WATER PAGES
Transformed leakage technology can tackle resource challenge
There has been a transformation in leakage technology over the past five years, with new systems now available that improve performance, keeping more water in supply, writes Roland Leslie, Ovarro’s UK & Ireland sales lead, ahead of the Annual Leakage Conference which took place in Birmingham, UK, 2-3 December 2024.
The impact of emerging technologies, particularly in remote monitoring, artificial intelligence and data management, is reshaping leakage detection in the UK.
New digital solutions, honed during the 2020-25 investment period (AMP7), are poised to help water companies identify leakage faster and more efficiently than traditional methods over the coming five
years.
Tools that analyse network data to more accurately pinpoint - and even predict leaks - are moving from a nice-to-have to must-have choices. In AMP8, regulators expect companies to “capitalise on new technologies and data availability to maximise leakage management activities” – as stated in the Environment Agency’s (EA) 2023-24 analysis of the sector’s water resource performance.
For this to happen – and for tough leakage targets to be achieved - the industry must continue efforts to accelerate adoption of new technologies
and lean heavily into the challenge of ‘doing things differently’.
As well as cutting water loss, new approaches to leakage management can go some way to addressing the widespread problem of skills shortages. A number of water companies plan to increase the number of hours they invest in active leakage control in AMP8 – but many also have concerns around resourcing.
As-a-service models - subscription-based agreements, where infrastructure is managed and maintained by an external partner - are among new approaches gaining momentum in UK water. Such end-to-end service and
technology agreements allow companies to focus on their core responsibility of water system management, and leave the data analysis to external specialists.
LeakNavigator, Ovarro’s end-to- end leakage platform, can accurately identify points of interest (POIs) on behalf of water companies, alerting field technicians directly, so they can head straight to site with high confidence that a leak will be found, reducing the need for inhouse data analysis.
There are also concerns in the sector about how future extreme weather – such as freeze-thaw
46 | January 2025 |
draintraderltd.com
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