Leaks worth listening to

SOUTH East Water has been on the lookout for leaking pipes in Endeavour Hills and Hallam, investigating more than 53 kilometres of water mains in the past month.
The initiative has identified 19 leaks and saved more than 23 million litres of water.
A spokesperson for South East Water said the main difficulty in identifying water leaks in the supply system had always been creating a simple and economic solution to finding them.
South East Water is using acoustic “pods”, which are attached to fire hydrants and valves, to record sound in short bursts to identify the presence and location of leaks in pipes carrying water.
The information is then transferred to a laptop, which interprets data into a graph and identifies the location of the leak.
For Hallam residents the initiative means that water leaks in the area have been pinpointed on a pipe layout diagram that reduces the amount of excavating required to repair the pipe.
In 2004/2005 South East water invested close to $7 million in investigating and repairing leaks across its service area which will help save more than 1000 million litres of water.
South East Water managing director Dennis Cavagna said water loss management programs undertaken by the water industry meant Melbourne was now ranked at world class standard in preventing leaks, according to an international study.
“Detecting and repairing these water leaks will improve the efficiency of existing infrastructure, reduce the cost and time of repairs but most importantly save water,” he said.
“I encourage any South East Water customer who spots a water leak to contact us directly on 13WATER.”
“Householders can take steps in their own homes to find and fix water leaks with one common starting point being the toilet.”
For further information about South East Water’s leak detection program, visit www.southeastwater.com.au or call 131-694.