been estimated.

3.2 Database Error (Apparent Loss)

Approximately 18 percent of the 87,132 possible Village water billing database entries for 2005

are zero (no entries are blank). According to the Village finance director (Beltran, 2007), zero

entries are used only to indicate no usage during the period. The large number of vacation and

second homes in Ruidoso far exceeds the 18 percent of zero entries (representing no use) in

the database. The U.S. Census reported that there were a total of 7,584 housing units in

Ruidoso in 2000, 4,150 of them vacant (U.S. Census, 2000). Multiplying this number of

accounts by 12 months yields a total of 49,800 database entries that could have been zero if

each of the 4,150 housing units was vacant for the entire year in 2005 (and had a water

account). This number is far greater than the actual number of zero entries in the database

(15,400). Only 126 accounts listed in the billing database had no use in 2005, leaving 13,888

zero entries for accounts that had some use during some month(s) of the year.

The Village’s meter report listed 44 accounts that were not included in the billing database,

suggesting that these accounts had no water use in 2005. Of these 44 accounts, 40 were

labeled as residential accounts with ⅝-inch meters, and the other 4 meters were for a

commercial account with a ⅝-inch meter, a condo account with a 2-inch meter, a commercial

account with a 1-inch meter, and a commercial account with a 4-inch meter. Village water

department staff reviewed the list of 44 accounts, and found only 1 meter of concern: water

department staff felt that the 4-inch commercial meter should have had usage in 2005, and they



intend to check to be sure that any water usage by this account is being recorded and billed.

The other 43 accounts were believed to have had no usage in 2005 (Mosley, 2007).

Database error could result from inaccuracies in the non-zero values, problems with data

collection, and the lag between water consumption and the collection of meter reading data.

Database error in the Village billing database is difficult to constrain given the high vacancy rate.

In general, the database is very well organized, contains all necessary data, and does not

appear to be the source of significant error. Therefore, database error has not been estimated

for Ruidoso.

3.3 Real Losses

Total potential real water loss is the volume remaining after subtracting authorized consumption

and apparent losses from adjusted production. Whereas Village staff estimated that 84,150,000

gallons of water were lost to leaks in 2005, total potential real water loss was calculated to be

more than double this volume at 176,780,000 gallons (Table 9). This magnitude of total

potential real water loss underscores the need for a rigorous leak detection program in Ruidoso.

The Village contracted with Heath Consultants to conduct a leak detection survey over ten years

ago, but has not had a consistent leak detection program. A new leak detection program is

scheduled to begin in April 2007 and should contribute in reducing real loss in Ruidoso.

4. Sector Analysis

The Village divides their data into three sectors; commercial, residential, and condo. Multi-

family housing accounts fall primarily within the residential sector, although the number of units

is available in the billing database for each account, making it easy to separate multi-family

housing and single family housing accounts. A total of 189 water accounts were identified as

multi-family housing accounts and were analyzed separately from the commercial and

residential data. The number of units in the multi-family housing sector in 2005 ranged from 2 to

78 units, with an average of 6 units. Only one account with data was listed within the condo

sector in 2005.


P:\_WR06-016\RuidosoWtrAdt.4-07\T09_WtrAudit-2005.doc 17


Table 9. Comprehensive Water Audit Balance Village of Ruidoso, New Mexico

January 1 through December 31, 2005

Amount Item Gallons % of Total

Water Production 1a. Metered production a 610,103,000 1b. Production meter error b 9,151,545 1d. Adjusted production 619,254,545 100 Authorized Consumption 2a. Billed metered, commercial 124,341,541 20.08 2b. Billed metered, residential 258,007,761 41.66 2c. Billed metered, multi-family housing 39,208,357 6.33 2d. Total billed metered 421,557,659 68.08 3. Total billed unmetered 0 0.00 4. Total unbilled metered c 4,054,580 0.65 5. Total unbilled unmetered 0 0.00 6. Total authorized consumption 425,612,239 68.73 Apparent Losses 7. Estimated customer meter error d 16,862,306 2.72 8. Additional loss to low-flow inaccuracies 0 0.00 9. Illegal connections and theft 0 0.00 10. Database errors 0 0.00 11. Total apparent losses 16,862,306 2.72 Real Water Loss Potential 12a. Reported water loss e 84,150,000 13.59 12b. Identified water loss NA 0.00 12c. Total potential real water loss f 176,780,000 28.55 Non-Revenue Water 4. Total unbilled metered 4,054,580 0.65 11. Total apparent losses 16,862,306 2.72 12c. Total potential real water loss 176,780,000 28.55 13. Total non-revenue water 197,696,886 31.92

a Includes metered production by 10 Village of Ruidoso production wells (Table 1). This total does not include production by the 2 Village production wells used to irrigate the Links golf course.

