WADI · Project

Airborne Leak Detection That Cuts Water Pipeline Inspection Costs by 90%

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Imagine flying a plane or drone over hundreds of kilometers of water pipelines in the countryside and spotting leaks from the air using special cameras — instead of sending crews on foot to check every meter. That's what WADI built. The cameras pick up specific light signatures that reveal where water is escaping underground, even in hard-to-reach areas. They tested it on real water supply and irrigation networks in France and Portugal, proving it works at scale.

By the numbers

50-200 EUR/km

Cost of airborne leak detection

1,000-5,000 EUR/km

Cost of traditional ground-based leak detection

up to 50%

Potential recovery of water lost in transmission

Consortium partners

Countries represented

73%

Industry partner ratio in consortium

Pilot demonstration sites (France and Portugal)

The business problem

What needed solving

Water utilities and irrigation authorities lose enormous volumes of water through leaks in transmission pipelines outside urban areas. Traditional ground-based inspection costs 1,000-5,000 EUR per kilometer and is slow, making it impractical for the thousands of kilometers of rural pipelines that carry water from sources to cities and farms. Most of these leaks go undetected for months or years, wasting both water and the energy used to pump it.

The solution

What was built

The project built integrated optical sensor systems optimized for water leak detection, mounted on both manned aircraft (for long-range pipeline surveillance) and UAVs (for close-up inspection of problem areas). These were demonstrated in operational environments at two pilot sites: water supply mains in Provence, France, and multi-purpose irrigation and supply mains at Alqueva, Portugal.

Audience

Who needs this

Regional water utilities managing rural transmission pipelinesIrrigation districts and agricultural water management authoritiesMunicipal water companies with long-distance supply infrastructureAerial survey companies wanting to add water inspection servicesEnergy companies operating hydropower systems with water supply networks

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Water utilities

enterprise

Target: Regional water supply companies managing transmission pipelines outside urban areas

If you are a water utility losing revenue to undetected leaks in rural transmission mains — this project developed an airborne surveillance service using manned aircraft and UAVs with optimized optical sensors that can scan your entire network at 50-200 EUR/km, compared to 1,000-5,000 EUR/km for traditional ground-based techniques. It was demonstrated on real water supply mains in France and multi-purpose mains in Portugal.

Irrigation and agriculture

any

Target: Irrigation districts and agricultural water management authorities

If you are an irrigation authority managing long-distance water mains serving farmland — this project built a drone-based inspection system tested on irrigation infrastructure at the Alqueva site in Portugal. The technology can help recover up to 50% of water lost in transmission, directly reducing your pumping energy costs and water waste across hard-to-access rural terrain.

Infrastructure inspection services

SME

Target: Aerial survey and pipeline inspection companies looking to add water leak detection to their service portfolio

If you are an aerial inspection company wanting to expand into water infrastructure — WADI developed integrated sensor systems for both manned aircraft and UAVs with optimized wavelengths specifically for water leak detection. The project includes a market analysis, business plan, and legal assessment for UAV operations, giving you a ready pathway to offer this as a commercial service.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

How much does this airborne inspection cost compared to traditional methods?

The project data states airborne technology costs 50-200 EUR/km versus 1,000-5,000 EUR/km for ground-based techniques. That's roughly a 5x to 25x cost reduction per kilometer of pipeline inspected.

Has this been tested at industrial scale on real infrastructure?

Yes. WADI ran operational demonstrations on two real pilot sites: water supply mains in the Provence region of France (operated by SCP) and multi-purpose mains serving irrigation, water supply, and hydropower at Alqueva in Portugal (operated by EDIA). These were full-scale operational environments, not lab tests.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

The consortium includes 11 SMEs and 11 industry partners across 7 countries. Based on available project data, the technology was developed as a service model. Specific IP and licensing terms would need to be discussed with the consortium partners directly.

Does this work with drones or only manned aircraft?

Both. WADI developed integrated sensor systems for manned aircraft (for long-distance monitoring) and UAVs (for closer inspection of specific areas or hard-to-access locations). The two platforms are designed to complement each other in a surveillance workflow.

What types of water infrastructure can this detect leaks in?

The technology was demonstrated on water supply transmission mains and multi-purpose mains serving irrigation, water supply, and hydropower. It targets infrastructure outside urban areas — rural transmission pipelines, irrigation networks, and long-distance supply lines.

Is this compliant with drone regulations?

The project included a legal aspects assessment covering data protection and regulatory standards for UAV use. Based on available project data, these assessments were completed as part of the deliverables, though regulations vary by country and continue to evolve.

How quickly can leaks be found after an aerial survey?

Based on available project data, the system is designed as a surveillance service where anomalies detected during manned aircraft missions trigger closer UAV inspection. The project describes this as enabling utilities to 'promptly repair' leaks, but specific detection-to-repair timelines are not detailed in the data.

Consortium

Who built it

The WADI consortium is heavily industry-driven with 11 out of 15 partners from the private sector (73% industry ratio) and 11 SMEs — unusual for EU projects and a strong signal of commercial intent. With partners across 7 countries (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal), the project has built-in market access across major European water markets. The coordinator YOURIS.COM is a Belgian SME. The absence of universities and the dominance of SMEs suggest this was built to become a service, not just a research exercise. Three research organizations provided the scientific backbone while industry partners focused on turning the technology into a deployable product.

YOURIS.COMCoordinator · BE
FUNDACION CIRCE CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE RECURSOS Y CONSUMOS ENERGETICOSparticipant · ES
TIMELEXparticipant · BE
ICONS SRLthirdparty · IT
LABORATORIO NACIONAL DE ENGENHARIA CIVILparticipant · PT
OFFICE NATIONAL D'ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALESparticipant · FR
EDIA-EMPRESA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO E INFRA-ESTRUTURAS DO ALQUEVA SAparticipant · PT
IMG INTERNET SRLthirdparty · IT

How to reach the team

The coordinator is YOURIS.COM, a Belgian SME. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the project team.

Order a report on this consortium See YOURIS.COM profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how airborne leak detection could reduce your water losses? SciTransfer can connect you with the WADI team and help evaluate fit for your pipeline network.

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