Analyzing Water Line Leaks, Jurupa Community Services District

Overview

The Jurupa Community Services District (JCSD) provides water and sewer services to the southern California city of Eastvale and portions of the nearby city of Jurupa Valley. JCSD uses geographic information system (GIS) software to predict leaks and potential replacement costs for polyethylene water service lines used during the construction of some Eastvale housing developments several decades ago.



Impact

In 2018, after experiencing frequent leakage of polyethylene water service lines, JCSD’s board of directors adopted a standard that requires copper lines for new developments. JCSD also launched a GIS-based initiative to map and analyze leakage of existing polyethylene service lines. The project helps JCSD track the remaining number of polyethylene lines that need replacement, estimate the cost of replacement, and identify areas that are most likely to leak in the coming year. The information enables JCSD to proactively budget for these repairs and coordinate construction activities with a citywide pavement restoration program.



Advice

JCSD used geocoding, spatial join and spatial analysis to understand which areas had a higher tendency of leaks and spot patterns related to the builder, material, or year a house built. The analysis enabled JCSD to confirm that leaks occurred more frequently in housing tracts with existing polyethylene service lines compared to coated copper services. The information also revealed variations in failure rates for polyethylene lines based on construction techniques used by builders.