A locally developed network leak detection solution is driving significant non-revenue water savings at scale, strengthening digital metering business cases, and quickly gaining attention from utilities across the globe.
A 2018 STUDY by the International Water Association (IWA) found that leaks and inefficiencies result in the loss of approximately 126 billion cubic metres (about US$39 billion) of water each year.
Historically, leaks have been investigated when visible at the surface or where unexplained increases in nighttime water flows have become evident over time.
Deploying District Metering Areas (DMA) and using listening sticks are common practices to detect and locate network leak issues, but they are expensive to deploy and maintain and don’t provide near-real-time data about a network.
As utilities transition to digital metering, the past decade has largely been focused on developing solutions for customer-side leaks. But what if this could be combined with collecting near-real-time data from the network to identify and locate network-side leaks?
Enter Sotto, a network leak detection solution developed by South East Water that uses cost-effective, vibration sensor-based technology integrated within digital meters. The sensors capture vibration samples each night, and this data is used to determine a vibration intensity score.
This score indicates whether a network side leak may be present. The score and other data are sent as part of the daily meter payload to an IoT platform for additional analysis and to raise alerts. The data is processed using an algorithm that filters out false positives caused by rainfall, irrigation, or nearby construction activity.
The technology is delivering impressive results. By early April almost 46,500 units of a planned total of 660,000 sensors had been deployed across the South East Water network, which has saved 360 ML of non-revenue water. At full deployment South East Water estimates Sotto will save at least 1.6GL per year of non-revenue bulk water.
A scalable approach gaining global appeal
At the heart of the initiative is Marie Newington, Principal Data Scientist at South East Water, who says unlike traditional acoustic leak detection, which has been costly and limited in coverage, Sotto’s affordability has enabled South East Water to implement a widespread, data-driven approach to network leak monitoring.
Marie Newington is the Principal Data Scientist at South East Water, and understands the benefit of Sotto to the utility.
“Sotto is a game changer giving us the ability to do proactive, remote network leak detection, which we haven’t ever had at this scale before,” Newington said.
“Acoustic detection isn’t new, but what makes Sotto revolutionary is that it’s cost- effective enough to be installed in every residential meter as part of a digital meter installation.”
Data from these sensors is collected daily, offering a near real-time snapshot of potential leaks developing across the network. Operators use an advanced decision-support tool to visualise leak locations, which can generate heat maps that pinpoint trouble spots with remarkable accuracy.
With Iota leading the commercialisation of Sotto, its impact is extending well beyond Victoria’s water pipes. Sotto is already making its international debut with devices bound for Sweden. There is also registered interest from Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
The broader water industry, both in Australia and globally, faces the same challenges of ageing infrastructure, non-revenue water loss, and climate-driven resource and budget constraints. A scalable, cost-effective leak detection solution is in demand.
“What’s remarkable is that a technology developed here has the potential to redefine how we tackle water loss worldwide,” Newington said. “Every year, billions of litres of water disappear without a trace. We have to be more innovative in preserving this finite resource.”
Digitally driven, human enhanced One of the key breakthroughs of the technology was refining how leaks were prioritised. Initially, operators would investigate every flagged leak in an area, often finding false positives.
The team dramatically improved efficiency and credibility by incorporating human oversight during the technology’s development, allowing experienced operators to validate leak signals against known characteristics.
“The expertise of our operators and leak detection subject matter experts has been invaluable in developing and getting the system right,” Newington said.
Left: The Sotto vibration sensor is integrated into digital meters. Right: Finding leaks is easier with the Sotto enabled heatmap.
Proving the business case and more the success of Sotto has not only improved leak detection but also strengthened the case for digital metering programs. The technology’s impact on reducing non-revenue water was a significant factor in a business case that secured funding for South East Water’s digital metering rollout.
“The benefits we predicted through proactive remote network leak detection are estimated to be at least 1.6GL of water savings per year,” Newington said.
This, plus a positive net present value of more than $50M over 30 years were key to the success of the business case “Sotto’s ability to detect leaks and save water is beyond what we expected.” Newington said.
With increasing confidence in Sotto’s effectiveness, Iota is exploring ways to enhance and expand its use.
“As we continue to refine and scale Sotto, we’re seeing opportunities to optimise its effectiveness and expand its application,” Newington said.
“The insights gained from our network have already helped us reduce inefficiencies, and we believe this technology has the potential to support water utilities worldwide in tackling similar challenges.”
Despite the benefits, many smart metering programs do not include technology to detect network leaks. Sotto technology is proving to be the most effective (at scale) form of network leak detection for South East Water.
“The challenge is ensuring that technology supports operations in a meaningful way, and we’re seeing Sotto achieve this like no other at a network level.”
This story was originally published by Inside Water.
