Drinking water is a precious commodity that must limit the loss. At Veolia, Veolia technicians wear a reflective vest tracks down leaks in the network of 59 municipalities in the Vendees.
For us, it just turns on the tap. And the water flows. Drink a glass of water; take a shower, washing dishes… And when one receives a note in our mailbox to warn us is that the water will be cut off during the afternoon, it is the disaster. “Water leaks is classic, says Pascal Bernard, responsible for the distribution of drinking water in Veolia. The thing is to identify as quickly as possible to cause the least possible inconvenience to the users. On average, they will be without half a day, maximum. “Because it’s right, the submerged part of the iceberg.
Leaks often related to road problems
Leakage may result from heavy work; thaw a pipe in winter or, an obsolete pipeline. “When you see water flowing along the sidewalk, for example, the city hall is calling us directly to resolve the issue”, describes Melinda Gilbert, head of Veolia service network. Consequences: broken pipes, geysers that form in concrete, rough roads … In short, it is the snowball effect that attempt to limit the field technicians.
At Lyonnais, wearing a helmet, wearing gloves and a reflective jacket, Pascal shows how to capture a water leak in the pipes. This is an acoustic research, managed by a big box and headphones, everything is done. “The longer the flight, the lower it will be difficult to capture, he says, tapping his case. One must also take into account external noise. “Example: traffic. A car passes and all analysis is flawed. That’s why sometimes you have to these analyzes at night when traffic is less.
Five to ten accidents per year
“Water losses account for about 5% of consumption,” explains Melinda Gilbert. If losses remain stable in proportion, they increased in volume recently Lyonnais worrying the environmentalists. Sometimes leaks are related to other problems than those on the network. At La Roche-sure-Yon, the latest based on a sprinkler system, left open overnight inadvertently.
To detect the technicians follow the daily consumption, thus raising their consumption peaks unexplained cases. To avoid such complications, there are sectors listed with about 150 meters. Each technician in safety vest has a map where they are listed. “This is not to lose time in their search for knowledge in what sector of leak, it already reduces the scope, says the manager. It takes a lot of permissions so as not to lose time.” Pretty well-established systems since, according to Melinda Gilbert, there are between five and ten major accidents per year.