Water sector must end its ‘fix on fail’ mindset

The world is on the brink of a major water crisis - and the United Kingdom is not immune. As we head into the eighth Asset Management Plan (AMP8) period, water companies are under growing pressure to drastically reduce leakage. Yet many water companies lack the data, insights, and methodologies necessary to mitigate actual and apparent leakage. In order to rise to the challenges of AMP8 and beyond, and safeguard water for future generations, Atkins associate director Dave Collins and associate engineer Ken Cartwright call on the industry to proactively adopt a more holistic approach, utilising data to understand gaps and prevent leaks before they occur, learning continually along the way.

Due to our famously wet weather, historically Britain has not worried much about water shortages. Leaks are seen as a nuisance, not a serious problem. Yet as climate change intensifies and environmental degradation becomes more severe, our society is becoming acutely aware of the strain on water resources. Traditional methods and areas of focus for managing leakage are falling short; lacking comprehensive data and a proactive stance towards prevention and maintenance, these methods are ill-suited to meet AMP8’s lofty leakage reduction targets.

By the end of AMP7, companies were legally obligated to cut leakage by 15%. Soon, the law mandates a 50% reduction by 2050. As the pressure to reduce demand intensifies, the public will find reports of leakage harder to swallow, particularly as they are asked to tighten their own water usage. Traditional methods of managing leakage, hampered by a lack of data and a focus on detection rather than prevention, are no longer sufficient. Water companies are being challenged to rethink how they approach leaks.

A drip-drip effect

The challenge of leakage is rooted in the degradation of the UK’s water infrastructure. Water companies are not replacing pipework at the required rate, leading to an ageing network that’s deteriorating faster than it’s being replaced. This degradation is only exacerbated by shifting demands, the impacts of climate change, and the operational stress of maintaining supply, especially during periods of hot weather as we’re currently experiencing.

The cost of mains rehabilitation is significant – and because it increases customers’ bills, it’s often politically challenging to fund. Meanwhile, a growing population, changing demand patterns, and hot weather are straining the water pipe network to its limits. A ‘fix on fail’ maintenance culture compounds the issue.

The need for water companies to become more efficient has never been more critical. Yet many water companies are not equipped to overcome leakage, because they simply don’t have enough data about the leaks themselves. It’s difficult to quantify how much leakage there actually is. Unaccounted-For Water estimates how much water is lost. In the upstream network, it’s Unaccounted-For Water that must be reduced, rather than leakage per se – and this means improving data accuracy, data coverage on the networks, and managing consumer demand, and more besides. Without such insight into where the water is actually going, water companies will remain in the dark.

Stemming the flow

Leakage manifests in three primary ways: within District Metered Areas (DMAs), upstream leakage, and customer-side leakage. Historically, regulations have targeted DMA leakage – but as this decreases, attention must shift to the other areas for focus.

Passing the burden of leakage to customers is not a viable solution. While leaks on private property are technically the customer’s responsibility, water companies cannot simply offload the problem. Most customers lack the tools to assess the cost-benefit of pipe repairs or renewal, meaning water companies must help manage and support customer-side leakage reduction.

Upstream leakage poses a separate challenge, as it requires a shift from a reactive to a proactive approach. Companies often wait for failure before acting, rather than proactively monitoring and managing the system. This reactive mindset is what spurred the creation of the upstream leakage working group, tasked with developing systems for improved awareness and monitoring of the critical network infrastructure, which will in turn drive preventative measures.

DMA operability must improve, and needs to focus around overall DMA Asset Health. A holistic method of developing long-term investment plans for DMAs is the way forward. By integrating improvements to DMA configuration, pressure management and asset rehabilitation, this data-driven approach enables water companies to reduce leakage efficiently and improve levels of service whilst also gaining greater insights about their assets. Applied more widely, this approach can empower water companies to take control and gain mastery of their water infrastructure network.

Leak performance

Continuing with the status quo is not an option. The tightening regulation, climate change, and a rising population create a perfect storm of water stress.

Addressing these challenges begins with better data. Water companies must know when leaks occur, how much water is lost, and how to best design and manage a network to reduce the impact of changing demands and leakage outbreaks. Soon, ignorance will be not only socially unacceptable but also legally risky.

With a thorough understanding of Unaccounted-For Water, water companies can make intelligent, targeted interventions. This knowledge empowers them to choose the most effective strategies and implement holistic, sustainable solutions. This in turn saves money, reduces risk, and allows water companies to deliver better outcomes to stakeholders, even in the face of a volatile climate.

The daunting challenge posed by AMP8 for water companies is also an opportunity – a chance to pioneer innovative, sustainable solutions for water leakage that will safeguard our water resources for generations to come.