Water Leakage Management can Help to Protect Water Supplies

With temporary water use restrictions now in place to protect water supplies, South East Water has awarded a £1.5million contract for Advanced Pressure Management systems to technology company i2O Water (UK) in a bid to reduce leakage.

South East Water, one of seven water companies in the UK to announce temporary water use restrictions from April 5 2012, has placed an order for 200 i2O Water PRV Control systems.

i2O Water’s sophisticated technology is one of the few water shortage solutions that can be installed and implemented quickly – within a period of two to three months.

South East Water regards leakage reduction as a high priority. The company is adamant that if it is asking its customers to save water, it must do everything possible itself too.

The technology tackles the leakage problem by managing pressure on the water distribution network. By managing water pressure within water pipelines, South East Water hopes to reduce leakage, as well as the incidence of cracked and burst pipes. In addition, the i2O systems will provide South East Water with a remote control capability over their PRVs. This will enable them to adjust the PRVs to the appropriate pressures at all times of the day and night, depending on the drought conditions.

The i2O Water systems will be installed in Kent and Sussex, areas that have been particularly badly affected by the drought.

i2O Water and South East Water are planning a 12-week fast track installation programme, so that the PRV Control systems can make a difference as soon as possible. The installation will be carried out by South East Water, with training and assistance from i2O Water’s operations team.

Adam Kingdon, CEO and co-founder of Southampton-based i2O Water, said: “We are delighted to be working with South East Water and proud to be helping them to reduce the impact of the drought on their customers.”

Keith Hilson, Head of Leakage for South East Water, said: “Leakage detection and reduction is a top priority for South East Water so we are excited by the results promised by i2O and are keen to implement the new system as quickly as possible.

“This work is particularly important for South East Water given the severity of the current drought. South East England has had the driest two-year period since records began and in March saw less than half the average rainfall expected for the month, as well as warmer temperatures than usual. April and the first half of May have been exceptionally wet, but this wet period has not made up for the two previous dry years. If we have a hot, dry summer, we will see significant pressure on water supplies.”

i2O Water’s award-winning pressure management systems help to reduce water leakage, cut burst frequency, save energy and improve service for customers. Not only that, disruption caused by roads being dug up to find leaks and repair burst mains is substantially reduced.

South East Water supplies 2.1 million customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. The company supplies 565 million litres of water per day, taken mainly from aquifers, but also from rivers and reservoirs.