b The production total has been adjusted upward to account for production meter error, based on the assumption that production meters are underreporting by 1.5%.

c Includes unbilled metered consumption by those accounts supplied by the Village of Ruidoso water system (Table 6). This total does not include water usage by the Links golf course.

d Estimates that customer meters are underreporting by 4%. e Volume that the Village of Ruidoso estimates was lost to leaks in 2005. The larger calculated value (Line 12c)

was used in the water balance calculations. f Value calculated by subtracting authorized consumption and apparent losses from adjusted production.


Monthly water billing data were analyzed for commercial, residential, and multi-family housing

sectors. The one account with data in the condo sector is a multi-family housing unit and was

included in the analysis for that sector. The amount of water billed in 2005 by month for each

sector is provided in Table 10.

Table 10. Metered Water Use by Sector in 2005

Metered Water Use in 2005 (gallons)

Month Commercial Residential Multi-Family

Housing

Number of accounts 557 6,515 189

January 9,583,390 20,261,540 3,723,800 February 8,827,650 14,027,050 2,908,600 March 10,059,930 27,198,461 3,145,820 April 9,182,280 13,462,971 2,593,650 May 8,856,370 33,574,979 2,433,540 June 12,738,200 26,788,110 3,694,500 July 12,282,280 27,312,279 3,642,230 August 12,244,490 24,512,676 4,131,530 September 12,494,680 22,537,268 4,402,010 October 8,942,630 16,565,539 2,904,540 November 10,053,811 14,010,775 2,531,420 December 9,075,830 17,756,113 3,096,717

Total 124,341,541 258,007,761 39,208,357

Figure 2 shows the breakdown of billed water by sector in 2005. This chart indicates that the

residential sector used the majority of water in 2005. Figure 3 shows billed water totals by

month for the commercial sector. As shown in Figure 3, monthly water use by commercial

accounts stayed relatively constant for most of the year, except for an increase in use for June

through September. Figures 4 and 5 show billed water totals by month for the residential and

multi-family housing sectors, respectively. These figures indicate that water use is generally

greatest during the summer months, although both the commercial and residential sectors saw

a spike in use in March 2005 and residential use was highest during May 2005.


P:\_WR06-016\RuidosoWtrAdt.D-06\F2_Sector-WtruUse.doc

Commercial30%

Multi-familyhousing

9%

Residential61%

RUIDOSO WATER AUDIT Village of Ruidoso

Billed Water by Sector in 2005

Figure 2

4/12/07 Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.

P:\_WR06-016\RuidosoWtrAdt.D-06\F3_Comm-WtruUse.doc

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

Janu

aryFeb

ruary

March

April

May

June July

Augus

tSep

tembe

rOcto

ber

Novem

ber

Decem

ber

Bill

ed w

ater

(gal

lons

)

RUIDOSO WATER AUDIT Village of Ruidoso Billed Water for

Commercial Sector in 2005

Figure 3


P:\_WR06-016\RuidosoWtrAdt.D-06\F4_Res-WtruUse.doc

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

35,000,000

40,000,000

Janu

aryFeb

ruary

March

April

May

June July

Augus

tSep

tembe

rOcto

ber

Novem

ber

Decem

ber

Bill

ed w

ater

(gal

lons

)


Residential Sector in 2005

Figure 4


P:\_WR06-016\RuidosoWtrAdt.D-06\F5_Multi-Fam_WtruUse.doc

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

3,500,000

4,000,000

4,500,000

5,000,000

Janu

aryFeb

ruary

March

April

May

June July

Augus

tSep

tembe

r

Octobe

rNov

embe

rDec

embe

rB

illed

wat

er (g

allo

ns)


Multi-Family Housing Sector in 2005

Figure 5



The increase in summer water use was calculated by subtracting the mean billed winter water

use (January, February, and December) from the mean billed summer water use (June, July,

and August) for each sector (Table 11). Figure 6 shows winter and summer average billed use

by sector, and shows their difference (the increase in summer water use). This value is the

highest for the residential sector. The difference is traditionally attributed to outdoor uses, such

as irrigation and car washing; however, effects on water use in Ruidoso due to tourism are

significant. The majority of tourists visit the Village during spring break (March) and between

Memorial Day and Labor Day (May through September), so a portion of the summer spike in

use (as well as the high use in March and May) should be attributed to tourism instead of

outdoor water use.

