Nobody wants to stumble upon a water leak. That’s especially true for the engineers at the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD). That’s why they’re working to find those water system leaks before they turn into emergency situations.
The LVVWD is working to expand its already robust leak detection program by testing all pipelines 24 inches in diameter and larger every five years across the district’s 300-square-mile service area. While the district’s water delivery system is among the most reliable in the nation, continual investment to repair, maintain and protect the system helps ensure reliability over the long-term. The district is prioritizing 350 miles of pipe for evaluation, based on several factors to best identify areas of need, including the age of the pipes, leak history, hydraulic criticality and corrosion data.
Most of the areas deemed high priority are those in older neighborhoods in the central and eastern parts of the valley. But pipes in other parts of the valley are also being evaluated as part of this initiative to ensure that water keeps flowing into homes and businesses, day in and day out.
“This kind of proactive testing is just some of the work LVVWD does to maintain our water delivery system for Southern Nevadans. Identifying areas in need of pipeline replacement early helps reduce leaks and major main breaks and avoid catastrophic failures, which also saves us water in the end,” said Ryan Benner, Engineering Asset Manager for the LVVWD.
Finding small leaks in the system that spans 7,000 miles of pipe is no easy feat, even with the latest and greatest technology.
Aging pipes have a higher propensity for leaks, but other factors such as soil conditions also play a major role. By prioritizing sections of pipes, the district can more efficiently deploy staff and leak detection resources to look – and listen – for small leaks before they ever become major main breaks.
“Being able to identify and locate early signs of leaks gives us time to properly plan for rehabilitation or replacement. We can more efficiently coordinate these types of repairs, notifying customers in advance and scheduling the work to minimize disruptions to homeowners, businesses and the public,” said LVVWD Senior Maintenance Engineer Chris Augustine.
The expanded leak testing program builds on other key programs and investments the water district has made in recent years to better protect the valley’s water system, which is comprised of more than 80 reservoir tanks and basins able to store nearly a billion gallons; and enough pumps to move more than a million gallons of water per minute to the more than 400,000 homes and businesses across the Las Vegas Valley.
The LVVWD’s water delivery system is rated among the country’s most efficient with main break rates many times lower than the national average. Investing in new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced data analytic software play an important role in monitoring the water distribution system and scheduling maintenance and upgrades. The LVVWD uses acoustic leak detection devices to listen for water escaping the pipes and AI to analyze the data to help pinpoint trouble spots.
“We put the time and resources into our infrastructure to ensure it remains reliable, and the numbers speak for themselves,” said Augustine.
The LVVWD’s acoustic monitoring system detects the unique sound emitted by water escaping a pipeline. The sound wave velocity is determined through software that helps LVVWD locate the leak while also providing data to further support the required repairs. AI is used to differentiate the sound of a leak from ambient noise produced by traffic and pedestrians, ensuring repair crews efficiently respond to and address subsurface leaks.
This monitoring system has helped the district detect more than 2,500 underground leaks and saved more than 665 million gallons of water since 2004.
For more information about the community’s water system, visit www.lvvwd.com.
