On the lookout for leaks across Singleton

Published on 26 July 2023

The hunt to find leaks in Singleton’s water network will ramp up this week as Council joins the NSW Government’s $12.5 million Regional Leak Reduction Program.

The first phase of the program is the Regional Network Leakage Detection Project, which will see a team of technicians use specialist equipment to pinpoint leaks in pipes, meters, and valves throughout Singleton Council’s 280km water network.

Technicians from Aqua Analytics have been engaged by the Department of Planning and Environment on behalf of Council and will be active in the Singleton local government area for up to four weeks as they undertake on-the-ground surveying to identify water leaks.

Damian Morris, Council’s Acting Director Infrastructure and Planning, said Singleton’s involvement in the program was important as it could potentially help save thousands of litres of water from going to waste.

“This project will help us find and fix leaks quickly, meaning that more of our precious water will be used for drinking and other essential purposes rather than soaking into the ground,” he said.

Aqua Analytics will survey Singleton’s entire water network and each customer’s service connection at no cost to Council.

Using acoustic technology, the technicians will be able to detect suspected water leaks on people’s properties without having to go on their property.

If the technicians do detect a leak, they will leave a notification in the residents’ mailbox.

Mr Morris said while Council would fix the leaks detected in the main water network, it was the responsibility of residents to fix any leaks on their properties. However, he said it would pay off in the long term.

“Any savings to households, especially in the current economy, is fantastic and this program will be beneficial to both Council’s and resident’s hip-pockets, and to the environment,” he said.

Jethro Laidlaw, the Department of Planning and Environment’s Manager of Water Efficiency Programs, said it’s a huge win for residents.

“This program has already located a mind-boggling 5.8 billion litres of water leaking from network infrastructure across the state each year which rams home the message that we can’t relax when it comes to looking after our most precious resource, especially with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a return to dry conditions soon,” Mr Laidlaw said.

“Fixing leaky pipes and damaged infrastructure not only preserves water and improves reliability for Singleton ratepayers – it also saves hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in pumping and treatment costs.”

Leak detection work is due to begin in Singleton this week and will take up to four weeks to complete, weather permitting.

The Regional Network Leakage Detection Project is part of the NSW Government’s $12.5 million Regional Leakage Reduction Program, which has already seen over 8400kms of water mains surveyed and more than 2300 leaks found, saving Councils billions of litres of lost water this year alone.