Table 11. Calculated Increase in Summer Water Use in 2005

Sector

Calculated Increase in Summer Water Use

(gallons)

Commercial 3,259,367 Residential 8,856,121 Multi-family housing 579,714

5. Water Audit Summary

The international standard water audit format is illustrated in Table 12. Table 9 provides a

breakdown of the comprehensive water audit balance for Ruidoso. Many of the values that are

presented in Table 9 (e.g., production meter error, customer meter error, and database error)

were estimated, as discussed in Section 3. As a result, values presented in Table 9 for total

potential real water loss and total non-revenue water are also estimates. A list of recommended

actions has been identified (Section 8) and includes suggestions for collection of additional data

that can provide values for those items that have been estimated. Subsequent analyses should

use these additional data to further refine the values presented in Table 9.


P:\_WR06-016\RuidosoWtrAdt.D-06\F6_Outdoor_WtruUse.doc

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

Commercial Residential Multi-family housing

Bill

ed w

ater

(gal

lons

)

Winter averageSummer average

Summer Increase

RUIDOSO WATER AUDIT Village of Ruidoso Calculated Increase in

Summer Water Use in 2005

Figure 6



Table 12. International Standard Water Audit Format

Billed water exported

Billed metered consumption

Billed authorized

consumption

Revenue water

Billed unmetered consumption Unbilled metered consumption

Own sources

Water exported

Authorized consumption

Unbilled authorized

consumption Unbilled unmetered consumption Unauthorized consumption

Apparent losses Customer metering inaccuracies

and data handling error Leakage on mains Leakage and overflows at storages

Water imported

System input

(allow for known errors)

Water supplied

Water losses

Real losses

Non-revenue

water

Leakage on service connections up to point of customer metering

Source: AWWA, 2003 (after Alegre et al., 2000)

Figure 7a shows the breakdown between revenue and non-revenue water in Ruidoso in 2005.

Revenue water consists of billed water by sector (Figure 2); non-revenue categories include

total authorized unbilled metered use (Table 6), total apparent losses (estimated customer

meter error, illegal connections and theft, and database errors), and total potential real water

loss (calculated by subtracting authorized consumption and apparent losses from adjusted

production) (Figure 7b).

6. Existing Conservation Measures

In November 2004, the Village adopted Ordinance 2004-16, which was drafted and passed

without any input from the Village water department. This ordinance defines triggers for five

phases of watering restrictions (Table 13, Appendix C) based on the amount of surface water in

storage, well production, equipment failure, and any other condition that may affect the delivery

of water (Village of Ruidoso, 2004b). Citations are issued when the provisions of the ordinance

are violated. Fines (which are administered through the courts) are $20 for the first violation,

$50 for the second violation, $100 for the third violation, and $500 for the fourth and subsequent

violations (Village of Ruidoso, 2004b).


a. Revenue vs. Non-Revenue Water in 2005

Revenue water68%

Non-revenue water32%

b. Non-Revenue Water in 2005

Total potential realwater loss

89%

Total apparent losses9%

Total authorized unbilled metered

2%

Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Inc.

RUIDOSO WATER AUDITBreakdown of Revenue and Non-Revenue Water

Village of Ruidoso, 2005

P:\_

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trAdt

.2-0

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7_R

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4/12/07

Note: Breakdown of revenue water provided in Figure 2

Figure 7


Table 13. Phased Watering Restrictions

Phase Watering Restrictions

1: Normal Conditions Allows outdoor watering and car washing every other day by address, although hand watering is allowed any day. All outdoor watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

2: Moderate Conditions Allows outdoor watering and car washing two days per week, although hand watering is allowed any day. All outdoor watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

3: Serious Conditions Allows outdoor watering and car washing one day per week, although hand watering is allowed any day. All outdoor watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

4: Severe Conditions All outdoor sprinkler watering is prohibited, although hand watering using buckets or watering cans is still allowed on every day of the week. Residential car washing is allowed one day per week. All outdoor watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

5: Extreme Conditions Indicates that a declaration of emergency situation has been made by the Village council. Outdoor sprinkler, hose, and drip irrigation are prohibited, although hand watering using buckets or watering cans is still allowed on every day of the week.

