Survey of Community Water Utilities

United States Government Accountability Office

Introduction

	The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency of the U.S. Congress, is conducting an assessment of technologies that could help community water systems address freshwater scarcity. As part of this review, we are conducting a web-based survey of community water systems across the United States. In this survey, we will be asking about your use of two categories of technologies: (1) those that your utility might use to increase the efficiency of your distribution system and (2) those that your utility might use if you treat nontraditional source waters such as seawater, brackish water, recycled municipal wastewater, or storm water captured from developed areas. We understand that there may be questions on this survey that do not apply to your particular utility; the survey is designed to allow you to easily bypass those sections. In answering the survey questions, please feel free to consult with any staff member in your utility who possesses relevant information. Your participation in our study is essential for us to inform the Congress about levels of use for various technologies and challenges that utilities may face when trying to adopt these technologies. The results of this survey will be summarized in a GAO report, which will be publicly available on our website. If you have any questions about this survey, (contact information omitted) Click here for help to learn more about completing the survey, printing your responses, and whom to contact if you have questions. Thank you in advance for your assistance in taking part in our survey.

	(View responses)

Section 1 - Technologies for Water Distribution Efficiency

1.	Does your utility, or do contractors working for your utility, currently meter water flow at any of the following points in your distribution system? (If your utility has no treatment facilities, please check NO for a. and b. Please do not count booster stations as treatment facilities.)

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	One or more treatment plant intakes (View responses)
b.	One or more treatment plant outputs (View responses)
c.	One or more intermediate points in the distribution system (View responses)
d.	One or more customer connections (View responses)

2.	Does your utility, or do contractors working for your utility, currently use any of the following technologies to meter water flow at customer connections? (If you use the following meter types for any of your customer connections, please check yes.)

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Manually-read meters (View responses)
b.	Automated Meter Reading (AMR) (View responses)
c.	Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) (View responses)

3.	Does your utility, or do contractors working for your utility, currently use water flow meter readings for any of the following purposes?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	To calculate customers' water bills (View responses)
b.	To ensure water delivery to customers (View responses)
c.	To identify points of water loss (View responses)
d.	To provide customers with comparative use data (View responses)

4.	Does your utility, or do contractors working for your utility, currently measure water pressure at any of the following points in your distribution system? (Note: If your utility has no treatment facilities, please check NO for a. Please do not count booster stations as treatment facilities.)

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	One or more treatment facility outputs (View responses)
b.	One or more intermediate points in the distribution system (View responses)
c.	One or more storage tanks (View responses)

5.	Does your utility, or do contractors working for your utility, currently use any of the following technologies to measure or control water pressure in your distribution system?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	In-line pressure sensors (View responses)
b.	Pressure-reducing valves (View responses)
c.	Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system (View responses)

6.	Does your utility, or do contractors working for your utility, currently use measurements of water pressure for any of the following purposes?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	To ensure water delivery to customers (View responses)
b.	To identify points of water loss (View responses)
c.	To compare to hydraulic modeling results (View responses)
d.	To minimize stress on distribution pipes (View responses)

7.	Has your utility, or have contractors working for your utility, ever used any of the following technologies to detect leaks in your distribution system? (Note: This includes your Rural Water Association or other technical assistance providers.)

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Geophone or ground microphone (View responses)
b.	Acoustic noise logger (View responses)
c.	Acoustic noise correlator (View responses)
d.	Acoustic fiber optic (View responses)
e.	Ground penetrating radar (View responses)
f.	In-line hydrophone (View responses)
g.	Acoustic transient detection (View responses)
h.	Pressure transient detection (View responses)

8.	In what situations has your utility, or have contractors working for your utility, ever used leak detection technology?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	When we noticed signs of leaking water (View responses)
b.	When we detected a drop in water pressure or water flow (View responses)
c.	When we received customer complaints (View responses)
d.	When we scheduled a segment of the distribution system for routine leak detection (View responses)

9.	Has your utility, or have contractors working for your utility, ever used any of the following technologies to assess the condition of your utility's distribution pipes? (Note: This includes your Rural Water Association or other technical assistance providers.)

