Leakage
What is Leakage?
Leakage is the volume of water escaping from our pipes each day. It is measured in millions of litres per day (Ml/d). Over the last 17 years, Scottish Water has reduced leakage from 1104ML/d to 454ML/d, and continues to target leakage.
Why Target Leakage?
Scottish Water is committed to ensuring we have efficient and sustainable water resources. In order to minimise water leaks, dedicated leakage teams are proactively operating throughout Scotland to quickly identify and repair leaking pipes, manage water pressure and encourage water efficiency. Sometimes though, these leaks can be the responsibility of the property owner.Why Do Leaks Happen?
Our water pipes can leak for a number of reasons including the following:
- Ground movement caused by changing temperatures can cause pipes to break and leak
- Uncontrolled or unauthorised use of water from our pipes, for example an illegal standpipe, can result in excessive pressure surges which create additional stress on the pipework resulting in bursts
- Many of the pipes within our water main network are starting to show their age. Our mains replacement programme aims to replace the older pipes with plastic pipes to protect water supplies well into the future
What Type of Leaks Are There?
- Hidden leaks - these are below the surface and aren’t easy to find. We find them using data, technology, and people
- Customer leaks - these are within the boundary of a customer’s property
- Visible leaks - these are easy to see, for example on pavements or roads
Leakage FAQs
You can check out who’s responsible to fix the leak on these pages.
We manage the water pressure within networks to calm the network and reduce the likelihood of pipes bursting. This also reduces the volume of water lost through existing leaks.
