MUD: Unknown water loss may be 29.8%

Documented leaks, non-revenue uses lower internally tracked loss, but not official reportable water-loss figure

9:15 p.m. May 12, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Metro Moore County Utility Department officials say they can now explain more of the water leaving the system – lowering the department’s internally tracked unknown water loss to 29.8%, even as its official state-reporting figure remains 42.6%.

That does not mean MUD has solved its water-loss problem.

It means the department is now separating water it can document – including known leaks, flushing, fire department use, and in-house use – from water it still cannot explain.

During Tuesday’s utility board meeting, MUD Manager Ronnie Cunningham said the reported water loss stood at 42.6% for the latest period. But after MUD separated out 3.38 million gallons tied to known leaks and other documented non-revenue uses, the amount of finished water still unexplained dropped to 7.8 million gallons, or 29.8%.

The 42.6% figure is still the number MUD must answer for on its official report.

Still, the lower internal figure does not change the department’s official water-loss report, nor does it turn lost water into revenue. Every gallon that leaks from the system has already been treated, pumped, and paid for. The new accounting may explain more of the loss, but it does not erase the cost.

That lower internal figure gave the board a more useful number to work from – not because it is good, but because it is more specific.

Known Loss Versus Unknown Loss

Cunningham told the board the department is trying to track water loss more like other utilities do: by documenting known leaks and other non-revenue uses so MUD can better explain where finished water is going.

The distinction matters because a known leak is still a loss – just not a mystery. It still costs the department money because the water has already been treated, pumped, and managed.

Katie Goodwin, the MUD office manager, said Lincoln County keeps similar records, logging each leak so it can show the state which gallons were lost through documented events and which gallons remain unaccounted for.

She noted that kind of paper trail could matter if regulators ask why the official loss number remains high.

But board members made clear that accounted-for water is not the same as recovered money.

“You want to fix those leaks as fast as possible because that’s uncollected money,” MUD Chair Barry Posluszny said.

For ratepayers, that is the practical issue. Water loss is not just a percentage on a report. It shows up in treatment, pumping, and repair costs, as well as in the long-term pressure on the utility’s budget.

Where the Water is Going

The board also heard that MUD’s new Kamstrup meter system is beginning to help crews find underground leaks that were not visible from the road.

Cunningham said the system can detect acoustic sound between meters. And while those readings do not show gallons, they do show patterns that may point crews toward water moving through a line where it should not be.

When the system flagged higher readings, staff created work orders and sent crews to investigate. After repairs were made, those readings dropped sharply.

One leak on Merrell Lane had apparently been running since October. Cunningham said the water did not show in the street or ditch because it appeared to be going straight down.

That is the point of the new system: to find leaks that crews cannot see from the road.

System is Still Being Checked

The meter conversation did not stop with leak detection.

Board member Glen Thomas noted that, based on audit information he reviewed, MUD’s water loss began increasing around 2020. The previous meters went into service in 2019.

“That’s when the loss started going up,” Thomas said, questioning whether the installation of Zenner meters may be connected.

Goodwin did not say the Zanner meters caused the increase, but she and Cunningham did walk the board through a recent spot check of five accounts.

According to Goodwin, the readings matched from the new Kamstrup meter face to the meter system and from the meter system into the billing software.

A CPA is also expected to review the import process to ensure billing data is being processed correctly.

That review matters because board members said the department had past issues with meter programming and decimal points being dropped.

Drive-By Reading Problems Remain

MUD is also still working through problems with some drive-by readings.

Cunningham said some meters are not reporting properly because of antenna or prong issues. If a prong is bent, the entire meter may have to be replaced. He said those problems are the vendor’s responsibility, and the department is compiling a list of needed replacements.

The board also discussed signal challenges in parts of the county, especially where hills, trees, and distance make radio reception more difficult.

Cunningham said adding more equipment would be expensive and still would not guarantee full coverage. Instead, MUD may be able to speed up drive-by readings by sending two trucks in opposite directions. Kamstrup representatives told Cunningham that both reading devices do not have to be in the same truck, correcting what MUD had previously understood.

Kamstrup reps are expected to return next week to review the system and make sure it is set up and pulling readings properly.

A Better Number, Not A Finished Fix

Tuesday’s discussion gave the board a more useful number to work from.

The official water-loss figure remains 42.6%. The internally adjusted unknown-loss figure is 29.8%.

That lower number does not erase the financial pressure. MUD is still treating water that is not producing revenue. Known leaks still cost money. Unexplained water loss still needs to be found.

But the department now appears to have a sharper tool and a sharper question.

Not just, “How much water are we losing?”

But: “How much can we prove? How much have we fixed? And how much is still missing?”