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Closed circuit television (CCTV) inspection (View responses)
b.	Acoustic emission to measure pipe wall thickness (View responses)
c.	Propagation velocity to measure pipe wall thickness (View responses)
d.	Broadband electromagnetic (View responses)
e.	Magnetic flux leakage (View responses)
f.	Remote field or remote field eddy current (View responses)
g.	Soil linear polarization resistance (View responses)
h.	Ultrasonics (discrete, guided or phased array) (View responses)

10.	In what situations has your utility, or have contractors working for your utility, ever assessed the condition of distribution pipes?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	When we had physical access to pipes (View responses)
b.	When we detected a drop in water pressure or water flow (View responses)
c.	When we received customer complaints (View responses)
d.	When we scheduled a segment of the distribution system for routine pipe condition assessment (View responses)

Section 2 - Use of Non-Traditional Water Sources

11.	Does your utility have one or more treatment facilities? (Note: Please do not count booster stations as treatment facilities.)

			Yes
			No, we purchase 100% of our water in treated form (Click here to skip to question 22)
	(View responses)

12.	Does your utility treat seawater for potable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	Does your utility use any of the following technologies to treat seawater for potable use?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Micro- or ultrafiltration (View responses)
b.	Nanofiltration (View responses)
c.	Ion exchange (View responses)
d.	Reverse osmosis (View responses)
e.	Forward osmosis (View responses)
f.	Electrodialysis (View responses)
g.	Electrodialysis reversal (View responses)
h.	Membrane distillation (View responses)
i.	Non-membrane thermal distillation (View responses)

b.	How easy or difficult has it been for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to treating seawater?

	(View responses)

		Seawater
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
b.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
c.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
d.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
e.	Managing ocean intake issues (View responses)
f.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
g.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

c.	Has your utility studied the feasibility of treating seawater for potable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

d.	How easy or difficult would it be for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to treating seawater?

	(View responses)

		Seawater
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
b.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
c.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
d.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
e.	Managing ocean intake issues (View responses)
f.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
g.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

13.	Does your utility treat brackish water (ground or surface) for potable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	Does your utility use any of the following technologies to treat brackish water (ground or surface) for potable use?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Micro- or ultrafiltration (View responses)
b.	Nanofiltration (View responses)
c.	Ion exchange (View responses)
d.	Reverse osmosis (View responses)
e.	Forward osmosis (View responses)
f.	Electrodialysis (View responses)
g.	Electrodialysis reversal (View responses)
h.	Membrane distillation (View responses)
i.	Non-membrane thermal distillation (View responses)

b.	How easy or difficult has it been for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to treating brackish water (ground or surface)?

	(View responses)

		Brackish Water (Ground or Surface)
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
b.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
c.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
d.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
e.	Gaining access through existing water rights laws (View responses)
f.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
g.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

c.	Has your utility studied the feasibility of treating brackish water (ground or surface) for potable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

d.	How easy or difficult would it be for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to treating brackish water (ground or surface)?

	(View responses)

		Brackish Water (Ground or Surface)
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
b.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
c.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
d.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
e.	Gaining access through existing water rights laws (View responses)
f.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
g.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

14.	Does your utility recycle or reuse municipal wastewater for direct potable use, indirect potable use, or nonpotable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	Does your utility use any of the following technologies to recycle or reuse wastewater for direct potable use, indirect potable use, or nonpotable use?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (e.g., using ozone or hydrogen peroxide) (View responses)
b.	Ultraviolet light (View responses)
c.	Activated carbon (View responses)
d.	Micro- or ultrafiltration (View responses)
e.	Nanofiltration (View responses)
f.	Ion exchange (View responses)
g.	Reverse osmosis (View responses)
h.	Forward osmosis (View responses)
i.	Membrane bioreactor (View responses)
j.	Soil infiltration (View responses)
k.	Wetlands treatment (View responses)

b.	For which of the following purposes does your utility recycle or reuse wastewater?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Direct potable use (View responses)
b.	Indirect potable use (View responses)
c.	Nonpotable use (View responses)

c.	How easy or difficult has it been for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to recycling or reusing wastewater?

	(View responses)

		Recycled or Reused Wastewater
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Gaining access through existing water rights laws (View responses)
b.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
c.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
d.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
e.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
f.	Reaching agreement with regulators on standards for treatment (View responses)
g.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
h.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

d.	Has your utility studied the feasibility of recycling or reusing municipal wastewater for direct potable use, indirect potable use, or nonpotable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

e.	How easy or difficult would it be for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to recycling or reusing wastewater?

