The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s (HGSD) Water Conservation Grant Program will award the Gulf Coast Water Authority (GCWA) with up to $106,686 in funding for a leak detection survey for the Dickison Water District (formerly known as Galveston County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1), City of La Marque, and City of Hitchcock. This project will use ASTERRA’s L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite technology and proprietary algorithms to detect soil moisture caused by treated-water leaks in potable water systems. The project is expected to generate 167 points of interest with 60 verified leaks, resulting in a potential annual water savings of over 100 million gallons.
“By reducing the water loss percentage for non-accounted-for water, this could help entities with grant applicants from TWDB to get money for repairs/replacement of waterlines,” said Robert Upton, Engineer with GCWA. With no plans to expand water production, it was important to GCWA to support its clients in reducing water loss in their distribution systems. During this project, each partnering entity will be trained on how to utilize the data that is collected, the use of the sounding equipment in the field and repair any leaks detected.
The City of Hitchcock’s Public Works Director, Leroy Thomas, shared that this will help the city “…account for every drop and be good stewards for our citizens.”
The City of La Marque’s Director of Public Works, Shannon Breaux, discussed how the “acoustic training for their team will enhance their ability to locate leaks and keep water for residents.”
General Manager with Dickinson’s Water District, Patrick Donart, stated, “By reducing water waste, we can redirect valuable resources toward strengthening our infrastructure and improving the efficiency of all our operational processes.”
HGSD is excited to support this project through the collaboration between these four entities and looks forward to sharing more details upon the project’s completion.