GILMER -- The Northeast Texas Regional Water Planning Group D reviewed a study at its meeting Wednesday [November 19] that found a maximum of 14.8 percent unaccounted-for water usage in the water systems in the region. The study was performed by Hayter Engineering of Paris following an earlier presentation to the board on water demand projections in the region.

"Of those that reported, the maximum amount was 14.8 percent," said consultant Ray Fleming. "The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) recommends a maximum of 15 percent, so the group as a whole is within that level." He explained that the percentage by volume is divided between residential, municipal, industrial and commercial use, but the numbers vary widely as reported to TWDB. The consultants based their estimates for the region on surveys completed by water districts in the region. Fleming said that 254 completed the survey, 99 did not respond, and 12 water districts do not track their usage.

"For the unaccounted-for water, we identified several ways that leakage and free water to paying customers plays a role," Fleming said. "There is also a bit of line flushing in some of the cities, and the municipal use for water treatment plants, maintenance plants and city pools are also some of the reasons."

Walt Sears, administrator for Region D and general manager for the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), noted that to understand where any given system is using its water, industrial use has to be separated from municipal use. "Particularly in Smith County, 74 percent of the water use in the system is in industrial," Sears said. "But when you calculate per capita, industrial has no people. Industrial is using finished water, but industrial demand is still part of municipal demand, not in its own category."

Consultant Stan Hayes informed the board that not all water systems separated out the different categories using the water. "Some did show manufacturing separated out, but others did not," he said. "Regardless of the split out, you still have water demand. It's still going to be there." Hayes explained that the TWDB bases industrial growth on population growth because cities don't know when a new industry might come to town. The consultants had to focus on the information that was provided to them, regardless of whether or not it was broken into categories.

Vice-Chair John Bradley of Avinger said, "We have to have some accountability. In the state of Texas, we've got to have a better way to split out the water usage." Hayes noted that some districts did respond to the survey but did not answer the unaccounted-for water usage question. "Some systems don't have the information, can't find it, don't keep up with it, have no meters or don't read the meters on their system," he said.

Richard LeTourneau, at-large member from Longview, responded, "So the water loss may be greater than 14.8 percent because the extremely large cities with large populations are not reporting." Sears explained that water usage reporting has historically been voluntary. "There is a movement toward making this more compulsory," he said. "My perception is that the next round of planning will have better data than right now. It's a moving target, but we are getting better information. It's a necessary and good thing to move toward everyone in Region D filling these out, so we can make apple to apple comparisons in the future."

Consultant Reeves Hayter also informed the board that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is changing the rules for water management strategies for those with a water shortage. "Strategies will have to provide a quantitative analysis of the environmental impact of any strategy they are proposing," Hayter said. "For example, how many acres of bottomland would be lost to a particular strategy." In the future, proposed well drilling, contract renewals, reservoir and/or pipeline building would have to submit a quantitative analysis of any environmental impact of the project.

In other business, the board appointed Charles Ball of Rains County to replace Maxie Chester, who had resigned; authorized a contract amendment between the NTMWD and TWDB to provide $287,642 in funding for regional water planning; heard a report on the state's conservation task force.