AQS (Aquarius Spectrum) engaged in discussions with the City of Albany Water Department to explore opportunities for reducing nonrevenue water loss by effectively identifying and addressing leaks. AQS offers cutting-edge acoustic leak detection sensors that empower water utilities to proactively monitor their distribution networks, enabling the early detection of leaks and thus contributing to significant reductions in nonrevenue water and associated operational expenses including energy, labor, and chemical costs.
The decision was made to implement the AQS Leak Detection Pilot within the Arbor Hill area, recognized as an appropriate location owing to previous leak incidents and water loss trends. With GIS data provided by the city, AQS engineers strategically crafted an implementation plan, precisely outlining the requirement for 21 AQS Leak Sensors to cover around 19,855 feet (or 3.76 miles) of 6- to 24-inch cast iron distribution pipes spanning the Arbor Hill vicinity.
On May 22, 2023, the AQS team arrived in Albany to provide support for the installation and training of city staff in setting up, programming and monitoring the AQS leak sensors. The installation encompassed 21 sensors in total: 16 aboveground sensors were securely installed on hydrants, while five underground sensors were positioned on valves. In the initial days following the installation, multiple potential leaks were detected. The AQS team promptly initiated monitoring of these points of interest and collaborated with Albany’s leak detection team.
The results
AQS conducted regular discussions between AQS and the Albany team. These calls served as a platform to share updates regarding the monitored leak data by AQS, and the city provided valuable feedback and observations from their on-site leak investigations. To date, the pilot has yielded substantial results, uncovering a total of 10 leaks within the Arbor Hill Pilot area, including two leaks on 12-inch main, four leaks on 8-inch pipe, two leaks on 6-inch pipe and two leaks on customer side service line.
Additional information discovered includes the pinpointing of two private leaks (with the homeowners notified), the successful detection and repair of three additional leaks, two others that have been found and are awaiting repair, and three more leaks yet to be located and confirmed.
Adopting a cautious approach, AQS assumed an average leak size of 8 gpm for the eight leaks on 6- to 12-inch mains and 5 gpm for the two service side leaks. From this, it can be calculated that the leaks identified thus far potentially account for a significant reduction of around 38.9 million gallons per year in potential nonrevenue water loss.
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