Village athletic fields are exempt from the phased restrictions, and in 2005, athletic fields were

often watered during the day (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). As recommended in Section 8,

Ruidoso needs to pass and implement an ordinance with more permanent water conservation

measures and fewer or no exemptions, in conjunction with a water conservation public

education campaign that targets both local residents and tourists.

Although the Village does not currently reuse water, it commissioned the preparation of a study

that evaluates the feasibility of treating and reclaiming wastewater effluent for indirect potable

reuse (LA and JSAI, 2006). The feasibility study evaluates the potential for irrigating the Links,

Cree Meadows, and Innsbrook golf courses, as well as the high school track and field area and

other uses, using reuse water. Each of these areas is currently irrigated using wells dedicated

to this purpose, but if they were to transition over to watering with reuse water, the water from

their wells could potentially be used by the Village. The feasibility study estimates that indirect



potable reuse could provide 1,000 to 4,000 acre-feet of water each year (LA and JSAI, 2006),

thus freeing up that amount for other uses. The Village plans to put a request for reuse project

funding in its Infrastructure Capitol Improvements Plan this year, although funding for this

project is not guaranteed. The Village estimates that it will need $5 million to bring reuse online

at the Links golf course (Mosley, 2007).

Overall, Village water department staff feel that Ruidoso residents are resistant to water

conservation, and they seem to prefer to pay the fees or fines they are issued rather than

conserve water (Village of Ruidoso, 2006). Water department personnel suggested that fines

be added to water bills rather than going through the courts (Village of Ruidoso, 2006).

7. Leaks and Leak Detection

The Village water system includes 44 pressure zones, with pressures ranging from 30 to 260

pounds per square inch (psi). Leaks are not readily identified due to the geology of the area,

and losses due to leaks are expected to be significant due to the high pressures in the system.

High pressure can lead to higher leak rates and also higher break rates, and the longer a leak

goes undetected, the more damage it can cause. A set of studies referenced by Mays showed

a 6 percent reduction in water use following a 30-psi reduction in pressure (Mays, 2000).

Unfortunately, reducing pressure may not be practical in the Village due to the differing

elevations of the areas served.

Multiple methods of leak detection exist, including buying acoustical leak detection equipment

and having Village personnel trained to use it, or hiring an independent company to conduct

leak detection surveys. Leak detection and repair can save large volumes of water, as

evidenced by projects performed in multiple municipalities. For example, Permalog automated

leak surveying systems have been used for leak detection surveys in Las Vegas, Nevada, and

Hilo, Hawaii, and El Paso, Texas (McGee, 2006):

• The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) in Nevada monitors about half of their

system using an underground sounding (Permalog) system. The LVVWD installed

8,000 leak detection units along 34 routes at an initial cost of $2.15 million with an



annual operation and maintenance cost of $626,000. Between January 2004 and

December 2005, the LVVWD identified 540 leaks from service lines, lines on private

property, fire hydrants, meters, valves, and mains. They estimate that 286.4 acre-feet of

water was lost due to these leaks and that the total replacement cost for the lost water

was $1,291,500 (Jones, 2006).

• The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply had 49 percent non-revenue water and

was losing an estimated $73,500 per month in electricity due to the volume of non-

revenue water. Since the Department had their Permalog system installed in Hilo,

Hawaii, 251 leaks have been identified and repaired, reducing non-revenue water to 29

percent and saving more than $30,000 per month on electricity. The department plans

to expand the survey into other areas not previously covered (Armstrong, 2006).

• The El Paso Water Utility estimates that they are saving 5.8 million gallons per day since

they installed their Permalog system in July 2004 (Valdez, 2006).

