SRUC Oatridge Campus
Business Stream detects and fixes costly leak.
06 January 2021 Reading time: 3 mins
“If it wasn’t for Julie Lindsay at Business Stream’s vigilance in identifying the increased usage, as well as their Leak Detection Team’s persistence in locating the leak, we would still be losing water at the rate we were – and, more importantly, losing this commodity to the tune of £46,000 per year. I would like to personally thank Julie and the team at Business Stream for the actions that they took and the professional manner in which they carried out the works to a successful conclusion”.
Gordon Ogilvie, Faculty FM Business Partner – Central Region - Campus and Estates Services, SRUC
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Oatridge Campus is based in West Lothian. The campus, set within land covering 2.8 square kilometres, houses livestock buildings, farm land, college buildings and student accommodation.
The Challenge
The College uses an Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) device, which is installed in their meter, to track water consumption in 15-minute intervals. Following analysis of this data we found that the site was consuming 3,500 litres per hour, every hour of the day, even during the lockdown period when large parts of the College weren’t being used.
The Solution
As a result of these unusually high readings, we arranged for our specialist Leak Detection Team to assess whether there was a fault in the pipe infrastructure. The pipe structure within the campus was complex, with large sections of pipe having several connections. Using our noise correlation equipment, which helps to identify leaks, our team were able to assess each section in turn. Through this process, the leak was identified under a road, at some depth, where the burst location was adjacent to a surface water drain.
A fix was quickly put in place and, as a result, the baseline water consumption level was reduced from 3,500 litres per hour to zero. This solution helped the college to reduce its environmental impact by preserving water and save the College around £46,000 per year in avoidable water and waste water charges. This was a fantastic result and we were delighted to be able to help!
“During the leakage detection, we installed isolation valves so that we could examine and eliminate smaller sections of the campus, enabling us to identify the source of the problem. These valves will also allow the customer to manage their infrastructure more effectively in the future, as they’ll be able to isolate parts of the campus when needed for maintenance or repair. All in all, it was a very worthwhile exercise.”
We’re fully committed to improving our environmental performance and are certified to ISO 14001:2015. You can find out more in our environmental policy.
