Old pipes drive water losses across Austria

Almost one in every 10 litres of water is lost across Austria, partly because water pipes are not being replaced often enough, Upper Austria’s water department told ORF. If losses in a network exceed 20 percent, the supplier risks losing public funding.

Water supplies came under increased scrutiny during the summer’s extreme drought. Christian Kneidinger, head of the Upper Austrian department responsible for drinking water and wastewater, said average water losses were about 10 percent. Well-maintained water pipes, he added, had losses in the single digits.

A study by the Association for Gas and Water and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences found that maintaining the infrastructure was difficult. Although the overall condition of water supplies was considered satisfactory, pipes were being replaced too infrequently. Older pipes are more likely to lose water.

“Whenever water is lost, that is always bad. Public funding is tied to inspections,” Upper Austria’s environment minister, Stefan Kaineder of the Greens, said.

Not all losses are uncontrolled. Water is also lost, for example, when elevated storage tanks are washed.

Upper Austria and water suppliers invest more than 40 million euros in infrastructure each year. Kaineder said the state’s pipes were currently in good condition and were rarely so old that they needed to be replaced quickly. Despite the extreme drought, fire brigades only rarely had to deliver water by tanker, which he said indicated that the pipes were largely watertight.

The water services company WDL checks pipeline data every day. It also uses a special device that can detect escaping water by sound.

“If these figures deviate, for example upwards, the next steps are taken,” said Andreas Pfusterer of WDL-Wasserdienstleistungs GmbH. The company then looks for the cause, such as increased water use at a construction site or ongoing tank filling.