National leakage centre scoped out
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 our 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 our 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.
“We are very pleased to be operating this centre in partnership with Northumbrian Water," said Andy Brown, our Joint Acting CEO (Commercial). "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.”
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.
Jeannette Henderson, Principal, Ofwat Innovation Fund explained: “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."
We will hold a drop-in public consultation for local residents from 4pm until 7pm on 15 April 2025 at the Fountain Conference Centre on Howbery Business Park. For more information, visit the Howbery Business Park website.
