Leaking underground pipes siphon away an estimated five to 10 per cent of Hamilton’s drinking water each year. The city’s new proactive detection program, which just completed its first full scale year of operation, aims to minimize the amount of water lost. Photo credit: Twitter/City of Hamilton
After two years of testing as a pilot project, the City of Hamilton officially launched its proactive detection of water leaks program at the beginning of 2021 – and the results are in.
In its first year of full-scale operation, the detection program successfully located and helped rectify 109 leaks in the city’s 2,031 km network of underground water pipes, saving taxpayers an estimated $537,068 in lost water expenses.
Due to Hamilton’s unique geography and often rocky, porous ground, some water main leaks and breaks never surface and, prior to the new program’s launch, had the potential to remain undetected for years. If left unresolved, leaks can create erosion, cause serious damage to the city’s pipe network, and even weaken or destroy the foundations of roads, bridges, and buildings.
Dave Albeton, the City of Hamilton’s manager of Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection, called the detection project a “major success” when speaking with The Hamilton Independent earlier this week.
“From where we were just a couple years ago – before we had this robust, proactive leak detection program, when we were using older technology and weren’t detecting these leaks – to now: it’s been a major success.”
As Alberton explained, the new detection program utilizes a system of ultra-sensitive acoustic nodes, or “loggers”, that are placed on isolation valves and fire hydrants throughout the water system and listen for noise. A leak will create a pinging sound as small rocks displaced by the water bounce off the pipework.
The nodes coordinate with each other to provide an approximate location. Crews then go in with what is effectively a giant stethoscope to pinpoint the exact spot of the leak.
All work is done between 2 and 4 a.m. in order to minimize the amount of acoustic disruption and gain the most accurate reading.
In 2021, the city deployed its proactive leak detection technology to more than 5,990 locations, identifying 109 leaks, 17 of which were located on private water service lines.
Thousands of kilometres of watermains and a relatively harsh seasonal freeze and thaw cycle means the program will never run out of leaks or breaks to detect.
Thus, Alberton called it a “forever program”.
“We secured the technology in 2020…So now that we have that, as long as we have the staff to do the work, the program will continue.”
The projected annual staffing cost of the detection program is approximately $165,000. At that price, Alberton said it’s well worth the investment.
“First, water is a precious resource – we don’t want to just waste it. But there’s also the risk. If water’s leaking underground, it could be washing away road bases. We’ve cut open a couple roads in the past and there’s been nothing underneath them, just the asphalt and a bit of concrete and rebar holding the road together.”
“The last thing you want is a car or a bus falling through.”
Hamilton’s water system is one of the oldest and most complex in Canada. It includes six water distribution systems, 2,031 kms of water mains, 13,568 hydrants, 23,305 valves, and 153,647 service connections.
In 2021, public works treated and distributed just shy of 75,000,000 cubic metres of safe drinking water to homes across the city.
