The location and design for the National Leakage Research and Test Centre (NLRTC) have now been confirmed. The centre will provide a large, secure environment that replicates a real underground water network, supporting the testing of novel solutions to reduce leakage.
The NLRTC will consist of an offline District Metered Area (DMA) and a smaller test rig, known as a sandpit, both of which will be constructed on HR Wallingford’s business park and neighbouring fields in Oxfordshire. Once built, the centre will be operated by a partnership between HR Wallingford and Northumbrian Water with support from WRc, and financed for the first three years by the Ofwat Innovation Fund.
The DMA will comprise a fully scaled, 5km-long, buried water pipeline, with multiple sub-metered areas, leakage simulation bunkers, and a control room enabling automated control capabilities. The sandpit, which will be set up within HR Wallingford’s existing Froude Modelling Hall, will allow water companies and innovators to try out new technology before testing it in the offline DMA area.
Water companies were consulted about the facility’s location, design and specification, and stakeholders reviewed the outline design for the DMA, which was drawn up by WRc and HR Wallingford. Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, carried out the detailed design work for the DMA, and has provided a range of interdisciplinary planning and engineering services to support the NLRTC’s planning application.
The partners are aiming to submit a full planning application for the DMA shortly and anticipate that construction will start later this year. Construction is expected to take around nine months, and the team has had initial talks with specialist contractors who could undertake the work.
Once constructed, the facility will be used by innovators, water companies, design stakeholders, technology suppliers, researchers, and academics to experiment and accelerate novel leakage solutions to support the leakage challenge faced in the UK Water sector. It will provide a place to trial and certify technologies for application within the water industry.
Kieran Ingram, Water Director, Northumbrian Water Group, said:
“Establishing the NLRTC is a significant step in enabling the water industry to achieve its ambitious leakage reduction targets. This facility will pioneer innovation in leakage repair and detection, helping us conserve water resources and deliver more resilient services.”
Andy Brown, HR Wallingford’s Joint Acting CEO (Commercial), said:
“We are very pleased to be operating this centre in partnership with Northumbrian Water. We’ve extensive experience in water resource management, leakage and water networks, existing substantial hydraulics laboratories, space for innovators, and are an independent, not-for-profit organisation. Plus, the centre fits perfectly with our aim of helping people live and work sustainably with water.”
Glen Mountfort, Director of Technical Consulting at WRc, said:
“WRc has been delighted to work with HR Wallingford and Northumbrian Water to bring the NLRTC to this point. Reducing water losses from our distribution networks is crucial in addressing water scarcity, driven by climate change, population growth and aging infrastructure. The NLRTC will have a significant role in revolutionising leakage detection and repair by providing a controlled environment to test and refine innovative solutions. WRc is committed to supporting the Centre’s success and industry’s ambitious leakage reduction targets with our technical expertise in leakage, equipment testing and certification.”
Frank van der Kleij, Principal Consultant, Stantec, said:
“There are so many innovative technologies emerging which are helping us, and our clients, prevent, identify, and mend leaks on an unprecedented scale. In the face of resource issues, aging assets, and ambitious AMP8 programmes we, as an industry, need to grasp these solutions as quickly and efficiently as possible. Testing is a vital part of getting them to market and in situ, enabling companies to meet long term leakage reduction targets.”
Jeannette Henderson, Principal, Ofwat Innovation Fund said:
“Around 20% of water put into the distribution network is currently lost to leaks in England and Wales. Whilst this is the lowest level on record and water companies have targets to cut leaks further by 2030, we need to do even more. Just doing more ‘business-as-usual’ will not be enough to drive down leakage levels significantly, we need new technologies and innovative approaches to tackling the problem. The NLRTC, funded by the Ofwat Innovation Fund, will enable quick, safe and robust testing of new and innovative ways to find and fix leaks. The test centre will allow innovators to test and refine their ideas without the need to work on a live network hence protecting customer supplies. Workable solutions can quickly be implemented in industry, resulting in a positive impact for customers and the environment.”
