Utility Week

22 www.utilityweek.co.uk/fLeX A I A N D R E S I L I E N C E T he issue of how best to tackle water leakage might be literally as old as the hills itself, but water companies are increasingly taking a high-tech approach, by utilising a wide range of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools to reduce wastage. e listening sticks of old have been replaced by acoustic microphones or loggers, which can be placed in pipelines and set to listen for any signs of leakage, with the latest software being used to analyse the recordings and spot warning signs. is might all sound like science fiction, but today it is science fact and could be an important weapon in the water sector's battle to improve its track record. In October last year, the environment, food and rural affairs committee warned three billion litres of water are leaked every day and Ofwat's target to reduce leakage by 15 per cent by 2025, as part of PR19, was not ambitious enough. e cross-party group of MPs also called on the water industry to collectively aim to reduce leakage by 50 per cent by 2040, rather than 2050. T h e 3 b i l l i o n l i t r e q u e s t i o n : c a n A I p l u g t h e g a p ? e latest figures show 3,183 million litres of water are lost each day in England and Wales. How can water firms tackle one of the biggest challenges facing the sector: reducing leakage? By Jamie Hailstone In April this year, trade body Water UK hit back with a pledge to triple leakage reduction rates by 2030, as part of a new sector-wide initiative to work in the public interest. With all eyes on the water sector and its efforts to improve leakage rates, a number of utilities are now rolling out AI solutions to help crunch these all important data patterns. Leakage projects Southern Water recently launched a major initiative to tackle leakage in south Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Southampton. As part of the project it will be spending £250,000 on installing an extra 1,600 acoustic loggers, to add to the 3,760 already attached to its water pipes. e loggers will use digital technology to monitor the noise water is making and trained technicians will feed better data from an entirely new leakage reporting system to the find and fix teams. Phil Tapping, water demand manager, says the programme will help it reach a target of cutting leaks by 15 per cent by 2025. "We've had a good record historically on leakage and are near the top of the league table in England, but we have to do more," he says. e extra funding in Hampshire is part of an overall additional £4 million investment in acoustic logging by September and a £2.4 million extra investment in leak fixing in the coming year.

• Cover