ASTERRA, a provider of satellite-based, AI-driven water leak detection technology, announced the positive results of its collaboration with multiple New Mexico water utilities. In partnership with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), ASTERRA worked with multiple utilities to identify non-surfacing leaks that traditional methods often miss.
This was done with ASTERRA’s Recover solution, which provides satellite imagery of large areas, either city or rural, without regard to landscape, concrete, or weather. It locates and analyzes soil moisture leaking from underground pipes so that repairs can be planned and expedited. This is why the program is aptly named, “LeakTracer.”
The first phase, completed in May 2025, uncovered 82 leaks and reduced water loss by 240 gallons per minute (GPM), a major step toward sustainable water management. Building on this success, the state of New Mexico has awarded ASTERRA a four-year contract to extend its technology to additional utilities statewide through the LeakTracer program.
The limits of acoustic leak detection
While each water utility had their preferred methods for leak detection, many waited until leaks surfaced, which means they could have been leaking for long periods of time underground and undetected before surfacing. Additionally, many utilities use acoustic leak detection, but this requires very targeted locations and is most effective after using ASTERRA Recover over a larger surface area.
The press release announcing the New Mexico results mentions that the solution’s precision is critical in New Mexico’s challenging terrain, where geothermal hot springs complicate conventional detection methods. ASTERRA technology can decipher the dielectric properties of potable water versus ground water. As such, it detects where a natural spring exists and where a leak from the water distribution system exists, whereas listening devices alone cannot make this distinction, as explained in this video.
Finding leaks ahead of time
Working alongside McKim & Creed field inspectors, ASTERRA’s satellite analytics pinpointed 31 leaks in just two days, many buried deep underground or invisible at the surface. This precision is critical in New Mexico’s challenging terrain, where geothermal hot springs complicate conventional detection methods.
ASTERRA solutions use data from L-Band satellites, artificial intelligence, and its proprietary algorithm to detect leaks before they surface, which is ahead of any utility that either waits for it to surface or uses acoustic leak detection methods alone. ASTERRA’s original solution was developed by replicating technology used to find water on Mars. Since ASTERRA was founded in 2017, the company spent that time advancing its proprietary algorithms and AI to better direct crews to areas of interest and likely leak locations.
Further improvement of the AI’s exactness
The LeakTracer program aligns with New Mexico’s 50-Year Water Action Plan, reinforcing the state’s commitment to long-term water sustainability and loss prevention. Eligible utilities can now access state-assisted satellite leak detection services under this new initiative.
As ASTERRA solutions are used in more regions, the AI gets more exact. Local satellite imagery must be used because the terrain must be evaluated and changes as nature and development both have an impact on the geography. Regular imagery enables comparisons which assist with monitoring and maintaining water distribution systems and infrastructure such as roads, rail, bridges, airports, dams, and levees, making all these systems safer over time.