	(View responses)

		Recycled or Reused Wastewater
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Gaining access through existing water rights laws (View responses)
b.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
c.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
d.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
e.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
f.	Reaching agreement with regulators on standards for treatment (View responses)
g.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
h.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

15.	Does a facility that is NOT part of your utility recycle or reuse municipal wastewater for nonpotable use in your service area?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	Does this facility use any of the following technologies to recycle or reuse wastewater for nonpotable use in your service area?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No	Don't know
a.	Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (e.g., using ozone or hydrogen peroxide) (View responses)
b.	Ultraviolet light (View responses)
c.	Activated carbon (View responses)
d.	Micro- or ultrafiltration (View responses)
e.	Nanofiltration (View responses)
f.	Ion exchange (View responses)
g.	Reverse osmosis (View responses)
h.	Forward osmosis (View responses)
i.	Membrane bioreactor (View responses)
j.	Soil infiltration (View responses)
k.	Wetlands treatment (View responses)

16.	Does your utility treat stormwater runoff captured from developed areas for direct potable use, indirect potable use, or nonpotable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	Does your utility use any of the following technologies to treat stormwater runoff captured from developed areas for direct potable use, indirect potable use, or nonpotable use?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (e.g., using ozone or hydrogen peroxide) (View responses)
b.	Ultraviolet light (View responses)
c.	Activated carbon (View responses)
d.	Micro- or ultrafiltration (View responses)
e.	Nanofiltration (View responses)
f.	Ion exchange (View responses)
g.	Reverse osmosis (View responses)
h.	Forward osmosis (View responses)
i.	Membrane bioreactor (View responses)
j.	Soil infiltration (View responses)
k.	Wetlands treatment (View responses)

b.	For which of the following purposes does your utility treat stormwater runoff captured from developed areas?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No
a.	Direct potable use (View responses)
b.	Indirect potable use (View responses)
c.	Nonpotable use (View responses)

c.	How easy or difficult has it been for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to treating stormwater runoff captured from developed areas?

	(View responses)

		Stormwater Runoff from Developed Areas
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Gaining access through existing water rights laws (View responses)
b.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
c.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
d.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
e.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
f.	Reaching agreement with regulators on standards for treatment (View responses)
g.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
h.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

d.	Has your utility studied the feasibility of treating stormwater runoff captured from developed areas for direct potable use, indirect potable use, or nonpotable use?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

e.	How easy or difficult would it be for your utility to address each of the following possible challenges to treating stormwater runoff captured from developed areas?

	(View responses)

		Stormwater Runoff from Developed Areas
		Very easy	Somewhat easy	Somewhat difficult	Very difficult	Not applicable
a.	Gaining access through existing water rights laws (View responses)
b.	Acquiring sufficient capital (View responses)
c.	Paying for operating and maintenance costs (View responses)
d.	Gaining technical expertise (View responses)
e.	Managing brine disposal issues (View responses)
f.	Reaching agreement with regulators on standards for treatment (View responses)
g.	Obtaining regulatory permits (View responses)
h.	Obtaining public support (View responses)

17.	Does a facility that is NOT part of your utility treat stormwater runoff captured from developed areas for nonpotable use in your service area?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	Does this separate facility use any of the following technologies to treat stormwater runoff captured from developed areas for nonpotable use in your service area?

	(View responses)

		Yes	No	Don't know
a.	Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (e.g., using ozone or hydrogen peroxide) (View responses)
b.	Ultraviolet light (View responses)
c.	Activated carbon (View responses)
d.	Micro- or ultrafiltration (View responses)
e.	Nanofiltration (View responses)
f.	Ion exchange (View responses)
g.	Reverse osmosis (View responses)
h.	Forward osmosis (View responses)
i.	Membrane bioreactor (View responses)
j.	Soil infiltration (View responses)
k.	Wetlands treatment (View responses)

Section 3 - System Characteristics

18.	How many treatment facilities does your utility have? (Note: Please do not count booster stations as treatment facilities.)
	Facilities
	(View responses)



			None, we purchase 100% of our water in treated form. (Click here to skip to question 22)
	(View responses)

19.	For each of your utility's treatment facilities, what was the average daily production in millions of gallons per day (MGD) for calendar year 2014?

