Eye in the sky

Council is partnering again with Cardno to hunt out leaky water pipes in our district — using drones and thermal imaging technology to get a picture of what’s happening underground.

“In the next month drone operators will be working in Ōtaki and Waikanae in the evenings,” council said. “If you see a drone flying down your street don’t be alarmed — the thermal imaging cameras are designed to see where cool water is leaking into warm summer ground. “They won’t be surveying private property, and the cameras can’t see into homes or cars.

“It’s great technology and gives us a much better chance of finding and repairing slow leaks, especially in polybutylene pipes where traditional ‘listening’ technologies are less effective.”