SA Water’s world-leading smart water technology has been awarded the Research Innovation Award at the Australian Water Association’s (AWA) 2019 SA Water Awards. The award recognises the customer experience the utility achieved during the development of its smart water and wastewater network, which manages water and sewer mains across SA. SA Water’s General Manager Asset Ops & Delivery Mark Gobbie said receiving the AWA award was an honour that brings a stamp of approval for the corporation’s pioneering use of technology. “This is terrific recognition for our team who have worked tirelessly to utilise this technology in our water network and deliver better outcomes for our customers,” said Mr Gobbie. “By using research to better understand smart technology we can detect cracks in our pipes based purely on acoustic noises, with the technology now a key feature of our water network in the Adelaide CBD. “Our sensors detect around 200 environmental noises every day, and we continue to understand acoustic patterns to help distinguish cracks in our pipes from other sounds picked up by the technology.” Since implementing the technology in 2017, it has already assisted SA Water in proactively detecting and fixing just under half of the water main leaks in the CBD area. “This award shows our evolving approach in asset management and using precise data to better meet our customer’s needs and expectations while gaining a better understanding of the infrastructure itself,” said Mr Gobbie. SA Water’s smart water network uses acoustic sensors, pressure and flow data, high speed transient pressure sensors, acoustic leak detection sensors, smart meters and water quality sensors to monitor the underground pipe network for faults. SOURCE