Hidden leaks in small-town water lines are now being hunted from orbit, as New Mexico expands a satellite-and-AI detection service for rural utilities, GovTech reports.
The New Mexico Environment Department’s LeakTracer program works with San Diego-based ASTERRA, whose L-band radar can detect moisture up to about 10 feet below ground. AI helps separate treated drinking water from rain or groundwater, and inspectors then check flagged spots against utility pipe maps. Breanna Anderson, the department’s deputy director of communications, told GovTech that the ability to single out potable water is what sets the program apart.
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After a pilot in five communities, the statewide service launched in January for public water systems serving fewer than 20,000 people. In its first year it covered 28 utilities and 181 miles of pipe and found 216 leaks, most of them on customer-owned lines. Fixing all of them could save about 898,000 gallons a day and roughly $505,000 a year in production costs, though those figures are projections until repairs are made.
The state pays for detection, but utilities must pay for repairs, which Anderson told GovTech is a main challenge for smaller systems. The department’s Rural Infrastructure Program offers grants and loans, and it expects another 50 to 60 utilities to join in the program’s second year.
What's Next
The Environment Department expects 50 to 60 more utilities to join LeakTracer in its second year.
Why It Matters
Small water systems serving fewer than 20,000 people get leak detection paid by the state, but they must cover repairs themselves, which officials call a main challenge.
About This Story
Daily Reports is Brant.One’s news roundup. Each day we gather the New Mexico stories worth knowing from newsrooms across the state, sum them up and point you to the source. This one comes from GovTech’s reporting, and their original story has the interviews and full details.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit GovTech’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.
