Quantum Leakage
Challenge
As a result of climate change and population growth, England and Wales are predicting a water supply/demand deficit of 4.8 billion litres/day by 2050. This is roughly equivalent to the entire daily water distribution of Thames, Anglian and Severn Trent water put together. Together with new resources and consumer reduction, water companies have committed to halving water leakage from 2018 levels, which will provide about a third of the deficit.
However, water companies are struggling to meet the mandated leakage-reduction targets, creating a growing performance gap that intensifies regulatory and political pressure. Whilst there are a growing number of interventions that companies can make to reduce leakage, the exact impacts that these methods would have on company and customer leakage levels are difficult to predict and accurately quantify.
Research
The Quantum Leakage project seeks to address this challenge by developing the existing PALM framework (Prevent, Aware, Locate & Mend) with the development of a standardised, evidence-based leakage modelling and costing tool that allows water companies to compare interventions and justify investment using optimised resource deployment plans based on historic and predicted leakage.
Research
Impact
This model will correctly estimate and allocate the volumes of water lost to leakage by the various parts of the PALM framework and allow practitioners to evaluate the implications of leakage interventions. This will help address the challenges of climate change and population growth faced by the water industry.
Project team
Jeremy Heath
South West Water
Professor Ed Keedwell
University of Exeter
Funded by
