Remote camera installation monitoring screen outfall

Integrating AI with remote cameras to optimise flood network efficiency

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The management of flood defence networks is being revolutionised through a combination of MRC remote cameras and AI (Artificial Intelligence) systems developed by Meteor Communications. This new advanced technology is already providing Water Utilities, UK Government Agencies and Local Authorities with early warning of issues within their networks, enabling targeted, appropriate responses to events as they emerge.

With 1000’s of cameras in service monitoring a wide variety of network assets such as trash screens, CSO’s, overspill channels and EDM monitors, Meteor already has operational networks of cameras providing robust, reliable, real-time image feeds from remote assets. Stakeholders such as control rooms, operators and flood defence teams utilise the MeteorCloud® secure web portal to view images, remotely request new images and receive alerts for potential issues.

Over the past 3 years Meteor has been leveraging the MRC camera and Meteor Data Cloud capabilities to develop Deep Learning Neural Network technologies to identify network issues, caused by issues such as blockages, high water levels or other unforeseen factors. Taking the example of trash screens, Meteor AI has been site tested in all seasons, and found to be over 94% effective at identifying potential screen blockages and issuing automated alerts. This enhanced capability will allow users such as the Environment Agency to target resources to sites with potential issues at an early stage, and thereby enable operational efficiencies. The severity of flood events will also be reduced because users will be able to proactively respond to issues more quickly, rather than to flood events caused by blockages in drain networks.

During storm Ciarán in November 2023, the Meteor Data Centre (MDC) processed over 500,000 real-time images over a 3-day period with peak MeteorCloud user sessions of nearly 5x usual levels. This presented an excellent real life test of the type of events for which the MDC was designed, and proved the robust, scalable nature of the platform.

With the effects of climate change and more adverse weather conditions Meteor Communications is developing the technologies required to effectively monitor and react to situations as they arise. This enables efficient use of resources and saves carbon through a reduction of unnecessary site visits.

Meteor Remote Camera

New £4m camera contract helps manage flood and coastal risk

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Following a competitive tendering process, Meteor Communications has been awarded a four-year contract by the Environment Agency to significantly expand their estate of low-power remote image collection cameras. Installed at strategic locations, the cameras will provide critically important information on the status of water management assets involved in reducing flood and coastal risk.

Under the contract, Meteor will provide the Agency with hourly images of remote assets such as grilles, screens, storm overflows, channels, culverts, pumps, gates and automated structures. The images will be captured by Meteor’s remote cameras (MRC) and delivered to Agency staff via the company’s web-based MeteorCloud service.

This award builds on previous contracts under which Meteor has installed around 1,500 remote cameras for the Environment Agency. Images from the MRC cameras provide Agency staff with an early warning of potentially harmful or dangerous conditions. For example, the immediate visual confirmation of rising water levels in storm drains or blocked trash screens allows a rapid and timely response. Equally, for asset management regular real-time images from site reduces the number of site visits, saving time and money. It has been estimated that by avoiding unnecessary journeys, each MRC camera saves around 0.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, and each camera’s financial payback is just 9 to 10 months.

Explaining the particular advantages of the MRC cameras, Meteor’s Managing Director Matt Dibbs says: “Our main focus in the development of these cameras was the ability to operate unattended in remote locations where normal power and communications may not be available. The MRC cameras therefore operate on ultra-low power, requiring just a small battery and a solar panel for year-round operation, anywhere in the UK. This dramatically reduces installation time and cost.

“Transmitting single high-resolution images, the cameras are able to operate via any mobile network connection. This means that high-quality, real-time images can be provided even in areas with poor mobile coverage, and with an extremely robust design, they are suitable for long term, unattended operation with minimal maintenance.”

In addition to the scheduled images, users are able to request additional pictures via the MeteorCloud® web portal, directly by SMS or email. This includes requests for an enhanced (faster) polling mode for a set period of time, which can also be prompted automatically – by a connected water level sensor for example. This means that rising water levels can cause the camera to raise an alarm with an accompanying image to provide visual confirmation of conditions.

