The leak repair process
Fixing leaks can be a challenging, many factors come into play, and lots of planning and organising are involved in fixing just one leak. Check out this video on some of the complexities with identifying and resolving leaks.
When a leak is reported to our client councils, they pass it onto us and we review and prioritise the work. The priority level assigned to a job is based on the volume of water being lost, health and safety risks and the potential for property damage. Additionally, we consider the weather and seasons, i.e. focusing on at-risk hillsides before the wet winter months. You can see how we prioritise leaks here.
Finding the location of a leak can be a challenge in itself. Leaks are often underground and hard to spot, and water can move a long way from the fault underground before it reaches the ground's surface. The time it takes to repair leaks can also be impacted by factors outside of our control such as traffic management and contractor availability. There are also a range of health and safety measures that need to be put in place before we can start work on any site.
Say a leak is in the middle of a busy road; we work alongside our client councils planning traffic management to get the job done. This can sometimes take a while to get approved.
When a leak is very close to other utility services we have to order detailed underground plans that show us what's under the surface and sometimes get permission to dig in certain areas.
After the leak has been fixed, the excavated area will be temporarily filled in to ensure no safety risk to the public. This will remain in place until we can carry out permanent reinstatement.
Our main priority when fixing leaks is the health and safety of the public and our crews - then minimising disruption to businesses and homeowners where we can.
