In the West, people have an intense appreciation for water. As the region endured successive years of drought, many municipalities began instituting strict conservation measures. Some water users had to be prodded into compliance with the specter of substantially higher water rates.

The strategy worked. Overall, water usage dropped. Utahns who have complied with watering schedules and labored in their own homes and businesses to curb consumption deserve a pat on the back.

Not so for Salt Lake City's own water delivery system. Some 1.5 billion gallons of clean water leaks from bad pipes and faulty connections each year. Another 1 billion gallons may be lost through illegal or faulty meters.

Salt Lake City's water-loss rate is lower than the national average, so there is no cause for alarm, according to Salt Lake City officials. That argument doesn't hold water, so to speak, because Utah is among the driest states in the nation. Utah doesn't have the luxury of wasting any water.

The cost of updating Salt Lake's delivery system would be astronomical. Parts of the system are so old that they are constructed of wooden pipe. Massive upgrades of the system would be a huge undertaking. It would likely be a tough sell to water users. Seemingly, more immediate steps could be taken to reduce the number of faulty water meters and locating abandoned lines that are still fed water.

Other western cities experience lower percentage rates of water loss. Boise is one example. Its water loss is substantially lower than Salt Lake City's, which can be attributed to new development and redevelopment, which required the replacement of old pipe. In other words, Boise's delivery system is younger than Salt Lake's.

Denver stems its water losses, which are about 3.45 billion gallons annually, using a monitoring system that detects leaks. The system constantly monitors the water transmission system and electronically reports problems.

Salt Lake City officials say it is problematic to compare Salt Lake to other communities that have not undergone independent reviews of their water systems. That's a valid point. Yet, the findings of the Salt Lake audit are cause for concern. The city can't, as a significant waster of water, expect others to comply with strict water conservation measures until it gets the problem under control. At a minimum, the city needs to embark on a study of the cost of substantial upgrades and monitoring systems.