Water pressure involves zoning a water network with control gates, and reducing water pressure can be used to reduce leakage.
Excessive pressure can lead to breaks and leaks in our water pipes. Management ensures we can provide a reliable and constant water supply at a consistent pressure. It targets areas where pressure levels are well above average and has a history of breaks in our water pipes.
Pressure can vary depending on different factors. Those factors can include the pipe network, contours in the land and customer types. All pressure-managed areas will be designed to deliver pressure greater than our required minimum standard of 15 metres head.
Pressure management aims to reduce pressure in high-pressure areas to the standard range of 15 to 100 metres head (mH). Managing this pressure will help the pipe network last longer and save around 7 billion litres of water annually.
Pressure management has a number of benefits. They include the reduction of water demand and leaks to help meet water conservation targets. It improves the reliability and continuity of supply by reducing pipe breaks. Managing pressure properly reduces fluctuations, achieving more consistent pressure across a water system. It also extends the life of water supply pipes and assets, thereby reducing the maintenance expenditure year on year.
The Australian standard is 500 kilopascals. Dealing with small variations on pressure isn’t unusual. The build-up of pressure may vary depending on the time of day. As the system is in high demand use during the day, the pressure is naturally reduced.