The Village of Ruidoso has decided to hire an independent company to conduct leak detection

surveys, and a request for proposal period to select a contractor for this work closed on March

15, 2007. The Village water department staff will recommend a contractor for this project to the

Village Council by the end of March 2007 and hope to have a leak detection project underway in

April 2007. Village water department staff will prioritize and address any leaks identified by the

selected contractor (Mosley, 2007).

8. Recommended Actions

The actions summarized below are recommended in order to improve water use accounting and

water conservation in Ruidoso:

• The geology and topography in Ruidoso makes leaks very difficult to find, and total non-

revenue water is estimated to have been over 30 percent in 2005. The main

recommendation of this analysis is for the Village to establish a leak detection survey

program, either buying the necessary equipment to do the surveys or by hiring an



independent firm to do so. The Village is acting on this recommendation by hiring an

independent firm to conduct a leak detection program scheduled to begin in April 2007.

Leak detection surveys should test and lead to repairs on more of the aging system each

year.

• The Village should consider making an effort to flag second and/or vacation homes in

their database, perhaps by using a mailed survey. Identifying these accounts could help

the Village track database errors, making it possible to pinpoint leaks based on spikes in

water use in vacant properties.

• The Village should consider pulling municipal water accounts out of the commercial

sector, making a separate sector that can be analyzed independently. Municipal water

accounts should be prioritized by highest water use, and use by these accounts should

be reviewed. Appropriate water conservation measures should be implemented in the

municipal sector as an example for the rest of the Village.

• The Village should consider metering surface water as it is withdrawn from storage

before it is mixed with groundwater at the treatment plants.

• After the current meter replacement program has been completed, the Village should

consider starting a long-range program of testing meters on a 1-year time cycle and

replacing customer meters at least every 15 years to minimize error (Balliew, 2006).

Bench-top meter testing should be performed on replaced meters to determine how

accurate those meters have been, helping to quantify apparent loss.

• At the current customer meter replacement rate of 500 meters per year and with 6,500

meters still to be replaced, it will be 2018 before all customer meters are replaced. The

Village should consider replacing more meters per year in order to complete this

program sooner.

• All meters greater than 2 inches in diameter should be checked yearly, both for accuracy

and mineralization, along with a random sample of 50 to 100 smaller meters (AWWA,



1999). Ideally, the Village would also evaluate demand for accounts with large meters,

identifying meters that should be downsized and replacing them with smaller meters,

although it may not be practical to replace large meters with smaller ones because of the

impact fees paid at the time of initial meter installation.

• Although all of the production meters currently being used in Ruidoso are a maximum of

5 years old, the Village should consider implementing a production meter calibration

program on a 1-year time cycle. Each time that the production meters are calibrated, the

calibration data should be kept and compared to production data for the last five years to

evaluate the accuracy of production data. The New Mexico Rural Water Association

may be able to help the Village with production meter calibration, and Village water

department staff is planning to contact them to explore this possibility (Salas, 2007).

• The Village water conservation ordinance (2004-16, Appendix C) should be revised, and

water department personnel should be consulted in this process. Suggested revisions

include the addition of more permanent conservation measures including requiring that

all athletic field watering comply with the time of day restriction (before 10 a.m. or after

6 p.m.) and adding water fines to water bills instead of going through the courts. The

revised ordinance should also detail incentives for water conservation.

• A Water Reuse Feasibility Study has already been completed, and the Village plans to

put a request for reuse project funding in its Infrastructure Capitol Improvements Plan

this year.

• To help with the water use spikes seen in summer and to promote general conservation,

a Village public education and outreach program should be implemented. This program

should include school education programs, provide outreach to the local population on

water wise landscaping, and target the large vacation population.

• Village data are expected to improve as more and more of the customer meters are

replaced and automated reading meter systems are put into place. The Village should

consider updating this water audit as new data become available. This study and its



future updates can be used as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of Village accounting

and water conservation strategies.

9. Summary

All water uses in Ruidoso are metered, and the record keeping system seems to function well.

The large amount of water that is lost to leaks each year is the most significant issue. Leak

detection has not been a priority in Ruidoso in the past, and the Village needs to work

aggressively to identify and fix leaks. The Village plans to begin a leak detection program in

April 2007.

