The open Texas prairie has been depicted countless times on the big screen in epic westerns. But while in the movies, it is mischievous bank robbers who cause the locals trouble, the villains in reality are quite different.

Water shortages, population growth, and drought severely challenge the water sector in Texas. As a result, water is considered a scarce and precious resource. A leak-free distribution network is, therefore, high on the utilities' priority list. It also secured Danish Leif Koch a new order in the U.S..  

Leif Koch are experts in acoustic leak detection and, thus, experts in reducing water loss in the supply network. With their extensive knowledge, they trained operational staff from Austin Water, San Antonio Water Systems, and Texas Water Company in various detection methods. 

The team from Leif Koch brought along a representative from their long-time collaborative partner, HOFOR, to assist in the training. The participation of Denmark’s largest utility provides an opportunity for identification for the American utilities and contributes to a greater understanding of the operations across the Atlantic.

The first meeting between Leif Koch and the Texan utilities happened during a fact finding trip to Denmark organized by The Trade Council's North American Water Technology Alliance (WTA). Here, the participants visited the leakage experts who demonstrated their detection equipment and company approach.

Texas Water Company was the first to express interest in Leif Koch's training. Technical Advisor at the Consulate General of Denmark in Houston, Rosa Marie Mathiasen, therefore, activated the WTA's network of utilities in Texas to find others with similar needs.

Texas Water Company, San Antonio, and Austin all supply areas that, after two harsh summers, have been categorized with extreme or exceptional drought. By reducing the number of leaks, the utilities will not only be able to reduce their water loss but also reduce their operating costs, improve water quality, avoid consequential infrastructural damage, and employ a more qualified workforce.

All three utilities are already working with acoustic leak detection, but with more than 3 million customers accumulated, the operational employees have many other important daily tasks. Therefore, it is a challenge to stay up to date on the latest progress within the field.

Leif Koch's leak training will help the employees improve their craft, refresh their knowledge, share experiences within their own team and across the different utilities, and allow them to test the technology in a real-life setting. Without the underlying professional understanding, the tracking devices are of little use.

San Antonio Water Systems, one of the world's largest municipality-owned utilities, hosted the training at their facilities. They serve 2.1 million citizens, operate 12,600 km of pipeline, and employ more than 1,800 employees.