THE hunt for leaks across MidCoast Council’s water network ramped up this week as the Regional Network Leakage Detection Project launched in the area.

Technicians from Aqua Analytics will be using specialist leak detection equipment to find leaks along more than half of Council’s 1,300 kilometres of water mains over the next month.

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Council’s Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott, said it was an important project that could potentially help save thousands of litres of water from going to waste.

“With our water network covering such a large and varied landscape, it can be challenging to stay on top of leaks,” said Mr Scott.

“This project will help us find and fix leaks, meaning that more of our precious water will be used for drinking and other essential purposes, rather than soaking into the ground.”

The project is hoped will not only benefit Council, but residents as well.

Using acoustic technology, the technicians will be able to detect suspected water leaks on people’s properties without having to go on their property.

If the technicians do detect a leak, they will leave a letter to notify the resident.

In some cases, the technicians will need to turn the water off at the meter for a few seconds, but this will only be done if there is no water being used inside the home.

Mr Scott said while Council would fix leaks in the water network, it was the responsibility of residents to fix any leaks on their properties.

However, he said it would pay off in the long term.

“An undetected leak inside your home or property can add a lot of unnecessary cost to your water bill, especially if it’s substantial or has been there for a long time,” he said.

“This project is going to help people save water and money, which is a win-win as far as we’re concerned.”

The Regional Network Leakage Detection Project is part of the NSW Government’s $12.5 million Regional Leakage Reduction Program.

The program has already seen more than 2,700 kilometres of water mains surveyed and more than 930 leaks found across the state, saving councils billions of litres of lost water this year alone.