Water Corp finds large leaks in Tarcoola, Mahoments

LEAK DETECTION SAVES WATER IN GERALDTON

Water Corporation inspected more than 5,900 kilometres of water mains across Western Australia over the past year as part of a Liberal National Government program to detect and repair non-visible leaks.

The overall savings were the equivalent of 1,244 Olympic swimming pools of water each year.

Geraldton MLA Ian Blayney said the program included Tarcoola Beach, Mahomets Flats and Mount Tarcoola where more than 200 million litres of water each year would be saved.

“Detection of non-visible leaks forms an important part of Water Corporation’s water loss management strategy,” Mr Blayney said.

 “Leaks can be difficult to detect on underground pipes, especially in sandy soils. This program uses acoustic technology to detect hidden leaks, which can then be prioritised for repair.

“Workers walk along the pipeline and listen with technology similar to a stethoscope to determine if a non-visible leak is present, then specialist equipment is brought in to pinpoint its location.

“The large leaks detected in Tarcoola Beach, Mahomets Flats and Mount Tarcoola illustrate how this technology can save significant amounts of water.”

Water Corporation manages nearly 34,500 kilometres of water mains across 2.6 million square kilometres of Western Australia.

“When you consider that amount of pipe would cover Australia east to west more than 8.5 times, you realise how large an undertaking it is to detect non-visible leaks,”Mr Blayney said.

Water Corporation will continue its non-visible leak detection program in 2016-17.

Fact File

• More than 5,900kms of water mains inspected for hidden leaks in 2015-16, which saved 2.8 billion litres of water each year. • This included around 4,400kms in the Perth metro area and 1,500kms in regional WA. • Leaks occur in every water supply scheme across the world and are influenced by a number of external factors, such as soil types, nearby construction and tree roots.• Members of the public who see a leak or pipe break can report it to Water Corporation 24/7 by phoning 13 13 75.