Yorkshire Water has trialled a new innovative valve technology designed to reduce supply interruptions to customers when water pipe repair work is carried out.
The new technology, known as EZ Valve, means that water does not have to be re-zoned when carrying out repairs, which will result in less supply interruptions and discolouration issues.
Typically, water main repair involves rezoning several kilometres of water pipes or temporarily shutting off supply before damaged pipework can be isolated, clamped and fixed. However, the new rubber valve technology means that small sections of pipework can now be controlled to close off water flow, which will allow for pinpoint repairs of leaks and bursts without having to interfere with customers’ water supply or disrupt the network.
The trial was carried out in Harrogate with the valve installed by R2M Site Services, working for contract partner Morrision Utility Services.
Adrian Roberts, field technician at Yorkshire Water, said: “Through speaking to customers we recognise the impact interrupting water supplies can cause and so we aim to reduce average supply interruptions customers experience each year to just two minutes by 2025. The trial of this new valve technology which can be inserted under pressure, if successful, could result in proving to be very useful to help meet this target.”
Yorkshire Water aims to reduce its leakage rates by 40 per cent by 2025 to make it an industry leader. To help achieve this, over 30,0000 acoustic loggers are currently being fitted by the firm into its pipe network that will enable data scientists to listen to the flow of water and detect audio signals that highlight discrepancies that indicate a leak or a burst. This new approach by the firm is part of improving visibility and creating a CALM network to combat the issue of pressure surges.