TEAMWIRE - innovative monitoring for water loss detection

Sustainable water management is one of today’s most pressing global challenges. Water loss remains a major concern for utilities worldwide, and early leak detection is essential to reduce waste, prevent infrastructure damage, and support proactive management. The TEAMWIRE project (Technologies and Advanced Monitoring for Water Infrastructure and Resource Efficiency) addresses this issue by developing innovative, non-invasive methods. It proposes an integrated monitoring approach combining Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR), Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technologies to improve the efficiency and resilience of water distribution networks.

To validate these methods, researchers conducted an in-field experiment involving soil characterisation and a controlled water leak. Additional techniques – including Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), a magnetometer, a digital seismometer, and thermal imaging – were used to support the analysis.

The setup consisted of an 80 cm-long PVC pipe (10 cm diameter), buried at about 50 cm depth and perforated to allow water escape. To create reference anomalies, two metallic shovels – intentionally overlapped to enhance signal intensity – and a metal plate were buried at the same depth, approximately 3m apart.

Data were collected before, during, and after the leakage event, allowing analysis of signal variations under dry and wet conditions. Results showed that metallic objects, voids (such as the empty pipe), and soil moisture changes due to leakage could be clearly detected.

Laboratory experiments were also carried out under controlled conditions using two flower pots and a plywood box. In the pots, two 40 cm-long PVC (5 cm diameter) pipes and a lead battery (sealed in plastic) were buried in Maltese and universal soil. In the latter, two litres of hot water were introduced into one pipe at different times to assess its effect on radar signals, while a thermal camera monitored water diffusion.

In the plywood box, six 40 cm-long PVC (three with 5 cm diameter and three with 10 cm diameter) pipes were buried at different depths to evaluate instrument penetration. A high-frequency georadar showed strong sensitivity in detecting buried objects at varying depths.

The relevance of the TEAMWIRE project has also been highlighted at the international level. Dr Chiara Torre, together with Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico and Dr Emanuele Colica (Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science) presented TEAMWIRE at the GPR Italy Conference 2025 (Rome, September 2025) and 2025 IMEKO TC-26 International Conference on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (MetroArchaeo 2025, Bergamo, October 2025), where they presented two studies: “Monitoring the water infrastructure: the TEAMWIRE project” and “Water leaks as a hidden risk to cultural heritage sites: application of the TEAMWIRE project and the geophysical challenges” Their work emphasised the importance of non-invasive techniques for protecting water resources in semi-arid regions like Malta, as well as safeguarding cultural heritage – especially in cities such as Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where undetected leaks may threaten underground structures and historic buildings.

TEAMWIRE demonstrates how integrated technologies can support smarter, more sustainable water management – helping preserve both vital resources and cultural heritage.