Abstract
Leaks on pipe-systems cause unnecessary wastes of scarce resources and often endanger the environment. Fraunhofer-Institut für Bauphysik (IBP), therefore, together with Technische Werke der Stadt Stuttgart (TWS), have developed and tested an effective acoustical technique of leak detection by correlation analysis. In the meantime several mobile measurement units for systematic checks of water supply systems have been established, and a compact device is on the market. Years of experience with systematic checks of water supply networks have shown that the specific losses, with the aid of LOKAL, can be reduced on average from approximately 1000 to less than 500 cubicmeter per kilometer and year.