Water scarcity is a worldwide concern. In some places of Europe, about 50% of water resources are lost due to relevant losses in water transmission systems. Detection of leakages in large diameter mains, which represent a high share of the total water losses, is key, but it has been poorly addressed due to the challenges it faces, such as less frequent access to pipe, quickly attenuated high frequency noise, multiple travel paths. Moreover, a major factor hampering the market uptake of innovative solutions in the field of water leak detection in large mains is the lack of real scale demonstration of their long-term viability.
The WADI project has proved the feasibility of an airborne water leak detection surveillance service, aimed at providing water utilities with adequate information on leaks in water infrastructure outside urban areas, thus enabling prompt and cost-effective repairs. More specifically, the objective of WADI are: to contribute to the reduction of losses in water transmission systems for water supply, irrigation, and hydropower; to decrease the related energy consumption and CO2 emissions; to help utilities in providing services more cost-effectivly; to integrate a reliable and scalable concept of the ecosystem services evaluation in water management. WADI’s service feasibility was tested in an operational environment in two pilot sites, in France and Portugal, different for infrastructure type and age, water uses, accessibility, soil plant cover type etc.