	(View responses)

	Facility 1 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 2 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 3 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 4 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 5 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 6 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 7 (View responses)	MGD
	Facility 8 (View responses)	MGD

20.	For each of your treatment facilities, what percentage of the intake water comes from each of the following types of source water? (Note: If your utility has more than four facilities, additional space will be provided in the next question.)

	(View responses)

Types of source water

Facility 1

Facility 2

Facility 3

Facility 4

	a. Surface water, fresh
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	b. Surface water, brackish
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	c. Ground water, fresh
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	d. Ground water, brackish
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	e. Seawater
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	f. Municipal wastewater effluent
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	g. Captured stormwater runoff from developed areas
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	Total
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

21.	Does your utility have more than four treatment facilities to report?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	For each of your treatment facilities, what percentage of the intake water comes from each of the following types of source water?

	(View responses)

Types of source water

Facility 5

Facility 6

Facility 7

Facility 8

	a. Surface water, fresh
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	b. Surface water, brackish
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	c. Ground water, fresh
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	d. Ground water, brackish
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	e. Seawater
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	f. Municipal wastewater effluent
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	g. Captured stormwater runoff from developed areas
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	Total
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

	%
	(View responses)

22.	Are there any treatment facilities that are NOT part of your utility but treat municipal wastewater for nonpotable reuse in your service area?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	What was the average daily production of nonpotable water in millions of gallons per day (MGD) for the past 12 months for each of these treatment facilities?

	(View responses)

	a. Facility 1

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	b. Facility 2

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	b. Facility 3

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	d. Facility 4

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

23.	Are there any treatment facilities that are NOT part of your utility but treat stormwater runoff from developed areas for nonpotable use in your service area?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

a.	What was the average daily production of nonpotable water in millions of gallons per day (MGD) for the past 12 months for each of these treatment facilities?

	(View responses)

	a. Facility 1

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	b. Facility 2

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	b. Facility 3

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	d. Facility 4

	(View responses)


	MGD
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

24.	Is your utility government owned or privately owned?

			Government owned
			Privately owned - nonprofit
			Privately owned - for profit
	(View responses)

25.	Which of the following services does your utility manage for your service area?

			Drinking water only
			Drinking water and wastewater only
			Drinking water, wastewater and stormwater
	(View responses)

26.	How many customer connections of each of the following types does your utility have? (Enter numbers. If none, enter zero.)

	(View responses)

a.	Residential connections (View responses)	connections
b.	Agricultural connections (View responses)	connections
c.	Commercial/Industrial connections (View responses)	connections

27.	During the past 12 months, what percentage of the total water produced by your utility went to each of the following types of customers? (Enter percentages. If none, enter zero.)

	(View responses)

	a. To Residential customers

	(View responses)


	%
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	b. To Agricultural customers

	(View responses)


	%
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

	c. To Commercial/Industrial customers

	(View responses)


	%
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

28.	During the past 12 months, what percentage of the total water that your utility produced was non-revenue water (i.e., not billed to customers)? (Enter percentage. If none, enter zero.)

	(View responses)

	Percentage of non-revenue water

	(View responses)


	%
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

29.	During the past 12 months, what percentage of the total water that your utility produced was lost as a result of leaks in the distribution system? (Enter percentage. If none, enter zero.)

	(View responses)

	Percentage lost to leaks

	(View responses)


	%
	(View responses)



			Don't know
	(View responses)

30.	In the past five years, has your utility conducted a formal water audit (for example, using water audit software)?

			Yes
			No
	(View responses)

31.	Which zip codes does your utility serve? (Please list each zip code separated by a space.)

	(View responses)

32.	Are you ready to submit your final completed survey to GAO? (This is equivalent to mailing a completed paper survey to us. It tells us that your answers are official and final.)

			Yes, my survey is complete - To submit your final responses, please click on "Exit" below.
			No, my survey is not yet complete - To save your responses for later, please click on "Exit" below.
	(View responses)

Questionnaire Programming Language - Version 6.2
U.S. Government Accountability Office

Please wait, file upload in progress.