Trevor English
Water distribution systems are complex networks, as you already know. One of the persistent challenges faced by municipalities and utilities is managing leakage – and ultimately reducing non-revenue water. Leakage problems represent a loss of valuable water resources, but they also impact the efficiency and sustainability of water distribution systems. Now, with the 2026 release of InfoWater Pro, we’re ushering in a new way to deal with leakage issues by modeling your leaks using advanced Leakage Modeling capabilities.
How Leakage Modeling works
InfoWater Pro 2026 introduces a sophisticated approach to leakage modeling, allowing users to model both fixed and variable district leakage on nodes and pipes. This innovation enables you to allocate leakage based on system estimates, preserving the total outflow volume. The ease of integrating leakage modeling into existing hydraulic models means that our customers can enhance their water management strategies without extensive reconfiguration.
You’re going to need a map
Everyone who works at a water utility knows about leaks – it’s a death-by-a-thousand-cuts situation that never seems to stop. One basic but easy-to-forget reason leakage can be so pernicious and difficult to resolve is that the leakage that’s happening underground can’t easily be seen. When it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. This is why we model, and this is why we need maps.
Having the ability to visualize your actual leakage on maps is essential. Visual representation can help you quickly identify leak-prone areas and promptly act to address the issues precisely. But perhaps more important, it helps you communicate these network errors to non-technical stakeholders. When stakeholders can easily grasp the consequences of potential decisions like pipe replacements or operational adjustments, you become more effective and collaborative in your decision-making.
An important leakage variable: pressure and elastic deformation
Traditional leakage modeling often fails to account for the effects of pressure on pipes with elastic deformations, something InfoWater Pro also addresses. InfoWater Pro 2026 incorporates pressure-driven leakage directly on pipes and junctions. This approach enhances the accuracy of leakage predictions, providing a more realistic representation of how pressure impacts water loss. You can apply leakage parameters individually or through the DB Table, offering flexibility in modeling different scenarios.
The ability to enable or disable leakage in simulation scenarios adds another layer of control, allowing you to explore different leakage sets with varying parameters, helping you identify the most effective strategies for reducing water loss and improving system performance.
Why advanced leakage modeling matters – and how to get started
As we look to the future, the adoption of advanced leakage modeling practices can be pivotal in achieving more sustainable water management practices, which is one reason we suggest you try this new feature out. By updating your app to InfoWater Pro 2026 and better modeling leaks, you can make real progress on tracking and managing non-revenue water.
Get started with InfoWater Pro 2026:
- You can update your InfoWater Pro app at manage.autodesk.com.
- Did you know? We have a YouTube playlist that compiles “The latest on InfoWater Pro”? It’s a good resource for product update information.