To ensure that the system is resilient and futureproof, Meteor also provides full integration of the MRC camera system (via the Meteor Data Centre) into the Environment Agency’s current SCADA platforms and future visualisation systems.

Andrew Pearce, the Environment Agency’s deputy director for asset management systems, said: “Our new flood defences have already better protected 314,000 homes since 2015 and we’re going further, delivering a record £5.2bn investment to protect hundreds of thousands more properties.

“Working with Meteor Communications and these new remote cameras will help us to maintain defences to ensure communities remain protected, as well as save money, improve efficiencies and lower the carbon footprint of our operations.”

Meteor Communications currently has around 2,500 MRC cameras operational in the UK. MRC camera systems are in use across the Water Utilities sector, Local Authorities and Network Rail for remote operational and asset management purposes.

Meteor's alerts will help protect swimmers and surfers

Meteor wins EA bathing water messaging contract

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The Environment Agency has awarded Meteor Communications a 3-year contract to issue bathing water alerts via text and email during the May to September bathing season.

Under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, the Environment Agency monitors and reports bathing water quality around English coasts and at designated inland bathing waters. This data is utilised by the Agency’s Bathing Water Pollution Risk Forecasting system which models factors such as weather and tides to predict bathing water quality. This pollution risk information is disseminated to the public via the Swimfo website, and Meteor Communications will be responsible for sending daily and intra-day Pollution Risk Forecast notification messages to Environment Agency Bathing Water Area Leads and those Local Authorities that are responsible for managing beach access and signage to inform bathers on water quality status. The notifications will also be sent to digital public information signs that are located at some beach locations.

Meteor Director Andrew Scott says: “Water quality and communications are two of our key specialisms, so we are delighted to have been awarded this contract, and bathing water quality is a highly topical issue, so it is gratifying to be able to help.”

River Itchen

Meteor’s continuous water quality monitors help protect world-famous rivers

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Renowned for crystal clear water and trout fishing, the rivers Test and Itchen are two of the world’s most famous chalk streams. The ecology of these rivers is therefore extremely important, and a network of twenty-one continuous water monitoring stations has recently been established for Southern Water, in compliance with its abstraction licence for the Testwood water supply works near Southampton. The Test and Itchen catchments supply much of Hampshire’s public water needs, as well as a significant proportion of the Isle of Wight’s requirements. Both rivers drain into Southampton Water, and in turn, into the Solent.

Meteor Communications was contracted to install and maintain a network of its ESNET (Environmental Sensor network) systems in early 2021. “We have been delighted with the performance of the ESNET systems,” says Tim Taylor, Water Resources Compliance Advisor at Southern Water. “They were installed and became operational extremely quickly, measuring the key parameters, with data from 30-minute readings immediately available via the MeteorCloud® web portal. We have experienced virtually no down-time with this network, so we are generating excellent continuous datasets.”

Under the terms of the water monitoring contract, Meteor Communications have complete responsibility to deliver accurate, real time data to key stakeholders within Southern Water and externally. This includes site selection, installation and ongoing maintenance. Scheduled site visits and laboratory calibrations ensure that data is robust and reliable, with proactive and reactive site visits. “The Meteor Water Quality as a Service (WQaaS) model is the differentiator to other systems,” explains Meteor’s MD, Matt Dibbs. “By establishing a dedicated Water Quality Services Hub, we can calibrate sondes in laboratory conditions which ensures the accuracy and reliability of the data, and minimises time spent on site.”

Each of the 21 ESNET systems measures temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, ammonium, and pH using EXO multiparameter sondes. Pressure transducers are employed for the measurement of water level. The equipment is frequently located in visually sensitive and publicly accessible spaces, so a variety of discrete mounting options have been developed to ensure robust data delivery with appropriate equipment protection.

Southern Water’s network of monitors is comprised of both portable and kiosk-based ESNETs, with version selection dictated by site conditions and access. No pre-existing power or communications capability is necessary for either version, with solar panels providing sufficient charge for the units’ internal batteries.

