Detecting a leak in the drinking water distribution netwrok before a customer does

“The occurrence of leakages in water distribution networks represent a great concern for water utilities, as these cause the loss of precious water, repair costs and possible hassle or damage to the surrounding envi- ronment. Moreover, pipe bursts mean the – otherwise sealed – drinking water distribution system is opened and therefore constitutes a risk of water quality being compromised due to contamination.
The current trend is to adopt a proactive attitude towards faster leak detection. To this end, a sensor network (with flow meters and/or pressure sensors) will be an indispensable tool for detecting and locating leakages sooner, ideally before customers report a lower service level (i.e. low pressure, flooding or total delivery interruption). As these sensors are expensive to procure, install and maintain, the question arises: in order to achieve this, how many sensors should be installed and where?”

(Citation: Quintiliani, C., Vertommen, I., van Laarhoven, K.A., van der Vliet, J., van Thienen, P. – Detecting a leak in the drinking water distribution netwrok before a customer does – WaterSolutions (2020)2, p.30-35)