Northumbrian Water to improve river quality through AI

It has received Ofwat funding to work alongside Cognizant Ocean on better interpretation of river health trends and pollution patterns.

Data will be aggregated from multiple sources including environmental sensors and satellite imagery.

There are multiple factors that can impact river health, including agriculture, road runoffs, storm overflows and more.

Different parts of a river might be affected by different sources of pollution, and responsibility of river health and impact is spread across multiple actors and stakeholders.

Nigel Watson, CIO, Northumbrian Water, said: “Our long-term vision is to use data insights to address one of the biggest challenges we face - reducing river pollution. As such, we are making a £1.7bn investment in our wastewater and environmental programs from 2025 to 2030.

"In addition to spills of diluted sewage that occur from storm overflows at times of heavy rainfall, we know that many other factors can impact river water quality but what is less well known is the exact source, concentration and impact of other pollutants.

"In looking to work with Cognizant Ocean, we aim to improve our insights into river health, helping us optimise our investments and form targeted partnerships to better work together to improve the quality of UK rivers. This initial project is designed to serve as a groundwork for future explorations.”

Stig Martin Fiskå, Global Head of Cognizant Ocean, added: “We aim to develop AI-driven tools that will help water companies, communities and charities better understand and improve catchment management to secure drinking water and thriving ecosystems for future generations.”