The MeteorCloud® platform provides secure data visualisation, analysis and alarms to Southern Water, and also provides the Environment Agency with real-time access to the data, with agreed alarms for both water quality and water level limits. For example, whilst operating under a drought permit, the system will issue an alert when five consecutive water quality measurements on any sonde breach the alarm condition. Once an alarm has been triggered, Southern Water is able to implement remedial measures such as river aeration. However, where the alarm is a result of low water, abstraction would be stopped.

As part of its agreement with Southern Water, Meteor Communications’ staff check the network remotely every day. “This is a major benefit,” explains Tim Taylor. “By constantly checking the performance of the network, Meteor is able to implement corrective measures very quickly. Consequently, we are able to take timely action to protect river water quality and remain in compliance with our abstraction licence.”

Summarising, Matt Dibbs says: “There are a number of key factors underpinning the successful implementation of a water monitoring network such as this. First, the equipment has to be robust, reliable and able to operate in remote locations on solar power. Second, communications and data management have to be seamless and easy to use. Third, the support infrastructure needs to be in place to check the system daily; to service and calibrate spare sondes; and to visit all sites regularly for sonde swaps.

“All of these factors mean that we have had to make significant investment in staff and facilities. However, we now have over 700 ESNET systems operating all over the UK, so we have the experience and resources to ensure that they deliver valuable insights into the health of our rivers.”

Following the Environmental Act that came into law in November 2021, Meteor’s monitoring methods continue to develop as we build on our expertise working with the Environment Agency.

Water Quality Monitoring as a Service

Continuous real-time Water Quality Monitoring as a Service (WQaaS): what’s really in the service ?

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The advantages of Continuous Water Quality Monitoring for truly understanding a body of water and its water quality status were recently highlighted by evidence submitted to the UK Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). Salmon and Trout Conservation recommended the use of Continuous Water Quality Monitoring, especially with the ‘spikey’ nature of discharges from such industries as watercress and trout farming. It said that the technology has progressed so markedly that continuous monitoring should now be both practical and affordable for the Environment Agency to use widely, especially for potentially high-risk polluters such as sewage treatment works.

There are many technologies that must operate seamlessly together for a robust and accurate real-time Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Service. If we think of these technologies arranged in a stack, there are sensors at the bottom of the stack taking the water quality measurements and there is a display at the top that provides the water quality data in views along with functionality for the end user, either stand-alone or integrated with other useful data: flow and level for example. But what else is in the stack and what is its purpose? In product literature, Sensor Manufacturers concentrate on the sensor products, their set-up, operation and maintenance and Software Houses concentrate on providing the functionality that the end user requires to do their job, so what about all of the essential technologies in between?

Meteor Communications is in the unique position of providing a complete, robust and field-proven Continuous Water Quality Monitoring system that has contributed to the successful prosecution of polluters in England and is now used by many UK Water Utilities. Moreover, the system may be purchased as a service: Continuous Water Quality Monitoring as a Service (WQaaS), making it a cost-effective way of building a reliable database for any project where high-quality, reliable data is paramount.

Following is an insight into Meteor’s WqaaS System Technology Stack.

Comprehending the Technology: it all ends in Tiers

Meteor’s technology stack is based upon the structure of the Open Systems Interconnection model (OSI model) for telecommunications and computer systems. It is essentially a method of organising and abstracting complex system technologies into a stack of logical layers or tiers to aid understanding and provide a framework for robust, future-proof systems. Meteor’s WqaaS system stack is comprised of the following tiers:

Tier

Description

​End User Application Interface

Web browsers, smartphones, tablets and Machine to Machine (M2M) devices

​End User Application Rules

Data visualisation, sensor correlation, alarms, reports and AI

​End User Application Middle-ware

Makes the application service scalable under heavy user load

​Data Storage

Ensures integrity of the data, scalability under heavy user load and uniform, fast data retrieval times

​Data Decode/Encode

Decoding and encoding of data received from and sent to outstations

​Communication

How data is sent to and received from outstations over long distances: GSM, 3/4G

​Data Acquisition

Receive and send data to multiple Sensor Manufacturer devices, control pumps, samplers and other devices

​Sensor Instrumentation

The sensor devices from Multiple Sensor Manufacturers

Description of the Tiers

Following is a brief description of the tiers.

