PUBLIC UTILITIES ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Receive the Water Utility System Performance Metrics Dashboard
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DEPARTMENT: Water Utilities
SUBMITTED BY: Darrell Blenniss, Director of Water Utilities
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Staff reviewed updated data from four primary dashboards to prepare for the April meeting:
● SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index): 12-Month period ending February 2026.
● Water Consumption Report: Historical and YTD usage through February 2026.
● Distribution Leaks: 2026 YTD snapshot.
● Effluent Report: Springbrook Treatment Plant 2026 YTD performance.
(Note: The Non-Revenue Water Loss metric is evaluated on an annual basis and has been removed from this interim update).
DISCUSSION:
1. System Reliability (SAIDI) Stabilization The previous report noted a significant data anomaly that temporarily spiked the 12-month average SAIDI to over 9.5 minutes. Following quality control reviews and the progression of the rolling 12-month window, this metric has stabilized.
● Current Status: The 12-month average SAIDI currently stands at 5.77 minutes per customer, which is a moderate 8.35% increase compared to February 2025 (5.32 minutes).
● Interruption Profile: While the total number of system interruptions dropped significantly year-over-year (31 YTD vs. 48 last year, a 35.4% decrease), the severity of those incidents increased. The average duration of an interruption rose to 222.1 minutes (+15.4%), and the average number of customers affected per incident grew to 14.3 (+30.4%).
2. Water Consumption Trends * YTD Observation: Total water consumption through February 2026 was 679 Million Gallons (MG). This represents a slight increase compared to the same period in both 2024 and 2025 (which both recorded 665 MG).
● System Capacity: Despite the slight uptick in early-year usage, the daily average for 2026 currently sits at 11.51 MG. This remains well below our Lake Michigan allocation (21.68 MG) and represents less than a third of our maximum system capacity (35.8 MG).
3. Distribution Leaks (2026 YTD Status) * Current Volume: The system has experienced 37 confirmed leaks YTD, resulting in approximately 15.4 MG of tracked water loss. The predominant causes continue to be "Holes" (40.5%) and "Radial Cracks" (35.1%).
● Cost & Outage Adjustments: In our January preliminary snapshot, the average cost per leak trended unsustainably low ($750). With February data incorporated, the average cost per leak has normalized to $2,204. While this is an increase from January, it remains notably lower than the 2025 annual average of $3,123.
● Customer Impact: The average interruption time has increased from the early January snapshot to 182 minutes, affecting a total of 390 customers year-to-date.
4. Effluent & Rainfall Sensitivity * Current Operations: The Springbrook Treatment Plant continues to operate highly effectively and well within its parameters.
● Peak Event: The highest effluent flow recorded so far in 2026 was 35.34 MG on January 10th. This represents only 64% of the Design Max Flow (55.13 MG).
● Capacity Excursions: There have been 0 "High Flow Days" (days exceeding 80% of max capacity) recorded so far this year, indicating excellent system resilience during the winter and early spring precipitation events.