WET News

MAY 2017 WET NEWS 15 Could you be doing more to reduce leakage? You can with FlowSure, Servelec Technologies' unique, intelligent and self-learning event detection system for clean and wastewater networks. Predict leaks and blockages Immediately pinpoint event locations Reduce costs Improve customer service Exceed regulatory targets www.servelec-technologies.com/flowsure flowsure@servelec-technologies.com Statistics reveal that leakage levels are dropping but water loss is still high on the regulator's agenda. S upply and demand is much higher on water company boardroom agendas than ever before. This is due mainly to the e ects of climate change and an increasing population, which mean there is increasing pres- sure on water supply demand throughout the UK, and in the South particularly. The situation is not helped by network leakage still being a major source of water loss, despite regulator Ofwat having imposed individual leakage reduction targets. According to statistics provided by online dashboard Discover Water, just under 3.1 billion litres of water are lost daily in England and Wales. According to € gures released in Consumer Council for Water's (CCWater) Delving into Water show leakage fell by just over 1% in 2015/16, with most water companies continuing to deliver better water and sewerage services for their customers and high levels of consumer satisfaction. But the consumer watchdog says some water companies can Leakage continues to be a cause for concern Leakage in England and Wales amounts to 3.1 billion litres of water a day NEED TO KNOW The majority of people (70%) do not think water companies are actually doing enough to prevent water loss, says CCWater The water companies have made progress in reducing leaks, and leakage is down about a third from its 1994-95 high, according to Ofwat The majority of companies provide free leak detection for non-household customers, and some also o‹ er these customers a free repair REALITY CHECK Leakage fell by 1% in 2015/16, according the CCWater Around 3.1 billion litres of water are lost daily in England and Wales There are a number of reasons why leakages occur on the pipe network Ofwat, in PR19, will expect companies to do more towards leakage reduction in the future Leakage is a‹ ected by operational strategies; network characteristics; and asset condition SPECIAL REPORT Leakage management still do much more to plug leakage. Ofwat says all companies, apart from one, outperformed their leakage performance commitments in 2015/16 and by a considerable amount. This is good but the regulator says the results raise questions about the level companies set their performance commitments, and whether they are stretching enough to drive down leakage. So what causes leakage? There are a number of reasons why leakages occur on the pipe network. It could be that there are gaps along sections of the network where pipes join, and as a result, water can escape. Gaps can also occur when the pipes age over time and begin to deteriorate. Naturally, components within the water network will weather during their lifetime and can be corroded by materials around the pipe such as soil and water. Further causes of leakages can occur particularly in the winter months. During extremely cold periods, pipes can freeze and will expand to make way for the frozen water. As the pipe is stretched beyond its limits, it could burst and the ensuing break would then allow thawed water to leak. Leakages can also occur when accidental damage is caused to the pipe network. For instance, the vibrations from tra™ c travelling on the roads above could weaken the network. Also when workers are digging up the road to carry out maintenance work on the transport network, accidental damage to pipes can be caused. There is also a feeling in the industry that the weather can play a huge part in where leakage appears on the boardroom agenda. Mild winters, for instance, mean leakage targets can be met easily. However, what the water companies do not seem to do is drive leakage down further. Leakage becomes more of an issue, though, when there are cold snaps because the companies have not put the resources into driving it down. Saving it for a rainy day, if you like, so that suddenly it goes right up the agenda to the top where it becomes a critical issue. The regulator, Ofwat, has ensured that the water companies have Water Resource Management plans in place to ensure those, particularly in the South and East of England, become more resilient to water stress. Ofwat is also tackling the issue of water loss further as part of its next Price Review (PR19), and is making it clear that it expects companies to do more on leak reduction in the future. The regulator has devised nine things thatr companies will have to do including: • Reporting leakage on a consistent basis in Ml/d based on € nancial years • Providing robust evidence for why a company is not "Leakage becomes more of an issue when there are cold snaps because companies have not put the resources into driving it down" committing to a downward trend in leakage • The consistency of data should be improved • Ofwat will expect companies to give long- term projection levels for leakage One thing is clear, water resilience will rule, which means there will be no room for leakage going forward.

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