AI app could alert swimmers to river sewage levels
BBCPeople wanting to swim, paddle or play in Yorkshire's rivers are being promised a new app that will use artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time data to provide regular updates about pollution in the water.
The information gathered from 20 popular river swimming locations across the region will be refreshed every 15 minutes, Yorkshire Water said.
The firm described it as "the holy grail that people have waited years for".
A two-year trial of the technology is about to get under way before its available for the public to access.
Information on river quality will be collected from two sources – electronic boxes called continuous water testing stations, and manual testing at the same locations.
The real-time data gathered at the testing stations will then be combined with the manual water samples with the hope that predictive AI will be able to generate accurate information on river bacteria levels.
The manual testing will have to be carried out four times each week at 20 locations for the next two years in order to provide the 7,800 data sets needed to make the AI tool accurate.
Yorkshire Water said the continuous water testing stations operating on their own would not be able to provide the level of detail needed without backup from the AI learning tool.
Myles Cameron, from the company, described it as "leading-edge technology from a water company".
Asked whether the firm should be doing more to stop sewage entering the river in the first place, Cameron said: "We absolutely don't want to pollute the environment, we've had significant investment in Ilkley and there are other inputs into the river such as agriculture, this tool will help identify where those issues are."
The technology has been developed by software firm UnifAI Technology.
Dan Byles from the company said: "It is no good telling someone you shouldn't have been swimming last Thursday, what this app will do is tell you whether there really is a problem in the river right now.
"This is about giving people the information they need to make an informed choice."
Campaigner Karen Shackleton, who set up the Ilkley Clean River Group, said: "If it's going to keep people who are coming down here to swim, paddle and play safer then it's very much welcomed, but it's a shame it's not happening now and people should keep checking sewage maps to see if overfllows have been happening."
Inland bathing water sites taking part in the project include the River Wharfe at Ilkley and Wetherby and the River Nidd at Knaresborough.
Popular water recreation sites at Masham, Burley in Wharfedale, Harrogate North, Springfield Avenue Bridlington, Doncaster Rowing Club, Dowley Gap at Bingley and Scalby Beck at Scarborough are also included.
Yorkshire Water said further locations were expected to be added soon.
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