End User Application Interface

Any type of device that the end user wishes to work with for Continuous Water Quality Monitoring: PC, laptop, tablet, smartphones; even Machine to Machine (M2M) interfacing may be considered.

End User Application Rules

These are the core system functions and facilities that make the system productive for the end user, for example: viewing graphs/data, sensor correlation and spatial analysis to identify man-made pollution, pollution alarms and notifications.

End User Application Middle-ware

This is one of the tiers, along with Data Storage that does a lot of the ‘heavy lifting’, to make sure that the Water Quality Monitoring service is always available 24x7x365 and always provides a fast end-user response time, no matter how many users are logged in and using the functionality at the same time. During a storm or pollution event, the number of active users and the resulting system load may increase by at least a factor of 10.

Data Storage

The Data Storage tier is the other ‘heavy lifter’ that ensures that data is always safe, has integrity and is available. The data retrieval response time must be uniformly fast no matter how much data is being requested by the end users.

Data Decode/Encode

This tier manages the different protocols or languages that the Data Acquisition units are using to communicate with the Data Storage tier for retrieving and storing Water Quality Data. It covers the ‘conversational’ element of end-to-end communication and is built on standard protocols, such as TCP/IP and MQTT. It will also handle how data objects are encoded for transfer and operational resilience issues, such as error checking.

Communication

The Communication tier is concerned with how the remote Data Acquisition Units communicate over a long distance with the Meteor Data Cloud. This would normally be a specialist Machine to Machine (M2M) network built upon all UK-wide Mobile Network Operator networks for fault tolerance and reliability.

Data Acquisition

This key tier sits between the manufacturer’s sensor and the Meteor Data Cloud, sending Water Quality Data back from the field and forwarding directives and commands to the sensor. In addition to managing data flows in a robust manner, it must also perform the critical functions that are required for data sampling, such as controlling pumps, samplers and other remote equipment. This tier really does have a lot to do as many sensors and other types of units may be connected and operating concurrently.

Sensor Instrumentation

Water Quality Sensor instruments that are field proven to be reliable and accurate by water quality professionals may be plugged into Data Acquisition and the data made instantly available in the End User Application Interface. Meteor’s WqaaS system is sensor independent, meaning that the current and future “best in class” instruments will be available as options.

Conclusion

The key requirement for Continuous Water Quality Monitoring is the continuous delivery of real-time data from remote locations and the 24x7x365 availability of the end user application, even under heavy load during a storm or pollution event. Ensuring that you have the right technologies in your system stack will go a long way to ensuring a successful Continuous Water Quality Monitoring project. Moreover, as technologies change and evolve over time, individual layers in the stack may be swapped out, ensuring the longevity of your system and the protection of your investment.

Serpentine Water Quality Monitor

ESNET water quality monitor installed in the Serpentine, Hyde Park, London

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Looking to find ways to keep improving water quality, the managers of the Royal Parks have installed a continuous water quality monitor; an ESNET (Environmental Sensor NETwork) system from the company Meteor Communications.

The Serpentine is monitored by the Environment Agency which collects samples for bacteriological analysis every week between May and September. However, the ESNET continuous water quality monitor was installed to improve understanding of the factors affecting water quality.

Covering an area of around 16 hectares, the Serpentine was created in 1730 by the wife of George 2nd, Queen Caroline. Originally fed by the River Westbourne and Tyburn Brook in the 1730s, the lake’s water was later pumped from the River Thames. Today, water is pumped from two boreholes from within Hyde Park.

Water quality monitoring station close to the bathing areaThe water quality monitoring system was installed in February 2022, measuring key parameters including Blue/ Green Algae, Chlorophyll, Temperature, Conductivity, pH, Turbidity and Dissolved Oxygen. Measurements are taken continuously in real-time with updates every 30 minutes to the MeteorCloud™ web portal, with instant alerts for any issues that may influence bathing water quality. “The ESNET system will provide essential data for the future management of the lake,” explains the Royal Parks’ Dr Pawel Szynkarczuk. “We need this empirical data to better understand short- and long-term trends, as well as the factors affecting water quality. For example, a key advantage of a continuous time-series dataset is the ability to correlate water quality incidents with potential impact factors such as ambient temperature and heavy rainfall.

