ASTERRA, which uses satellite leak detection technology to aid utilities in reducing water loss, announced recently it had located its 75,000th water leak using its Recover water leak detection service.
The company says the leak was found in the United States, in the water system of the Illinois Village of Schaumburg. According to ASTERRA, finding and resolving 75,000 leaks worldwide represents a total savings of approximately 276,000 million gallons of water, 176,640 metric tons in reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and an energy savings of 690,000 MWH, all in support of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“Finding 75,000 water leaks is a milestone worthy of celebration,” said Elly Perets, chief executive officer of ASTERRA. “This represents significant energy savings because treated water costs money and consumes energy to produce, and when it leaks, it’s a complete waste. ASTERRA finds these hidden leaks three to four times faster than traditional leak detection methods.”
Recover technology has been used since 2015 by ASTERRA to locate treated water beneath the surface of the Earth. It took approximately four years to locate the first 25,000 leaks, and then about one year to locate the next 25,000. But the company says due to its rapid growth, it took only about nine months to locate and additional 25,000.
ASTERRA (formerly Utilis) owns the patents on the first technology capable of monitoring soil characteristics, such as underground moisture and trace minerals, over immense areas quickly, easily, and continually. It uses satellites in space and polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) to collect data in the L-band wavelength that can provide subsurface data on soil characteristics. Then, a series of patented algorithms and AI models translate the raw data into visualizations of the location and concentration of soil moisture.
Recover won the inaugural American Water Works Association’s Innovation Award in 2021. In late 2022, ASTERRA’s Recover also won the Space and Satellite Professionals International Better Satellite World Award.
