The national center is tackled on water leaks

The DMA comprises a fully scaled, 5 km long, buried water pipeline with several subtle -rich areas, leakage simulation bunkers and a control room that enables automated control functions. With the sandpit, water companies and innovators can try out new technologies before testing them in the offline dma area.

After the construction, the center is operated by a partnership between HR Wallingford and Northumbrian Water with the support of the WRC (Water Research Center) and financed by the OFWAT Innovation Fund in the first three years.

In an explanation, Jeannette Henderson, director of the OFWAT Innovation Fund: “Around 20 percent of the water submitted to the sales network are currently lost in England and Wales against Lecks. This is the lowest level, and water companies have goals to continue cutting the leaks by 2030, but we have to do more. It will not be enough to make only “business than usual” to significantly increase the leaks. We need new technologies and innovative approaches to tackle the problem. “

The water companies were consulted via the location, the design and specification of the facility, and the stakeholders checked the outline design for the DMA, which was created by WRC and HR Wallingford.

Stantec carried out the detailed design work for the DMA and has provided a number of interdisciplinary planning and technical services to support the planning application for NLRTC.

The partners want to submit a complete planning application for the DMA shortly and expect the construction to begin later this year. Construction is expected to take about nine months.

After the construction, the establishment of innovators, water companies, design stakeholders, technology suppliers, researchers and academics is used to experiment, accelerate and accelerate new leakage solutions in order to support the deletion challenge confronted in the British water sector.