As water costs and prices rise, the benefits of water accounting and loss control are becoming more obvious. Shifting the focus from a single performance standard to a more refined system of accounting could be very beneficial to the water industry. The EPA's Water Conservation Plan Guidelines provide a system of water accounting that can help managers track water throughout their systems and identify opportunities for improvement. As experience with water accounting grows, this system can be fine-tuned and used to provide additional guidance for reducing avoidable leaks and losses.