A WATER provider is using drones to spot and fix tricky leaks amid opportunities posed by this year’s drought.
Anglian Water says the innovative surveys will help reduce the cost and time taken to find a leak by pinpointing its location more precisely.
The company oversees almost 24,000 miles of water pipe, with many of it in rural and remote areas.
Teams at Ardleigh Reservoir, on the outskirts of Colchester, are using the devices to take images which are then stitched together for geospatial analysis.
Experts will then use the pictures to identify unusual flora growth which may be caused by leaks on water mains.
Anglian Water stated the summer’s dry weather enabled a rare opportunity to carry the work out as any unexpected foliage is easier to spot.
Chris Utton, a leakage delivery support manager, said work previously focused on thermal imaging but the new method has been ramped up this year.
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“Our drones are looking for unusual flora growth which, during periods of dry weather like we’ve seen this summer, can indicate leaks on our water mains,” said Mr Utton.
“These leaks are usually really difficult to find. In the past, drones have helped us find and fix leaks on sections of pipe that we had previously planned to replace.
“This technology can save us up to £7,000 per flight in water lost through leakage and tens of thousands of pounds preventing unnecessary pipe replacements, helping us keep customers’ bills low.”
The work follows the east of England facing its driest year since 1976, with the past eight months seeing just 74 per cent of its average rainfall.
Temperatures soared to 38 degrees in mid-July as a fire broke out at Colchester’s Middlewick Ranges while the borough’s garden waste collection was suspended.
The east of England remains in a drought status following the country’s hottest summer on record.
Anglian Water says it is investing £400 million into laying hundreds of kilometres of interconnecting pipes which will bring water from the wettest areas in the north of its region to the driest areas, including Essex, by 2025.
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