A Water Reuse Feasibility Study has been completed, and the Village is moving toward reusing

water for irrigation of golf courses and other uses. Although a water conservation ordinance is

in place, this ordinance should be expanded and updated based upon input from the Village

water department and the results of this study. Ruidoso needs to implement an ordinance with

more permanent conservation measures, in conjunction with a conservation public education

campaign and a Village-run conservation incentive program.

The Village would also benefit from an analysis of the water department’s financial information.

Operational, treatment, and power costs should be input into the AWWA water loss control

committee water audit software in order to define the cost to produce and supply water,

determine the annual costs of apparent and real losses, and evaluate the utility’s performance in

operational management of real losses.

The information that has been collected and analyzed for this study will be useful for the

Village’s planning and may be used in developing a statewide methodology for water demand

and conservation planning. In developing a statewide methodology, it will be necessary to

determine what data are needed to perform a complete analysis, as not all necessary data are

currently collected by Ruidoso or many other New Mexico communities. The most difficult part

of this study was the coordination required to obtain all the necessary data. This is expected to

be a hurdle for similar projects requiring data from other New Mexico communities.



References

Alegre, H. et al. 2000. Manual of best practice: Performance indicators for water supply

services. IWA Publishing, London.

American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water Loss Control Committee. 2003. Committee

report: Applying worldwide BMPs in water loss control. Journal of the American Water

Works Association 95(8):65-79.

Armstrong, Jason. 2006. Utility Leaking Money: Old Hilo pipelines are draining water. Hawaii

Tribune Herald. March 28.

AWWA. 1999. Water audits and leak detection: Manual of water supply practices M36, Second

edition.

Balliew, J. 2006. Personal communication between John Balliew, Water System Division

Manager for the Village of El Paso, and Amy Ewing, DBS&A. August 23, 2006.

Beltran, E. 2007. Personal communication between Elaine Beltran, Village of Ruidoso Finance

Director, and Amy Ewing, DBS&A. March 13, 2007.

Endress+Hauser. 2006. Proline Promag technical information. <http://www.uk.endress.com>.

Accessed August 24, 2006.

Fluid Conservation Systems, Inc. (FCS). 2006. Permalog Permanent Leak Detection System.

Received from Tom McGee on October 31.

Jackson, J. 2007. Why smart managers should insist on and maximize revenue from large

meter testing. Journal of the American Water Works Association 99(2):30-35.

John Shomaker & Associates, Inc. (JSAI). 2005. Hydrogeology. Appendix B of the Village of

Ruidoso 40-Year Water Plan. August.



Jones, Marcellus, Jr. 2006. Manager to manager -- With today’s technology, what percentage of

unaccounted-for water is OK? Journal AWWA. Vol. 98 Iss. 2. February 2006. p. 32-33.

Krohne. 2006. Optiflux 4040 C. Technical information available at <http://www.krohne-mar.com/

index.php?id=6427>. Accessed August 24, 2006.

Livingston Associates, P.C. (LA), and John Shomaker & Associates, Inc. (JSAI). 2006. Village of

Ruidoso, NM Water reuse feasibility study. February 2006.

Mays, Larry W. 2000. Water Distribution Systems Handbook. McGraw-Hill.

McGee, T. 2006. Personal communication between Tom McGee, Director of Operations Fluid

Conservation Systems, Inc., and Amy Ewing, DBS&A. October 31, 2006.

Mosley, K. 2007. Personal communication between Ken Mosley, Village of Ruidoso Water and

Wastewater Collections Director, and Amy Ewing, DBS&A. March 14, 2007.

New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). 2006. Rio Hondo Watershed TMDLs. Available

at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/RioHondo-LincolnCounty/index.html. Accessed

December 1, 2006.

Neptune Technology Group (Neptune). 2006. Condensed water catalog. Available at

<http://www.neptunetg.com/uploadedFiles/CondWtrCatalog3_06.pdf>. Accessed August 21,

2006.

Office of the State Engineer (OSE). 2006. Personal communication between John Longworth

and Cheri Vogel, Water Use and Conservation Bureau, and Amy Ewing, Daniel B. Stephens

& Associates, Inc.. October 5 and 10, 2006.

Salas, C. 2007. Personal communication between Carlos Salas, Village of Ruidoso Water and

Wastewater Department Chief Plant Operator, and Amy Ewing, DBS&A. March 15, 2007.



