A specialised team of technicians will be listening for the sound of water running underground, with Council’s leak detection programme under way over the next three weeks.

Group Manager Infrastructure and Open Spaces Neil McCann said the work was part of regular monitoring of Council’s drinking water network and helped find leaks in reticulation pipes.

“The detection technicians use specialist acoustic equipment and can pinpoint the likely spot of a leak, helping us identify if it is on the public network or on private property.”

The detection squad will be working in Ashburton, from West Street all the way west to Allens Road, and in all of Methven. Over three weeks, they will listen to about 100 km of underground pipes.

They use inground microphones, correlators, sound sticks and headphones to listen for different sounds in the network of pipes. A mix of computer-generated images and sound audio indicates the location of a potential leak.

Mr McCann said residents who live on streets where the detectors were working would see contractors open toby boxes to place sensors. This will not interfere with water supply to properties.

“Detecting big and small leaks is important work. It saves water and the cost of treating the water that escapes, but it also gives Council an indication of the condition of our water pipes.

“We are constantly renewing older sections of the drinking water network to reduce the risk of pipe failure causing significant water loss and disruption to residents. This kind of detection work also helps us find issues that were not previously on our radar.”

Mr McCann said water meters were another valuable tool in the quest to reduce the volume of water lost from public and private networks.

“Meters help us measure water usage and identify areas of potential leakage in the network.

“We installed meters as a trial in Methven two years ago and the data is helping us schedule pipe renewals in parts of the town. It’s also helping Methven property owners deal with any leaks on their land, as they can read the meter in their toby boxes and spot potential leaks themselves.

“Meters in other smaller townships have also helped us manage drinking water schemes more proactively and they would be useful district wide.”

Data from the leak detection work will be analysed by Council staff and used to improve reticulation networks. Private properties with suspected leaks will also receive a letter from Council, encouraging them to investigate and fix the leaks.