Overview

El Salvador’s national water utility Administración Nacional de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (ANDA) supplies almost 70% of the country’s potable water. A rapidly increasing population combination with constrained resources led to deferred maintenance across the network and the associated negative impact on reliability and performance.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), funded a project to develop the necessary materials to attract proposals for Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) for ANDA. The project is led by Resource Mobilization Advisors (RMA) who also conduct investment vehicle development, due diligence, and finance sourcing.

Challenge/Opportunity

Kisebach Consulting, an engineering firm, was retained along with its partners, RMA, Energy AIMS and NV5 to perform twenty preliminary assessments for the ANDA to conduct a preliminary assessment of 20 representative sites of  the water utility system in the San Salvador metropolitan area. The consulting team wanted to extend this preliminary assessment by measuring pump flow, power, and pressure - the only reliable way to understand a system and its pumps.

Solution

The consultants reached out to SoundWater as they were looking to upgrade their old flowmeter which uses multi-piece supports and heavy chains. They chose SoundWater’s innovative Orcas Portable Flowmeter for its simple Bluetooth set up, its magnetic clamps, its battery power and fast verification of flows - allowing them to get their job done quickly while in remote areas.

For this particular project, they used the two-piece Orcas-CM model. This model packs well for airline luggage, is flexible in tight spaces and is designed for large pipes. This set up proved to be ideal in El Salvador with pipes not designed for flow readings.

Outcomes

Economical & Solvable

The consultants found a wide range of issues from leaking check valves to pump-system mismatches that were easy to fix once understood and proven. Many pay back in less than a year. At the 20 sites over half a million dollars of annual savings with an investment value of over $ 3 million  were identified.

Reporting & Training

The client received twenty stand-alone site reports plus general and summary guidance documents. These will allow them to start applying best practices as they have funds, or to get outside help to do so. The clients also have a template for and training on how to take all relevant measurements to establish a baseline, how to re-select for optimal pumping, and the how and why of applying air valves, surge valves, speed control and general controls. All of this will help El Salvador meet the needs of its residents and with reduced cost.

Conclusion

The SoundWater Orcas-CM provided quick, accurate flow measurements so that the consultants could advise The Water Authority of El Salvador on how to save costs and meet the needs of its residents. Flow measurement is and will always be indispensable to baselining, benchmarking, and improving pump systems; without it there is no evaluating a pump properly for efficiency. 

Kisebach Consulting is a small engineering firm that designs, commissions, analyzes, and optimizes commercial and industrial fluid & thermal systems. Visit their website to learn more: http://www.kisebachconsulting.com/