| Ovarro leakage detection system helps water companies meet Ofwat’s ambitious water loss targets. |
| March 2026 |
Ovarro, the leak detection specialist, confirmed that a fifth UK water utility had begun using EnigmaREACH, its end-to-end leakage detection system, within the first year of the Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8) regulatory period. The rollout reflected growing demand from water companies for automated approaches to leakage detection, as they worked to meet ambitious reduction targets set for the 2025–2030 investment cycle.
Southern Water and Affinity Water were among the first companies to introduce EnigmaREACH, doing so in the opening months of the AMP8 regulatory framework, as set out by Ofwat. AMP8 is the five-year rulebook and funding plan that sets out what water companies must deliver — and how much they’re allowed to spend — between 2025 and 2030.
A total of five UK utilities are now using the system, which has been rolled out across multiple district metered areas (DMAs), consistently achieving conversion rates above 90 per cent. EnigmaREACH combines either 32 or 64 acoustic loggers with a field management app and cloud-based analytics platform to deliver automated leakage detection as a single service.
By integrating every stage of the process — from logger planning, deployment and retrieval to data upload, analytics, point-of-interest (POI) assignment and follow-up — Ovarro manages the complete workflow on behalf of each utility. This approach streamlines mobile leak detection and reduces operational burden.
Typical field performance data from live deployments shows that technicians detect around four to five leaks per day — equivalent to approximately 25 per week and up to 1,200 annually. With location accuracy of up to 90 per cent, engineers are typically placed within one metre of the source. Teams can cover approximately 10 km per day using 300 m logger spacing, delivering operational savings of up to 56 per cent compared with traditional active leakage control programmes.
“Winning first contracts with new technologies is always difficult,” said Tony Gwynne, global leakage solution director at Ovarro. “Winning repeat contracts is proof of the huge efficiencies EnigmaREACH is delivering for leakage detection.
“It’s been fantastic to see Southern Water and Affinity Water among those deploying EnigmaREACH to accelerate AMP8 targets in year one. By moving from a manual to an automated, managed process, they are seeing consistent time savings, particularly in data analysis and POI follow-ups.
“Tasks that once took hours are now completed in a fraction of the time, enabling more ground to be covered each day,” added Gwynne. “By being among the first to adopt EnigmaREACH, the early UK adopters — which now includes five companies — are showing real commitment to innovation, proving that new approaches deliver tangible success.”
Launched in 2024, EnigmaREACH is gaining momentum beyond the UK. In addition to five UK utilities, the service has been adopted across Europe, including Norway and Italy, as well as in North America and Saudi Arabia.
To find out more about EnigmaREACH managed leak detection system, visit Ovarro’s website.
