Published on Thursday 17 November 2022
A ground-breaking technology that provides accurate real-time coastal water quality testing could be put on Boscombe Pier.
The Environment Agency currently uses Met Office data to make pollution risk forecasts when water quality might be temporarily reduced due to rain, tide and wind conditions.
Traditionally, the only the only way to more accurately monitor and model water quality at a coastal site has been through expensive and time-consuming laboratory tests.
BCP Council wanted a more timely, accurate way and two years ago partnered with UK SME UnifAI Technology to develop low-cost wireless sensors with AI to tackle the issue.
A two-year pilot at Poole Harbour proved successful with the project nominated as finalist for two awards at the 2021 Water Industry Awards, and Highly Commended in the Data Analytics, Cloud and AI Project of the Year category.
Now intends to invite businesses to tender for the opportunity to develop the project at Boscombe Pier, using the council’s Smart Place Infrastructure.
Councillor Mark Anderson, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Place, said "Bathing waters in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have a consistently high standard of water quality.
"Following our successful trials in Poole Harbour, I am really pleased that we could soon be developing a tool to provide residents and bathers with real time data on water quality at Boscombe.
"It will ensure that red flags for water quality will be based on facts rather than predictions and will hopefully cover more parameters than the EA basic bacteria count, which is a crude measure of quality.
"I believe this is one the first schemes in the country, if not the world, where AI is used to show when there is pollution present, and this will in the long term allow us to develop a new flag scheme to show water quality."
Wessex Water are responsible for water quality in the BCP area. The Environment Agency act as regulator.
BCP Council and UnifAI Technology’s two-year pilot at Poole was made possible by an EU Interreg funded Two Seas project called SPEED (Smart Ports Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development).
The technology is now being adopted more widely by parts of the water industry.
Dan Byles, Chief Commercial Officer of UnifAI Technology said: "The Poole Harbour project has delivered a remarkable amount of value in testing hardware, AI algorithms and an innovative approach to water quality monitoring, for a tiny budget.
"All parties invested time and resources beyond the monetary budget."
Editor’s notes
Water quality campaigners have called for ‘accurate real-time water quality information available all-year round for all UK inland and coastal bathing areas as well as popular water usage areas’. Source: Surfers Against Sewerage.
Water quality samples at Boscombe Pier over the last five years have either been good or excellent, according to the Environment Agency. In 2017 it was rate excellent, 2018 was good, 2019 was good, 2021 was excellent and the most recent sample for 2022 is being assessed.
As a result of BCP Council's project at Poole Harbour, other water utilities took notice. In summer 2021 Wessex Water partnered with UnifAI Technology to begin their own pilot, testing the same approach for monitoring water quality at a popular inland bathing site at Warleigh Weir. The success of that project, which uses AI to predict harmful levels of e.coli and enterococci bacteria, was subsequently recognised as the Digitalisation Project of the Year at the Water Industry Awards 2022.
Surface water outfalls collect the run-off from roof gutters, patios, driveways and some highways. This rainwater enters the drains then flows through these underground pipes and into the nearest river or the sea. They are not connected to the sewage network.
Storm overflows automatically operate during heavy rainstorms to protect properties from flooding and to prevent sewage from overflowing into streets and homes. They are part of an older type of sewer system called a combined sewer system, which carry both surface water and the foul water from homes and industry. To find out more about storm overflows and environmental impact, Wessex Water have produced an FAQ page detailing how they work. It also covers how Wessex Water operates, monitors and upgrades overflows in their area.
More information from Wessex Water about the quality of local bathing water sites here.
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