Community Corner
Underground Water Leaks: City Listening For Drips
San Francisco's system is made up of more than 1,200 miles of water mains including 150 miles of pipes over 100 years old.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA ā The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has launched a new pilot project that employs acoustics to help find leaky underground pipes so they can repaired.
The 90-day project, which began in August, employs 159 acoustic nodes installed on fire hydrants in the city's Diamond Heights neighborhood to "listen" for and locate tiny water flows in the city's water mains, the
officials said.
The devices have, so far, detected four underground leaks that might have gone unnoticed, according to commission officials.
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When a potential leak is found, crews are sent in to repair the pipe before the leak rises to the surface, which can lead to a water main break and a subsequent disruption in service.
"By locating and repairing leaks before they turn into costly breaks, we are making our system safe, more reliable and more cost-efficient for our residents," commission General Manager Harlan L. Kelly Jr. said in a
statement. "This pilot project has opened up exciting new possibilities for maintaining our critical infrastructure in a proactive and timely fashion, while also helping us conserve water."
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The project also aims to reduce claims and helps rehabilitate the city's aging potable water distribution system.
The system is made up of more than 1,200 miles of water mains and about 180,000 customer connections. About 150 miles of the water mains are more than 100 years old.
The commission has committed to replacing 12 to 15 miles of pipe every year.
The pilot project is set to be finished in October and the results will help the commission determine whether it should be expanded to other neighborhoods.
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ā Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock
