Addressing Water Loss in The Glades

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

In 2013 Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department (PBCWUD) was tasked with taking over the service area of western Palm Beach County, known as The Glades, because the Glades Utility Authority (GUA) was in the process of going bankrupt. As such, PBCWUD inherited two water plants, two wastewater plants, and 200 miles of utility infrastructure. Over the next several years, PBCWUD soon abandoned the water plants, as both were beyond serviceable repair, constructed a new reverse osmosis water treatment plant, and began evaluating the aforementioned 200 miles of infrastructure for serviceability. Ultimately, it was determined most of the infrastructure was in a state of disrepair and through various evaluating methods, it was determined The Glades area was reporting 3 million gallons per day as Non-revenue Water (NRW), roughly 50% of the treated potable water. The goal of this program- Addressing Water Loss in The Glades, has been championed to bring the western service system NRW in line with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards, less than 10%, and match more closely the NRW of 3% associated with the PBCWUD eastern service area.