By Jared Alder, MS 

In England, it is estimated that around 700 million gallons of water—the equivalent of 1,200 Olympics–size swimming pools—is lost every day to leaks in the country’s vast water system. Often the water just rises out to the pavement and runs down the road. Utilities spend countless hours and a great deal of money and other resources trying to locate the sources of leaks, often tearing up roads multiple times in this search. 

During large rainstorms, leaks can occur from the added amount of water that seeps into the system via the same openings where water exits from the system during dry times. During the recent Tropical Storm Cristobal in the Gulf Coast area of the United States, utilities reported sewage spills that occurred during and after the storm. The spills are a result of a complex underground sewer system that is not capable of handling modern weather events. Large rainfall events, such as tropical storms and hurricanes, can overwhelm aging infrastructure—including old wastewater pipes, pump stations, and, in some cases, treatment facilities.  [Read more…]