Final

Question 1

apparent losses:

Answer 1

unbilled volume minus authorized use; caused by data errors, meter inaccuracy, and unauthorized consumption

Question 2

Conservation Conundrum:

Answer 2

the challenge water utilities face when they need to encourage conservation; this will often mean they make less money and will impact their financial sustainability if they don’t substantially raise rates, an effect potentially perceived by customers as punishment for their water savings

Question 3

demand hardening:

Answer 3

reduced demand after a water shortage during which customers are asked or mandated to conserve water; investments in conservation may make it harder for customers to comply with restrictions during future extended periods of shortage and may make demand and revenue harder to predict after shortage ends.

Question 4

economic level of losses (ELL):

Answer 4

level of leakage at which the marginal cost of a real loss reduction strategy is equal to the marginal value of the water saved

Question 5

elasticity:

Answer 5

(% of Change in Demand) / (% Change in Price). When elasticity is >1, a product is considered elastic: when price goes up, demand goes down proportionally more. If it is <1, it is considered inelastic: when price goes up, demand goes down proportionally less.

Question 6

environmental health disparity:

Answer 6

A health outcome due to exposure to an environmental hazard is worse for one or more racial or socioeconomic groups.

Question 7

environmental justice:

Answer 7

All people share environmental risks and benefits equitably (distributional justice), and programs are implemented equitably and all people have fair and meaningful participation in environmental decision making (procedural justice).

Question 8

financial disparity:

Answer 8

Low-income households pay a larger percentage of income (e.g., for water and wastewater) than higher income households.

Question 9

fixed costs or price:

Answer 9

the components of a cost or price that don’t vary with the volume of water demand. For costs, this could include infrastructure and labor costs. For a price, it would be a monthly service charge added to a bill.

Question 10

green infrastructure:

Answer 10

approaches and technologies to infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies

Question 11

knowledge deficit model or deficit model:

Answer 11

the explicit or implicit assumption of communicators that differences of opinion are due to differences in access to facts; the belief that if everyone understood the same facts they would all come to the same conclusion

Question 12

leaks:

Answer 12

water that is lost in transit from a pipe, canal, or ditch due to seeps, pinholes, cracks, breaks, etc. Generally, the water is not available for further use; however, leakage from a pipe, for example, may percolate to a groundwater source and be available for further use.

Question 13

Non-revenue water:

Answer 13

volume supplied but not reflected in billings; includes unbilled authorized consumption (e.g., firefighting, pipe or hydrant flushing), apparent losses, and real losses

Question 14

rainwater capture or harvesting:

Answer 14

collecting water that has fallen on roofs or other surfaces before it has hit the ground

Question 15

real losses:

Answer 15

estimated water lost from a distribution system due to pipe leaks or tank overflow

Question 16

stormwater capture or harvesting:

Answer 16

collecting rainwater or melted snow that runs off streets, lawns and other sites for retention or reuse; technically this applies only to water that has already hit the ground, distinguishing it from rainwater capture, but in common usage it may include all rainwater or melted snow

Question 17

Unavoidable annual real losses (UARL):

Answer 17

Background leakage

Question 18

variable costs or price:

Answer 18

the components of a cost or price that vary with the volume of water demand. Variable costs include energy and chemical purchases. Variable prices include volumetric changes on utility bills.

Question 19

xeriscaping:

Answer 19

a method of landscaping that uses plants that are well adapted to the local area and are drought-resistant. Xeriscaping is becoming more popular as a way of saving water at home.