Better water quality: Early water leak detection and repair improves water quality, as water leaks constitute potential contamination points. 

Physical health: Good quality of water increases the physical health and well-being (e.g., in Life SmartWater). 

Better water management: As water leaks decrease, water management becomes more resource and energy efficient (e.g., in SWSS). 

Sustainable and resilient food systems: Well-functioning water systems enable irrigation for urban food production (e.g., in Watersign). 

Decreased maintenance costs: Smaller water leakages, and earlier and less costly repairs (e.g., in SmartMet); detection of leaks prevents sinkholes under roads or other infrastructures [4]. 

Increased water security: Detecting water leaks and repairing leakages early on enables better water security (e.g. in Life SmartWater). 

Pre-conditions 

Technical aspects/infrastructure:  

Technical integration of different systems and parts of the infrastructure needs technical skills. For instance, SWSS developed an operational management and decision support tool, focussing on skills development. Piping systems enable nearly in all cases the use of detection devices. 

Enabling conditions 

Funding and financing:  

• Access to EU/public funding can be crucial to support the initial investment for the new solutions and to encourage the adoption of measures for early water leak detection and smart metering.  

• For the development of innovative solutions, investments can be secured from companies that will benefit from the implementation of water leakages control systems, such as water utility companies [8]. 

Project governance and implementation modalities:  

• Involvement of all relevant stakeholders: e.g., in DIANA, commercial service platform for better leak detection and water management was co-designed together with water managers, municipalities, authorities and commercial providers. 

• Public procurement to encourage adoption and/or development of such solutions: e.g., Publix SmartMet focused on a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) procedure, where the water utilities involved in the project seek to promote demand-driven research. 

Funding and financing:  

Water management systems require the collection of large amount of data and development of technical interfaces, which may require substantial initial investment.   

Technical aspects/infrastructure:  

Water pipelines are usually underground infrastructures, which makes the implementation of new pressure meters, valves or other detection devices in the network challenging. Moreover, waterlines are often under urban roads. Therefore, it is important to include detection solutions when existing water or road infrastructures are renovated and when new infrastructures are built. In addition, there is a need for new technologies to detect leakages. If the water network is very complex, the detection units (water meters or pressure meters) are needed in many locations. Management systems need detection and control valves and a platform, as well as skilled professionals to operate it. However, water utilities typically have these type of skills. 

Projects 

WADI developed an airborne surveillance service for water leak detection, providing water utilities with adequate information on leaks in water infrastructure outside urban areas and enabling prompt and cost-effective repairs. WADI couples and optimises off-the-shelf optical remote sensing devices and applies them on two complementary aerial platforms (manned and unmanned) in an operational environment. The surveillance service developed by WADI was tested through leak detection campaigns on two pilot sites in France and Portugal. (Horizon 2020, 2016-2020) 

SW4EU (SmartWater4Europe) focused on real time measurement and sensing, communication protocols, data management, real time analyses and modelling, as well as automation and response strategies. The Pilots were located in Spain, France, UK and The Netherlands. (FP7, 2014-2018) 

SWSS (Smart Water Supply System) developed an operational management and decision support platform (SWSS platform). The platform combines five modules: (1) Predictive module, (2) Hydraulic simulation module, (3) Assessment module, (4) Leakage module, and (5) Optimization module. The modules are based on previous developments from consortium partners. The pilots are located in Portugal. (LIFE Programme, 2015-2019) 

SmartMet focused on smart water metering in urban water systems and on a pre-commercial procurement procedure. The water utilities involved in the project sought to promote demand-driven research into new innovative smart meter solutions that fully cater to the needs of utilities (in terms of readability, battery lifetime and interoperability). Pilots were in Spain, Hungary, France and Italy. (Horizon 2020, 2017-2020) 

Watersign focused on water supply and irrigation structures, as well as on real-time detection of water losses. The system is comprised of just one sensor (flow meter or pressure sensor), located at the inlet of the water system being monitored. Each individual water outlet is equipped with a marker, a mechanical device that is operated by the water flow, creating small flow/pressure fluctuations in the water, unique to each outlet. The system is simple and economical and does not require expensive radio transmission devices or two wire cables. The pilots were in Kfar Harif and in two locations in Palmachim in Israel. (Horizon 2020, 2019-2022) 

DIANA co-designed and openly demonstrated a commercial service platform that empowers water managers and authorities to optimise the identification and inspection of non-authorised water abstractions for irrigation, as well as improve their water management policies and practices, especially in extreme conditions such as drought. Irrigation pilots were carried out in Spain, Italy and Romania (Horizon 2020, 2017-2019). 

