Infrastructure provides our homes and businesses with potable (safe to drink) water. It also collects and treats wastewater from our homes and businesses for reuse. In theory this sounds like we’ve cracked enigma! Rinse and repeat for perpetuity! We’ve solved our climate crisis!
Well, in practice; not really. In reality we have a concept known as non-revenue water (NRW) losses. This is water that is supplied but lost from the network infrastructure through unbilled consumption, apparent losses or real losses (leakage). In Australia NRW losses average around 10% of the water supplied. This is a relatively low figure for NRW losses compared to other regions such as the USA (12%), the EU (24%) and India (48%), so reducing NRW losses is not a priority for the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA).
However, in Western Australia we are facing declining rainfall and inflows into dams. With our changing climate, we are exposed to new challenges every year that threaten our water supply. Losing 10% of our water supplies without putting up a fight still seems almost frivolous in the face of these challenges. Australia can still learn a lot from the NRW loss prevention methodology from other countries such as Japan (NRW losses of 6%). The best way to reduce these NRW losses is to reduce real losses through leakages.
Leakages are often one of three categories:
- Reported bursts—visible at the surface and easily reported
- Unreported bursts—not visible at the surface and usually found by investigation
- Background leakage—small undetectable leaks that may worsen over time
Leakages are often caused by a combination of factors, but there is often a dominating factor. This can include the following:
- Weather conditions—extreme changes in weather conditions can apply pressure on pipes and cause them to move and burst, especially in reactive soils (i.e. clay)
- Aging infrastructure—with time and use, aging infrastructure (i.e. pipes) tend to leak
- Materials—some materials are just more resistant to bursting than others
- Soil conditions—some soils may have a corrosive effect on infrastructure material
These leakages also adversely impact our water infrastructure by putting additional stress on systems that are at capacity to process more water to meet the demand. I believe a smart solution to our leakage problem is looking at countries (Japan) that are successful at reducing their NRW losses and adopting their practices.
Japan has developed a system of leakage prevention countermeasures that revolve around the following key practices:
- Planned replacement of existing pipes and improvement of materials in pipes
- Leak detection technology (acoustic leak detection) and early repairs
- Procuring staff with high technical knowledge and skill
A solution that I found to be innovative (although some companies in Australia have already adopted this technology, but on a small scale) was acoustic detection of leaking pipes. In the past, to locate a leak, the whole area would have to be excavated because visual confirmation was the only reliable method of confirming the location of a leak. Now with acoustic leak detection, a skilled technician can use audio technology to listen to the water moving through the pipes and find anomalies in the sound. This can be done on a wider scale with the technology becoming inexpensive and automation becoming more advanced. Microphones can be placed in ‘problem areas’ and be monitored using AI technology capable of monitoring hundreds of different locations, looking for any anomalies.
Reducing water leakages will help us meet SDG 9: build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation. By using autonomous acoustic leakage detection technology (as described above) we can build resilient infrastructure that addresses serviceability issues, as our system is capable of detecting and locating leaks so we can expedite the repairs. Furthermore, this will relieve the water processing and treatment systems as by reducing leaks, we are better suited to meeting the demand.
However, it is also important to consider the costs of undergoing such a large project. With the current price of water, it may not be cost effective, but in the future with WA projected to become drier every year, it is something we should consider. With the future scarcity of water up in the air, there is still a good chance that at some point in the future undertaking this project will be cost effective.
Sources:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health/water_supply/8.html
The Sh*tty Little Blue Planet 