Sparling Instruments (Sparling). 2006. About flow meters. <http://www.sparlinginstruments.

com/products.htm>. Last modified July 21, 2006. Accessed August 22, 2006.

Stevens Water Monitoring Systems (Stevens). 2006. AxSys CCR Product Information.

<http://www.stevenswater.com/>. Accessed December 11, 2006.

United States Census Bureau (U. S. Census). 2000. Census 2000 data tables and information.

<http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html>.

Vickers, A. 2001. Handbook of water use and conservation. WaterPlow Press, Amherst,

Massachusetts.

Valdez, Diana Washington. 2006. System helps Village save money, water: El Paso among

best at detecting leaks. El Paso Times. February 27.

Village of Ruidoso. 2004a. Village of Ruidoso Ordinance 2004-08: An ordinance amending the

Village of Ruidoso Code of Ordinances Appendix A Fee Schedule regarding fees for water

meters, water rates, sewer service rates, and additional summer surcharges for water use

during the months of April through September. April 2004.

Village of Ruidoso. 2004b. Village of Ruidoso Ordinance 2004-16. An ordinance amending the

Village of Ruidoso Municipal Code of Ordinances, Chapter 86, Section 32 Relating to Water

Conservation. November.

Village of Ruidoso. 2006. OSE pre-water audit and water audit questionnaires. Completed

questionnaires dated May 4, 2006.


Appendix A

Water Audit Questionnaires

OSE Pre-Water Audit Questionnaire City of Ruidoso

Person completing questionnaire: Name: Ken Mosley Address: 313 Cree Meadows Dr Ruidoso, NM - 88345 Phone: 505-257-2386 E-mail: [email protected]

1. Define the City’s water sources: Wells (number of wells, OSE permit numbers, and source) 10, H-1497,H-1497-S,H-1979,H-1979-S,H-1979-S2,H-1981,H-1982,H-272,H272-S,H-3052(2) Surface water (name of waterbody) Grindstone Resevoir, Alto Lake, and Eagle Creek Imported water (from where) N/A Water reuse (describe) N/A Other sources (describe) N/A

2. Describe the type, size, and age of meters on each source.

WELLS Water Sources OSE No. Meter

NF - 1 GW H-1979 Turbine, 5 yrs. old



Green GW H-1497 4" Turbine, 5yrs old

Brown GW H-1497-S

River GW H-1979-S-2

A-1 GW H-1979-S

A-2 GW H-1979-S7 4" Turbine, 5yrs old

HW GW H-272-S 6" Mag, 5yrs old

Cherokee GW H-272 4" Turbine, 1yr old

Surface

RR Div SW NA Stevens CCR

Plant 3 Raw SW NA Mag, 5yrs old

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City of Ruidoso Questionnaire

Plant 4 Raw SW NA Ultrasonic, 5yrs old

3. How are meter readings taken? (e.g., by staff, remote receiver, estimates [based on what?]) By Staff and Remote Receiver

4. Is accuracy testing routinely conducted at the source water metering location? Yes

5. Is any water exported/sold to other systems? Yes No If so, which system(s)? typical amount

6. Provide the number and size of service connections for each sector, describing specifically what is included in each sector (e.g., are schools listed as a separate educational sector or included with another sector?). Include multiple entries for the various sizes for each sector, to account for the number of connections of each size.

Service Connections Sector Includes Number Size (inches)

7. How are data collected in the field and transferred to a billing database (e.g., estimates when readings are zero, calculations based on reading data, some other method)? Electronic Entry

8. What is the length of each billing cycle (e.g., one month, 28 days, other)? 26-36 Days

9. What software is used for the water demand and billing databases? New World

10. List all available fields in these databases, including any calculation fields.

11. Does the system serve customers outside the city limits? Yes No If so, please list the number of connections. 25

12. Are there any unbilled connections? Yes No If so, explain and list or estimate the number of connections by sector. 10

13. Are public demand locations (parks, city golf courses, airport, medians, cemeteries, etc.) all metered? Yes No



If not, list what is not metered.

14. Are there any unmetered private demand locations? Yes No If so, list what is not metered.

15. Are multi-family and single family residential demands distinguishable? Yes No If so, how are they distinguishable?

16. For multi-family housing, are there separate meters for each unit (or some other method to determine occupancy)? Yes No

If not all multi-family housing units have separate meters for each unit, what percentage do?