“The Environment Agency’s laboratory tests are more focused on bathing safety, whereas the wider variety of parameters monitored by ESNET will provide greater insights into the factors affecting water quality generally. The ESNET system will therefore allow us to make informed decisions, whilst also enabling us to measure the impact of any improvement measures.”

Water quality improvement measures currently include litter/debris removal as well as aeration at 24 points around the lake. However, the large population of wildfowl in Hyde Park is the likely cause of any water pollution; with raised nutrient levels during summer being an area that is carefully monitored. The water quality challenges presented by the wildfowl are compounded by Park visitors feeding the ducks and geese by throwing food into the water. Raised nutrient levels during summer are therefore carefully monitored, and an initiative is underway to try to alter visitor behaviour. “We have a campaign entitled ‘Help Nature Thrive’, which is designed to discourage overfeeding – it’s not good for the birds and it certainly isn’t good for water quality,” explains Assistant Hyde Park Manager, Ian Nightingale. “In the past, we have had to address raised nutrient levels on two occasions by dosing the water with a modified bentonite clay which binds with free reactive phosphorus. While this method appears to be effective, it is expensive, so the provision of continuous monitoring will enable us to fully evaluate the cost/benefits of any future water quality improvement measures.”

The ESNET system has been installed at the Environment Agency’s water sampling point, adjacent to the lake’s bathing area, and the water quality sensors are built into a compact water quality sonde which is permanently located beneath the water surface. In order to maintain the highest levels of accuracy, the sonde is routinely swapped out with a pre-calibrated sonde by Meteor Communications.

The entire system runs on very low levels of power, with a small solar panel meeting the power requirement of the entire ESNET system. “This is very important,” explains Meteor MD Matt Dibbs. “These systems are usually installed in remote locations for customers such as the Environment Agency and utility companies; frequently these sites have no pre-existing power or communications capability.

“We were recently consulted by the Environment Audit Committee and provided them with a live demonstration; explaining how ESNET systems are monitoring UK rivers and providing alerts when potential pollution incidents could threaten bathing water quality. We hope that the Serpentine ESNET system will deliver similar benefits; helping the Park managers to improve the lake’s water quality.”

mine quality water monitoring

Meteor wins Hydrometry Framework contract with Coal Authority

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As a manufacturer of remote environmental monitoring systems, Meteor Communications has been awarded a framework contract by the Coal Authority to supply a range of hydrometric services, dataloggers and sensors to enable the continuous monitoring of mine water.

Meteor Communications successfully bid for Lot 3 of the Hydrometry Framework, which is comprised of 7 lots and will run for four years with an estimated total budget of £400,000.

“Meteor are delighted to have been selected by the Coal Authority for this framework contract,” explains Meteor’s MD Matt Dibbs. “Our systems and services are utilised across the UK by the Environment Agency, Water Utilities and Consultants and it’s great to be able to bring our expertise to the Coal Authority.”

The Coal Authority seeks to enhance the future prospects for people and the environment in mining areas, and to contribute to the delivery of the UK Government’s industrial strategy and the environmental, social and economic priorities of the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments. This includes managing the effects of past coal mining and dealing with mine water pollution and other mining legacy issues.

IFAT Munich 2022

Low-power remote cameras on show at IFAT

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Using low power cameras to view remote assetsFollowing their hugely successful deployment all over the UK, the Meteor MRC Remote Camera Systems and the MeteorCloud web services will be on display at the MTRComs GmbH stand, number 401 in Hall B2 at the IFAT 2022 exhibition, which takes place at the Munich Messe from 30th May to 3rd June 2022.

 As a specialist manufacturer of remote cameras, MTRComs GmbH has established an office in Osnabrück, Germany, as part of the company’s expansion across mainland Europe. “Over 2,000 of our low-power cameras are currently operating in the UK,” explains company director Andrew Scott. “So, they have been thoroughly evaluated by customers such as water utilities and regulators, as well as flooding and drainage authorities.”

