Water Leak Detection & Correlation Services
We are the UK’s only canine assisted water leak detection team. Offering both proactive and reactive services, we help water companies identify problems quickly with minimal intrusion.
A green, reliable way to locate water leaks
Our water leak detection service is built around our highly trained detection dogs. Working closely with a range of water companies nationwide, we’re helping them enhance the way leaks are identified across their networks in all kinds of on-site locations.
Just by being trained to detect leaks by scent, our dogs are able to give you a non-invasive solution that’s quick, versatile and extremely accurate.
Why Use Us:
- Find leaks more easily – we can help you reduce the time and costs involved in investigating and pinpointing water leaks
- Fix them more quickly – repairing leaks can happen more quickly, and efficiently
- Protect your supply – by minimising your water loss we help you protect your supply and save you money
In The Media
Sometimes, leaking water pipes don’t always show on the surface. Scottish Water is deploying a team of specially trained dogs in rural areas to help find them.
Our Approach
The Cape SPC team start by carrying out visual field inspections of the line and the adjacent land. At the same time trained detection dogs are deployed to detect the presence of escaped mains water. We train all our detection dogs ourselves to identify a variety of scents associated with treated mains water, such as chlorine.
Using this simple, sustainable approach we’ve successfully located hundreds of significant mains leakage points for water companies in the UK, saving millions of litres of water.
Proactive and Reactive location services
We can survey sites both in response to suspected or reported leaks, and as a pre-emptive measure to help you catch them early.
Proactive Detection
where our clients employ us to survey lines on a pre-planned basis
Our Proactive leak location services work in the following way:
- Before starting work we’ll need to agree a contract and work out a programme of surveys that works for you. All we need then is a six-figure grid reference for the start and end points of each linear survey you have planned, and an electronic map or plan showing the line to be inspected.
- We’ll carry out a joint risk and access assessment with you (including access into private land, etc.) before deploying any resource to the search areas. Ideally any prior information and checks will be completed at this stage, to ensure we can hit the grounded running.
- We will then survey the route of each line. The rate of inspection is normally 4-6 kilometres per day in open farmland with uninterrupted access.
- If a leak is located, we will issue a six-figure grid reference of the located leak along with a photograph and a marked-up version of the map / plan. We can also run a correlation and acoustic sounding for a secondary confirmation, if a water sample can’t be obtained.
- We then await confirmation that it’s a “VERIFIED LEAK” from your team or representatives. If you can’t locate the leak in the field, you should notify us as soon as possible and we’ll agree the best way to proceed together.
Reactive Detection
where our clients employ us on a call-off basis to respond to notified, suspected or observed leaks in the field
Our Reactive leak location services work in the following way:
- Before starting work we will need to make sure a call-off contract is put in place
- You can then notify us of the potential leak. We will require a six-figure grid reference for the start and end points of the linear survey, and an electronic map / plan showing the line to be inspected.
- We’ll carry out a joint risk and access assessment with you (including access into private land, etc.) before deploying any resource to the search areas. Ideally any prior information and checks will be completed at this stage, to ensure we can hit the grounded running without encountering any issues.
- Resource will be dispatched to the site of the suspected leak within a pre-agreed timescale, normally 48 hours of receiving notification. Response times to simultaneous or overlapping call-outs may vary and are agreed on a case by case basis.
- We will then survey the route of each line. The rate of inspection is normally 4-6 kilometres per day in open farmland with uninterrupted access.
- If a leak is located, we will issue a six-figure grid reference of the located leak along with a photograph and a marked-up version of the map / plan. We can also run a correlations and acoustic sounding for a secondary confirmation, if a water sample can’t be obtained.
- We then await confirmation that it’s a “VERIFIED LEAK” from your team or representatives. If you can’t locate the leak in the field, you should notify us as soon as possible and we’ll agree the best way to proceed together.
Watch Snipe and Denzel help find leaking water mains for United Utilities
United Utilities is deploying a team of specially trained dogs to help locate leaks in rural areas where water does not always show on the surface.
Two spaniels, called Snipe and Denzel, aged two and three, have been trained by ex-military dog handlers to detect the smell of chlorine in treated water.
Our Recent Experience
Contact Us
Please contact us to find out more about our Water Leak Detection & Correlation Services.
