Southern Water rolls out "world first" smart leak-detection system

Southern Water has reported its start of “the world's first” roll out of a leak detection system based on the use interconnected smart devices known as the internet of things.

Southern plans to deploy some 700 interconnected acoustic loggers in its pipes in Southampton claiming they will “massively increase our ability to detect leaks before they become bursts.” The devices will replace mobile network or even manual methods of data collection.

Southern said water use in its region has increased by some 20% during lockdown.

"Building new water resources can never be the whole answer to the challenges of population growth and climate change," said Southern Water's regional demand manager, “Phil Tapping. He added: “Demand reduction and cuts to leakage from our network will be key. And we need to find new ways of tackling leakage – bringing technology to bear is crucial."

Southern said it has chosen Southampton for the first wave of devices to support its ten-year Water for Life: Hampshire resource plan. Hampshire must reduce its reliance on water taken from its iconic chalk streams. The plan includes the construction of a new reservoir at Havant Thicket in collaboration with Portsmouth Water as well as supporting customers to reduce the amount of water they use.