17. What sizes and brands of meters are used for residential and commercial service customers? 3/4",1",11/2',2",3",4" - Neptune, badger, Rockwell, Precision, Sensus, Hersey, and Carlon

18. Are there any large industrial users that use non-standard metering methods? Yes No If so, how are they metered?

19. Provide the number of residential sewer accounts.

20. Does the wastewater treatment plant only treat wastewater from service area accounts? Yes No

If wastewater from outside the service area is treated, specify the amount and source of water. Approximately 18% does not come from Ruidoso, it is Ruidoso Downs.

21. Provide the amount of wastewater discharged from the wastewater treatment plant by month for the calendar year January 1 to December 31, 2005 (complete the following table or attach your own).

Wastewater Discharge (gal/mo or specify: ) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

34,674,400 32,794,000 38,093,000 28,252,400 33,171,200 33,850,730 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

38,831,500 47,257,000 42,113,000 41,111,000 35,070,000 37,657,000

22. What quantity (if any) of treated effluent is reused by the City? 0 How is this metered?

23. Describe any meter accuracy testing or replacement programs that take place, including the frequency that meters are replaced. Tested whenever we suspect innaccuracy or at the customer request. Replaced whenever old meter is pulled or breaks. We are also replacing all meters as we phase in automated reading systems. 1000 so far and 500 per year.

24. Describe the methods for how individual meters are calibrated, repaired, or replaced. Replace Only

25. Is there a leak detection program, project, and/or report? Yes No If so, please describe. Contracted out to Heath Consultans several years ago.



26. How many pressure zones are there in the water system? 44 How are the pressures controlled between zones? PRV's, Pump Stations What are the ranges of pressures in each zone? 30-260, service lines are no greater than 180 Is low water pressure a problem anywhere in the system? Yes No If so, please describe. Some locations are too high in elevation to maintain adequate pressure.

27. Quantify any known water loss (e.g., due to leakage on mains, main breaks, leakage or overflow at storage sites, leakage on service connections, customer metering inaccuracies).

28. Is the billing system automated? Yes No If so, does it have a mechanism for identifying anomalies in customer use data? For example, if a customer’s use during 2 to 3 days is greater than typical monthly use, is there a way to track that? On our Firefly equipped meters Yes, on the other meters installed the only tracking is the monthly readings. Is the customer informed of this anomaly? Yes No


OSE Water Audit Questionnaire City of Ruidoso

Person completing questionnaire: Name: Ken Mosley Address: 313 Cree meadows Dr. Ruidoso, NM - 88345 Phone: 505-257-2386 E-mail: [email protected]

1. Quantify the total amount of water entering the system by month for the calendar year January 1 to December 31, 2005 (complete following table or attach your own):

Amount (gal/mo or specify: ) Type of Source Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Production wells 29,050,000 4,053,000 29,207,000 4,976,000 8,290,000 41,000,000 Surface water sources 17,057,000 28,800,000 26,653,000 42,569,000 41,495,000 20,011,000

Booster stations Other metering locations

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Production wells 23,606,000 27,186,000 26,497,000 6,137,000 26,897,000 32,767,000 Surface water sources 31,094,000 25,437,000 40,506,000 39,959,000 19,441,000 17,415,000

Booster stations Other metering locations

2. Provide electronic monthly customer demand meter reading data, by account, for the calendar year January 1 to December 31, 2005. For each entry please include the following information: Sector Account number Meter type Size Date installed.

3. Provide electronic billing records for the calendar year January 1 to December 31, 2005, divided out by sector.

Appendix B

Ruidoso Population Data

H12. AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE OF OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS BY TENURE [3] - Universe: Occupied housing units Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

NOTE: For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, definitions, and count corrections see http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/datanotes/expsf1u.htm. Ruidoso village, New Mexico Average household size--

Total 2.22 Owner occupied 2.21 Renter occupied 2.25

U.S. Census Bureau Census 2000

Standard Error/Variance documentation for this dataset: Accuracy of the Data: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data (PDF 44KB)

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Appendix C

Village of Ruidoso Water Conservation

Ordinance

ruidoso water audit summary report - new mexico office of ......2007/04/12 · daniel b. stephens...

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