Celebrating 25 Years of the Water Loss Family

In 2026, the IWA Water Loss Specialist Group (WLSG) reaches an important milestone: 25 years since a small gathering of water professionals met in Brno, Czech Republic, 16-18 May 2001 with the conference theme Systematic Approach to Leakage Control and  Water Distribution Systems Management. This laid the foundations for what would become one of the most influential communities in the global water sector.

Looking back, it is tempting to measure the success of the WLSG through its technical achievements. After all, over the past quarter century, the group has helped shape the way utilities around the world understand and manage water losses. Concepts such as Non-Revenue Water (NRW), water balances, performance indicators, pressure management and leakage reduction have become embedded in utility practice across continents.

But the real story of the WLSG is not about methodologies, reports or conferences. It is about people.

Long before the WLSG was formed, the challenge of water loss was gaining attention. During the 1980s and 1990s, utilities began recognising that water losses were not simply an operational inconvenience. Every cubic metre lost represented wasted resources, wasted energy, lost revenue and, increasingly, a threat to long-term water security.

As interest grew, so did the need for collaboration. Professionals working on water loss challenges often found themselves solving similar problems in different parts of the world, with limited opportunities to learn from one another. The creation of the WLSG in 2001 provided a home for that growing community.

The following year, the first IWA Water Loss Conference in Cyprus transformed an idea into a movement.

What made that conference special was not simply the technical programme. It was the sense that something new was emerging. Utility managers, engineers, researchers and practitioners came together not as competitors, but as colleagues facing a shared challenge. Ideas were exchanged openly. Lessons learned in one country were shared freely with another. Relationships were formed that would last decades.

That spirit remains the defining characteristic of the WLSG today.

Over the past 25 years, the Water Loss Conference series has travelled across the globe, bringing together professionals from every region and every stage of their careers. New technologies have emerged. Digital tools have transformed utility operations. Discussions have evolved from leakage detection and repair to smart networks, artificial intelligence, asset management, climate resilience and sustainable service delivery.

Yet one thing has remained constant: the willingness of people to help one another.

The WLSG has always been a place where experience is shared generously. Young professionals are welcomed and encouraged. Difficult questions are discussed openly. Successes are celebrated, but failures are examined just as carefully because they often provide the most valuable lessons.

In an increasingly complex world, that culture of openness may be the group's greatest achievement.

The impact of the WLSG can be seen in utilities that now manage NRW more effectively, in training programmes that have strengthened professional capacity, and in the countless technical resources that continue to guide industry practice. But its influence is equally visible in the professional friendships, mentoring relationships and collaborative networks that have developed over the years.

For many members, attending a Water Loss Conference is not simply about learning. It is about reconnecting with a community that shares a common purpose and a common passion.

As we celebrate this 25-year anniversary, we are reminded that the WLSG was never intended to be just another specialist group. It became something much more powerful: a global family united by the belief that knowledge should be shared, challenges should be tackled together, and better water management benefits everyone.

The challenges ahead are significant. Water scarcity, climate uncertainty, population growth and ageing infrastructure will test utilities in every part of the world. But if the first 25 years of the WLSG have taught us anything, it is that progress happens when people come together with a shared commitment to learning, innovation and collaboration.

The story that began in Brno in 2001 is still being written. And the next chapter promises to be just as important as the first.

Happy 25th anniversary to the IWA Water Loss Specialist Group — and to the global Water Loss Family that made it possible.