Life Smart Water aimed to demonstrate the large-scale application of a new wireless valve actuator technology in combination with pressure sensor technology in industrial environment. LIFE Smart Water demonstrated the applications of this technology in District Metering Areas. The pilots that took place in the Netherlands where replicated in the UK, France, and Hungary. (LIFE, 2017-2022). 

Other useful resources:  

More projects related to water systems are available at: https://www.waditech.eu/about/sister-projects/sister-projects.kl  

Literature 

[1] W. Moczulski, J. Karwot, R. Wyczółkowski, D. Wachla, K. Ciupke, P. Przystałka, D. Pająk,2018, SysDetLok - a leakage detection and localization system for water distribution networks, IFAC-PapersOnLine, Volume 51, Issue 24, 2018, Pages 521-528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2018.09.626 

[2] Pooja Choudhary, Ankita Modi, B. A. Botre, and S. A. Akbar, 2021, Leak detection in smart water distribution network, AIP Conference Proceedings 2335, 050007 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0044005.  

[3] El-Zahab, S., Zayed, T. Leak detection in water distribution networks: an introductory overview. Smart Water 4, 5 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40713-019-0017-x.  

[4] WaterSign System Field Test, 2019, WaterSign Deliverable, may 13th, 2019. 

[5] SW4EU (2018) “Smartwater4Europe Demonstration of integrated smart water supply solutions at 4 sites across Europe”, Final report. 

[6] Ulanicki, Bogumil & Bounds, P.L.M. & Rance, J.P. & Reynolds, L. (2000). Open and closed loop pressure control for leakage reduction. Urban Water. 2. 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1462-0758(00)00048-0  

[7] WaterSign, Field Trial “Kfar HaRif”, 2020, WaterSign Deliverable, June 21st, 2019.  

[8] ClimateAdapt, Private investment in a leakage monitoring program to cope with water scarcity in Lisbon

The impact of water leak detection can be typically measured by the following indicators and metrics [1][2][4]: 

• Saved water (%) 

• Decreased water consumption (% or in m3) 

• Decreased energy consumption (kWh) by using efficient pumping systems and by using/pumping less water 

• Saved energy (% or kWh) 

• Reduced CO2eq emissions (%/m3), by reducing pumping energy 

Detection of leaks 

Many studies point out that the technologies used do not require high investments and are easy to use. Especially the use of pressure meters for the leak detection can lower the cost. The same pressure sensor can be applied to all pipe sizes, whereas a water meter depends on the pipe diameter [4]. 

Controlling of leaks 

By installing controlling valves to an online pressure control system, the water-saving potential from leakages is approximately 50 %, since the leakage is localised and closed efficiently [Life Smart Water]. SCADA systems are typically used in water utilities. SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition, which is a type of computer system that gathers and quickly analyses real-time data. 

Management of leaks 

The management of leak detection and control offers many benefits at system level and enables higher impact at city and district level. The benefits are: saved water resources, reduced energy consumption, and decreased damage to water infrastructures and others caused by leakages. Typically, the systems include predictions and simulations, as well as assessment and optimisation models [1][4][SWSS]. 

Trainings, e.g., solutions, best practices 

Voluntary measures with stakeholders e.g. voluntary statistics of water losses from leakage and encouragement to improve 

Incentives/disincentives, e.g. innovation funding for developing and deploying new leakage detection solutions 

Public procurement rules favouring procurement of leakage detection solutions 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CASE STUDIES:  

Combination of wireless sensors in transferring information can be powered with a solar station [Watersign].  

The leak detection with water flows could have an accuracy of +-0.56% [Watersign].