Bozeman’s Proactive Approach Using Leak Detection

By Laura Dority & Steve Smith

The City of Bozeman, Montana, has a closed basin with limited water rights meaning there is no easy way to increase supply. With a growing population of around 50,000, the city pays a lot of attention to water conservation, system efficiency and proactive management to ensure its water distribution system remains sustainable.

The city manages roughly 330 miles of pipe, supplied by three water sources. Two of those sources are treated through a membrane treatment plant on the south side of town, with a third spring source on the opposite side of the city requiring less treatment. The distribution system spans approximately eight pressure zones, separated by pressure-reducing valves, with booster pumps used to move water efficiently across the elevation changes and into higher-demand areas.

More than 3,000 fire hydrants serve as access points across the system, which is largely constructed of ductile iron pipe, making it an excellent choice for acoustic leak detection as iron transmits sound effectively. Managing this infrastructure is the responsibility of a 29-person team overseeing water distribution, sanitary sewer, stormwater, and metering.

Despite the size of the system, Bozeman experiences relatively few emergency water main breaks, typically 10 to 15 per year. However, leaks remain unavoidable in a city founded in 1864.  Without a solid leak detection program, leaks can go undetected for years.

From Periodic Listening to Continuous Awareness

Historically, Bozeman relied on traditional leak detection methods. Crews performed manual hydrant listening surveys once or twice a year, listening for signs of leaks and then correlating suspected locations.

“You can only hear what’s happening when you’re listening,” explains Superintendent Nick Pericich, who has spent more than 23 years with the city and began his career as a water operator. “The old way worked, but there were gaps or rather long stretches of time when we simply didn’t know what was developing underground.”

That gap was one of the drivers behind Bozeman’s interest in the EchoShore®-DX continuous acoustic leak monitoring system. Unlike periodic surveys, this system is always listening, capturing acoustic data continuously and flagging anomalies as they emerge.

A Targeted Pilot with Immediate Results

The EchoShore-DX pilot began in August of 2025. Approximately 50 units were deployed on fire hydrants in areas known for having issues. Installation was straightforward, with two city operators completing nearly the entire deployment in a single day.

During the three-month pilot, technicians identified 12 leaks. Some were leaks which may have existed previously, but others were newly developing issues which would likely have gone undetected for weeks or months under a traditional survey schedule. In one case, the system detected a significant hole in the bottom of a pipe, an issue that had not yet surfaced at ground level. In another, it identified a pinhole leak at the connection between a copper service line and a curb stop in a residential driveway. Several leaks were associated with valve fasteners, a known vulnerability in the water system.

“These are exactly the kinds of issues you want to catch early,” Pericich notes. “Before they turn into something bigger.”

One of the things which differentiates Echologics solution is the professional services element. Pericich says. “We weren’t looking to add more daily tasks for our staff; we have a lot on our plate as it is. Having a team of expert analysts from Echologics, do the analysis and notify us when there is an issue, was a key factor in our decision to go with this technology. ” 

Echologics includes access to their team of analysts and experts from day 1 as part of their offering. The analysts review nightly acoustic readings, track anomalies, and pinpoint the exact location before alerting the City. This level of analysis provides the city with a better idea of the size and severity of leaks so they can prioritize work.

A pinhole leak detected.

The Economics of Early Detection

The repaired leaks were categorized by severity: small leaks averaging 5 gallons per minute, medium leaks at 20 GPM, and large leaks at 40 GPM. Under traditional detection methods, these leaks would have persisted for significantly longer periods. Small leaks, for instance, were estimated to take an average of 120 days to discover and repair without the continuous monitoring system.

Bozeman staff inspect part of an old water main with a large leak.

With EchoShore-DX, that detection time dropped to fewer than six days. Medium-sized leaks that might have flowed for 60 days were caught in less than 10 days on average, while large leaks, typically the most visible and therefore found fastest under any method, were still identified more quickly, in 11.5 days compared to an estimated 30 days.

The water savings add up quickly. Bozeman’s estimated water cost is $8,070 per million gallons. A single 40-GPM leak running for just seven days instead of 120 days saved more than 6.5 million gallons, worth approximately $57,500. Across 10 documented repairs, the estimated total water savings exceeded $198,000, nearly three times the $71,250 investment in the pilot equipment. This puts the return on investment at approximately $127,000 during the three-month pilot period alone.

“The biggest value for us is water savings,” Pericich says. “That’s where this really helps.” While Bozeman does not struggle with frequent catastrophic breaks, the pilot demonstrated how even a well-managed system can benefit from earlier intervention.

The shift from reactive to proactive management also changes the nature of repair work itself. Emergency repairs often cost $15,000 – 50% more than planned repairs and typically occur at the worst possible times for both crews and customers. Catching leaks early means more repairs can be scheduled during regular working hours, with proper planning and minimal service disruption.

From Pilot to Long-Term Strategy

Fifty units represent just 3.3% of Bozeman’s hydrants and the pilot area is considered representative of its broader system conditions. Based on the overwhelming success of the pilot, the city moved forward with purchasing the pilot units and has begun budgeting for additional deployments.

Short-term plans include adding roughly 30 more units, with longer-term funding allocated to expand coverage across much of the city in the coming years. The ultimate goal is not simply leak detection, but system-wide awareness, knowing what is happening underground.

“When you live in a closed basin, saving water isn’t just a talking point,” Pericich says. “It’s something you have to build into how you operate every day.”

By moving from periodic listening to continuous monitoring, Bozeman is doing just that, listening, responding earlier, and protecting a resource it cannot afford to lose.