Typically, the MTRComs cameras are used to monitor important remote assets such as grilles, screens, channels, culverts and automated remote structures. Andrew says: “They are ideal for sites without mains power and communications infrastructure. This is because our low-power cameras are easy to deploy and are able to deliver both regular and on-demand images over cellular networks.”

The main advantage of remote cameras is that users are able to view sites remotely before deciding whether a visit is necessary, and also to determine what resources would be necessary for that visit. This means that less site visits are necessary, and wireless connectivity also means that operations such as camera configuration and firmware updates can be conducted remotely.

Andrew Scott and Matt Dibbs will be on the MTRComs stand to welcome IFAT visitors and provide live demonstrations of the company’s technologies.

Water Quality in Rivers EAC Report

UK parliamentary report calls for better river protection

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Meteor Communications has welcomed a report on river water quality, published by the UK Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). Following consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders, the Report revealed damning evidence of river pollution in England. However, Andrew Scott, Meteor’s Technical Director, who provided evidence to the committee, says: “Of course, it is good that this vitally important issue is being highlighted, and we are pleased to note that the Report specifies a wide range of measures that should be undertaken to improve water quality; all of which should be underpinned by effective monitoring.

“The Report also highlights the need for greater investment in infrastructure, which will be vital in the pursuit of the Report’s goals.”

The most recent data published by the Environment Agency, under obligations originally established by the EU Water Framework Directive, show that only 14% of English rivers met good ecological status and no river met good chemical status. The Environment Act 2021 empowers Ministers to set long-term statutory targets for the improvement of the natural environment, and requires a long-term target for the improvement of water to be set not later than 31 October 2022.

Several witnesses criticised the use of ‘spot sampling’ suggesting that this method dramatically reduces the likelihood of detecting pollution incidents. Witnesses also urged the introduction of continuous real-time monitoring of water quality. For example, Salmon and Trout Conservation observed that technological developments in monitoring meant that “continuous monitoring should now be both practical and affordable for the Environment Agency to use widely, especially at potentially high-risk locations such as sewage treatment works.” The Centre for Hydrology and Ecology concurred: “The use of multi-probe Sondes with telemetry to detect ammonium, turbidity and dissolved oxygen concentrations in effluents at hourly frequencies, alongside flow gauging, could provide an accurate estimate of pollution loadings coming from sewage treatment works, an early warning system to detect sewage treatment works failures and provide the key data for researchers to evaluate the impact of combined sewer overflows on downstream river water quality and ecology.”

The Report provided further evidence in support of continuous monitoring. For example, it said continuous monitoring could provide a high level of certainty as to the condition of a river and the causes of pollution, thus alleviating the need to apply complex statistical processes to data analysis. The technique could be cost-effective if used in a targeted way. It was suggested that if there is a particular problem to investigate, you can find out more from continuous monitoring in two weeks than you would probably find in many, many years of random sampling.

Salmon and Trout Conservation also recommended the use of continuous monitoring, especially with the ‘spikey’ nature of discharges from such industries as watercress and trout farming. It said that the technology has progressed so markedly that continuous monitoring should now be both practical and affordable for the Environment Agency to use widely, especially for potentially high-risk polluters such as sewage treatment works. In addition, the report said that the Environment Agency, in its submission, had said that it would like to explore the use of continuous monitors for the quality of effluent that could ‘trigger early warning if effluents were starting to deteriorate’ for regulatory purposes.

During his presentation to the EAC Andrew Scott explained that remote, continuous river water quality monitoring technology is already well-proven.

Swapping the water quality sonde is quick & easy“Over 300 of our Environmental Sensor Network (ESNET) outstations are currently monitoring UK rivers, but many more will be necessary in the future because, for example, there are over 6,000 sewage treatment works in England alone,” he explains. “The current ESNET users are the Environment Agency, seven water companies, environmental consultancies and other water sector bodies. ESNET produces scientifically robust, legally enforceable evidence that truly reflects the dynamic nature of the surface water environment. It differentiates and identifies sources of pollutants from man-made activity such as sewage treatment works, combined sewer overflows and agriculture; outputting high resolution data for the most important water quality parameters.”

