Kilo and Denzel, the dogs sniffing out leaks under Cornwall

The pool of water in the corner of a field could be rain. It could be a spring. Or it could be drinking water escaping from a pipe somewhere underneath it, and that is a question Kilo and Denzel can answer with a sniff.

The two springer spaniels are the top leak detection dogs at South West Water, part of a wider push that has seen more than 23,000 leaks repaired across Devon and Cornwall over the last 12 months.

How the dogs find a leak

Kilo and Denzel are trained to pick up subtle traces of chlorine in drinking water. That lets them tell the difference between a leak and a natural pool of water, which is exactly the problem facing anyone searching open countryside for a burst main.

They can also cover large areas of rural land, which makes them well suited to the hard to find leaks that equipment can miss.

Satellites, drones and listening for leaks

The dogs are one part of the toolkit. South West Water also uses satellites and drones to spot leaks in isolated places such as Dartmoor and Exmoor. These use thermal imaging to pick up temperature differences in the ground that could be caused by escaping water.

Closer to home, the company has been using acoustic logging, network monitoring, extra field detection teams and leak detection technology to track problems down.

Why the hot summer made things worse

South West Water says this summer was the hottest on record, and leaks went up as a result. Long spells of heat dry the ground out, causing it to shrink and shift. That puts extra stress on underground pipework and makes bursts more likely.

Drought conditions continue across much of England, and the Environment Agency has announced that parts of Cornwall, Devon and West Dorset have entered Severe Drought status.

440 leaks a week

Alistair Milton, Water Loss and Control Delivery Manager for South West Water, said: “Reducing leakage is so important to us, especially with parts of the region in severe drought status, where saving water is critical for everyone.

“We know customers rightly expect us to do everything possible to reduce water lost from our network, and we have recruited around 40 new leakage technicians this year as well as moving teams into areas where their work can have the greatest impact.

“This is helping us repair an average of 440 leaks each week and by using advanced monitoring systems, acoustic sensors and leak detection dogs, we can find issues earlier, minimise water loss and ensure more water reaches customers when they need it most.”

The leak that might be in your house

Not every leak is South West Water’s to fix. Around 30% of leaks on the water network belong to private supplies.

And some of them are much closer to home than a field on Exmoor. A leaky loo can waste up to 400 litres of water a day.