en.Wedoany.com Reported - Wessex Water has installed AI-linked sensors at French Weir in Taunton to provide near real-time water quality information for the River Tone. The system uses sensor data to infer bacterial levels in the river and publishes the results on the "Water Quality Live" webpage to help swimmers, paddleboarders, and other river users make more informed decisions.
French Weir was designated as a bathing water site by the Environment Agency in 2024. The new sensors predict water quality every hour, and Wessex Water says the system will use notifications to indicate whether conditions are suitable for recreational activities. Bacteria in rivers can come from various sources, including agricultural activities, field runoff, wildlife, sewage treatment processes, and permitted storm overflows. Storm overflows may operate during or after heavy rainfall to reduce flood risk. Wessex Water says the monitoring system will help it better assess the impact of these overflows on French Weir.
Traditional bathing water testing relies on manual samples sent to a laboratory, with results taking around three days, limiting their usefulness for people deciding whether to enter the water. Wessex Water's new system uses sensors to measure indicators such as temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and river flow. This data is combined with laboratory samples to train machine learning algorithms, which then predict bacterial levels at the bathing site year-round. Wessex Water says training the model may take 12 to 24 months, depending on data requirements and catchment complexity. Ruth Barden, Director of Environmental Solutions at Wessex Water, said that bacteria will always be present in rivers, whether from natural sources or human activity, but this does not mean they are no-go areas for swimming or recreation; water quality changes, and is generally better in dry weather when there is less land runoff and storm overflows are less likely to discharge rainwater or groundwater, and decisions on whether a specific location is suitable for swimming or recreation remain the responsibility of councils and other relevant bodies.
Wessex Water is a member of the Bathing Water Steering Group, led by the Environment Agency, for newly designated bathing water sites. The company says it will roll out river sensors and machine learning models at other popular locations in Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, and South Gloucestershire between now and 2030. Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, said the monitoring system is a step towards improving the River Tone; having accurate information is the crucial first step in planning the necessary investment, and once the system is operational, you will be able to see the river's quality at the very moment you want to go boating or even enter the water. Wessex Water says it will invest in sewer sealing, nature-based sewage treatment, nutrient removal, and rainwater storage over the next five years. The company also publishes near real-time storm overflow information through its Coast and Rivers Watch service. The government's "Swim Healthy" guidance advises people to consider health risks before swimming in rivers, lakes, and estuaries.
The equipment installed at French Weir is an AI-linked river sensor deployed by Wessex Water to infer bacterial levels and provide near real-time water quality information. River water quality can change due to rainfall, field runoff, agriculture, wildlife, sewage treatment processes, and permitted storm overflow activities. Wessex Water says the information helps people make informed choices but does not provide a definitive safety assessment at a specific time, and near real-time data cannot prove that a river is safe for swimming. Designated bathing water sites in England are monitored by the Environment Agency during the bathing season.
