The national Water Loss Management Program has helped Bega Valley Shire Council on the south coast of New Coast Wales to save 120 million litres
of water a year. Following investigations into the amount of leakage in two of the Shire’s towns, the program provided financial assistance of up to $45,000 to help find and repair leaks. Flow meters were also installed to monitor water demand and leakage into the future.
Identifying water leaks is a key component in water conservation, however it is not always easy to identify where the leak is coming from. Many leaks lie below the road surface and can enter into the drainage system or conduits. Finding these leaks using conventional methods often proves to be too costly and time consuming.
Bega Valley’s Manager of Water and Sewerage Services, Jim Collins, said Council used acoustic leak detection technology to locate hidden leaks in some 60 kilometres of pipes, allowing for their excavation and repair.
“Acoustic leakage technology combines noise logging and leak noise correlation in a single process, overcoming delays experienced with conventional methods,” he said. “Highly sensitive noise loggers are attached to surface fittings, such as fire hydrants and valves, and record sound in short bursts lasting a few seconds.
“Leaks are pinpointed on a pipe layout diagram, and then ranked in order of probability.”
Jim Collins said that while the work is currently focused on Bega Valley Shire Council’s water supply system, it will also be able to identify some leaks in private household pipes.
“Residents/owners will be advised that they may have a leak in their household water pipes, but they should also check their system for leaks,” he said.
Chair of the New South Wales Water Directorate, Stewart McLeod, commended Bega Valley on its early action, proactive approach to investigating water losses, and reducing leakage in its water systems.
“These leaks are not apparent from the surface, but can run off into the groundwater table, stormwater, sewer or water course,” he said. “The acoustic leak detection equipment and techniques have made the identification and location of leaking pipes much more efficient and cost effective than in the past. The benefits of this work literally ‘flow on’ to the environment, via local creeks and rivers. In this case it means an additional 120 million litres per year will flow down to a major local creek.”
Chair of the New South Wales Water Loss Management Program, Councillor Robert Bell, said currently 25 councils have applied to the program to help reduce their water losses.
“Savings of almost 5,000 million litres of water a year are expected from these councils,” he said. “The program works with councils to quantify their water leakage and provides financial assistance to implement cost effective water saving projects.
“The total cost of the Bega project, for example, is expected to be less than $142,000 – a small price to pay for saving millions of litres of precious water a year.”
The national Water Loss Management Program is a four year, $22 million project.
It is one third funded by the Federal Government through the Water Smart Australia Program, with the rest of the money coming from participating regional councils.
For further information contact Jim Collins on
(02) 6499 2166.
