In 2020, Southern Water and Ovarro began targeted leakage reduction in approximately 40 DMAs across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Committed to using new technology, Southern Water became one of the first utilities to deploy LeakNavigator, the UK’s first fully-managed, fixed network leakage service.
THE CHALLENGE
Southern Water, which serves more than four million customers in the water-scarce south-east, is working towards a 15% leakage reduction by 2025. The water company’s Water Resources Management Plan 2024 sets out long-term plans to more than halve leakage by 2050.
The LeakNavigator package comprises acoustic dataloggers from Ovarro’s Enigma range, a cloud-based analytics platform and the company’s in-house leakage expertise. Ovarro analysts plan out a fixed network of acoustic loggers on behalf of water companies, support the installation process, analyse the data to pinpoint leaks, raise points of interest (POIs) and assign them directly to technicians.
THE SOLUTION
Ovarro’s analysts undertake a pre-assessment of each DMA, establishing the most suitable logger install locations. With loggers are in operation, data is fed into the LeakNavigator analytics platform which generates POIs based on overnight correlations. Filters can be applied so the platform removes noise such as electrical interference.
Analysts review each POI generated. If data indicates the strong likelihood of a leak, analysts will assign to technicians via a mobile app. A technician will visit site, confirm the leak location and raise a job for repair. If no leak is found, analysis will continue until a conclusion is reached.
– Phil Tapping, Regional Operations Leakage Manager, Southern WaterWe’re aiming to reduce leakage by 53% by 2050. New technology is a key part of our strategy.
RESULTS
Following onsite training, technicians began to find more leaks, much faster – rising from around 12 per month to approximately 130. Up to July 2024, 1,170 leaks and 66 burst mains had been found. An overall conversion rate of 80% was recorded for category 1 alerts, for which data indicated a strong likelihood of a leak being found. Leakage in 35 of the DMAs had reduced, with an overall reduction of 51 cubic metres in water loss across all DMAs. This equates to 204Ml/d of water being saved every month. Targets in 16 DMAs had been met, with the project ongoing.
