engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
company based in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
that specializes in non-invasive acoustic detection of underground leaks and
pipe
Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to:
Objects
* Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules
** Piping, the use of pipes in industry
* Smoking pipe
** Tobacco pipe
* Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...
condition assessment. It has completed projects in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, and Singapore that have minimized the loss of millions of gallons of drinking water via leaking infrastructure. Echologics and
Mueller Systems
Mueller Systems is a manufacturer and distributor of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and automatic meter reading (AMR) technology, as well as residential, commercial and fire-line meters and related products. It is a subsidiary of Mueller ...
are both part of
Mueller Water Products
Mueller Water Products, Inc. (MWP) is a publicly traded company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of fire hydrants, gate valves, and other water infrastructure products in North America. M ...
' Mueller Technologies reporting segment.
Products and Services
Echologics uses acoustic technology to detect leaks in below-ground plastic piping, without the need to directly access the pipes. In 2010, the company won a one-year contract to detect leaks in municipal piping in the
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
. Three Echologics engineers were assigned to the project. In the project's first two weeks, Echologics detected leaks totaling 358,000 gallons daily.
Other services include assessment of
asbestos cement
Asbestos cement, genericized as fibro, fibrolite (short for "fibrous (or fibre) cement sheet") or AC sheet, is a building material in which asbestos fibres are used to reinforce thin rigid cement sheets.
Although invented at the end of the 19 ...
pipes, permanent leak monitoring systems, transmission main leak detection, and
non-revenue water
Non revenue water (NRW) is water that has been produced and is "lost" before it reaches the customer. Losses can be real losses (through leaks, sometimes also referred to as physical losses) or apparent losses (for example through theft or meterin ...
management. In 2012, Mueller Service Co., which provides assessment and remediation services to water utilities, was consolidated under the Echologics brand.
Projects
Water Transmission Main in Las Vegas
Echologics is monitoring a three-mile section of a critical water main beneath the Las Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD). Installed in 1963, the 30-inch water main supplies up to 7.5 million gallons of water per day to resorts, casinos, and attractions, among other users. LVVWD is deploying Echologics' EchoShore-TX leak detection platform.
Bottling Plant in China
Echologics located a leak under a bottling plant in China, which was losing approximately 40,000 gallons per day of treated supply water. An Echologics field crew with the LeakFinder correlator located the leak, within a day, underneath a section of concrete roadway surrounding the plant.
Partnership with American Water and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center partnered with American Water and Echologics to monitor leak detection within the Metropolitan Chicago area and saved 3.25 million gallons of non-revenue water.
City of Tampa Water Department
The City of
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
Water Department secured a service agreement with Echologics in April 2012 to conduct widespread transmission main leak detection on approximately 7.5 miles of cast iron pipe in the city's water system.
United Water New Jersey
United Water New Jersey (UWNJ), a subsidiary of
United Water
Suez North America, founded as the Hackensack Water Company in 1869 and later named United Water, is an American water service company headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey. It owns and operates 16 water and waste water utilities, and operates 90 ...
, selected Echologics for a pilot survey to detect leaks in five miles of water mains composed of cast iron pipe, pre-stressed cylinder concrete, and reinforced concrete pipe.