Competition: Breakthrough 3: Catalyst
Amount awarded: £1,332,205
Led by: Severn Trent Water Limited
Partners: Costain Group plc, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Focus Sensors, Northumbrian Water Limited, Hafren Dyfrdwy Cyfyngedig, South Staffordshire Water plc
Project Completion date: December 2025
Water cycle tag: Water Network
By 2030 the water industry must reduce leakage by 1 billion litres/day to ensure future water supplies. This requires step change innovation that is more accurate and affordable than current leak detection tools. We can deliver this by using the fibre-optic cables already adjacent to water mains as leak sensors. We demonstrated this concept in the first catalyst funding round (Dark Fibre 1). This project, Dark Fibre 2, builds on this work to solve remaining challenges, prove at scale and build industry confidence. We will then bring this to market to enable deep reductions in leakage whilst keeping customers’ bills low.
“Dark Fibre sensing has the potential to provide a rapid, reliable, and cost-effective way to detect leaks. Without the support of the fund, we would not have been able to trial this at the scale and pace needed to develop this solution to address the changing facing the water industry.” – Keiron Maher, Innovation Architect, Severn Trent Water
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As part of our comprehensive testing programme, we’ve carried out a series of controlled leakage simulations to rigorously assess the system’s sensitivity and accuracy. These trials involved releasing water at predefined locations and flow rates to replicate real-world leak scenarios, enabling precise calibration and refinement of the anomaly detection algorithms. We’ve also evaluated the system’s ability to differentiate genuine leak signals from ambient noise, such as traffic and operational vibrations, ensuring robust performance in complex environments. We’re now preparing for the final round of leakage simulations. Meanwhile, Focus Sensors are working closely with the water companies to shape a commercial service offering.
This is a continuation of the Innovation in Water Challenge winning initiative, Leak detection using dark fibre.