Quick and easy to install, ESNET systems typically monitor parameters such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, conductivity, turbidity, ammonium, Blue Green Algae and chlorophyll. However, it is also possible to include other water quality parameters as well as remote cameras, water level and flow, or meteorological measurements. The addition of autosamplers enables the collection of samples for laboratory analysis, which enables the measurement of other pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and plastics. Autosamplers can collect at pre-set intervals and/or when initiated by specific alarm conditions. This is a particular advantage for water companies and regulators because it enables the immediate collection of samples in response to a pollution incident, which informs mitigation measures and helps to identify the source of contamination.

The ESNET systems were designed specifically for the collection of real-time data from remote locations because they operate on very low power and wirelessly connect with the MeteorCloud web portal providing secure access for viewing and downloading data.

Summarising, Andrew says: “The EAC Report provides a detailed plan for improving water quality in our rivers, but as the Report says, this will require a significant investment in infrastructure. A relatively small part of that investment, we believe, should be in a much higher number of remote continuous water quality monitoring systems. This will significantly improve our understanding of pollution, enable rapid response to pollution incidents, and allow source attribution when such events occur. It is therefore very pleasing to note that the Report recommends that the Environment Agency should rapidly introduce cost-efficient and effective sensors at an increased number of locations.”

The full EAC Report: Water quality in rivers, can be downloaded at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmenvaud/74/report.html

water quality in rivers

UK’s Environmental Audit Committee requests river water quality submission from Meteor

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The UK’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has requested written evidence from Meteor Communications as part of the committee’s ongoing inquiry into water quality in rivers. The submission was timely because it was made while sewage spills were the subject of intense media attention, and after the Environment Act 2021 placed a new responsibility on sewerage undertakers to progressively reduce the impact of discharges from storm overflows.

“We have been following the EAC enquiry closely,” explains Meteor Technical Director Andrew Scott, “and with over 300 of our ESNET outstations currently monitoring UK rivers, we were concerned that some of the participants may not be fully aware of this technological capability.

“Conveniently, data from the Environment Agency’s pollution investigations were recently made public, so we were able to show the EAC examples of the ways in which our technology is able to continuously track the key signatures for different types of pollution, and how these can be correlated with events such as heavy rainfall; delivering legally defensible information.”

Following an online meeting with representatives of the EAC, Meteor staff were asked to provide a written submission, describing the current monitoring networks and explaining how these could be upscaled to monitor downstream and upstream of sewage treatment works in England.

ESNET water quality monitoring systems - fixed or portableThere are two main types of ESNET (Environmental Sensor NETwork) water quality monitoring system; a portable monitoring station, and a kiosk-housed pumped system for semi-permanent or fixed installations. The systems were developed to allow rapid deployment with no requirement for pre-existing power or communication infrastructure. As a result, high resolution, real-time, multiparameter water quality data can be obtained within minutes of deployment.

ESNET monitors are typically loaded with sensors for parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, turbidity, ammonium, temperature, blue green algae and chlorophyll. However, it is also possible to include other water quality parameters as well as remote cameras, water level and flow, or meteorological measurements. The addition of autosamplers enables the collection of samples for laboratory analysis; either at pre-set intervals and/or initiated by specific alarm conditions. This is a particular advantage for water companies and regulators because it enables the immediate collection of samples in response to a pollution incident, which informs mitigation measures and helps to identify the source of contamination.

The EAC inquiry follows increasing concern about water quality in rivers, with just 14% of English rivers currently achieving ‘Good’ ecological status and no river rated ‘Good’ on its chemical status. It has also been reported that in 2020 there were over 400,000 discharges of raw sewage into English rivers.

Looking forward Andrew says: “All stakeholders are currently looking for ways to improve water quality in rivers, and effective continuous monitoring of receiving waters will perform a vital role in achieving that objective. In addition, the Environment Act 2021 places a new responsibility for monitoring the quality of watercourses into which storm overflows discharge.

“Water companies, regulators, consultants and water users can therefore be reassured that proven technology exists to better understand the factors affecting the quality of receiving waters.”

Meteor Communications Ltd.
Martinfield,
Welwyn Garden City,
Hertfordshire,
AL7 1JG.

Tel: 01727 899990