CONNECTED WATERS: UNLEASHING THE POWER OF DIGITAL TRACKING IN WATER QUALITY/NETWORK IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES

Jess Russell (Auckland Council), Hana Judd (Morphum Environmental)

ABSTRACT

In the heart of New Zealand's love for water activities lies a concerning reality – the vulnerability of many cherished swimming spots to pollution. This past summer, Safeswim, a world leading initiative spearheaded by Auckland Council, delivered real-time online water quality warnings across the Waitematā Harbour and other popular locations. The significance of these alerts underscores the pressing issue of water quality, revealing that not all favourite swimming spots are consistently safe.

Amidst this growing awareness, the public is grappling with the consequences of water quality issues and aging infrastructure in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. The overwhelming support for Auckland Council's Water Quality Targeted rate in 2018 signifies a collective demand for clean, safe water at local beaches. In response to identified risks, the Safe Networks programme conducts monitoring and investigations to trace contaminants and their sources up the piped networks and to property.

To fortify the ability to track, monitor, and promptly address issues upstream of Safeswim sites, a comprehensive on-site and desktop method is indispensable. This method is crucial for maintaining effective quality control, ensuring precise and accurate data gathering, and facilitating efficient resolution tracking and reporting for asset and property inspections.

In a collaborative effort, Auckland Council, Watercare, and Morphum Environmental have successfully implemented a robust solution – 'The Water Quality and Network Improvement Hub'. This extensive geospatial platform has undergone seven years of evolution, specifically tailored to meet the intricate demands of regional-scale asset and water quality management (see Figure 1). The Hub supports Safe Networks, Inflow and Infiltration and Separation projects in Auckland City. The digital architecture integrates inspection planning, mobile and desktop data collection of upstream issues, review and tracking across compliance and renewal works, and online KPI reporting for progress record and engagement support. The Hub offers accessibility to a diverse range of stakeholders, including managers, staff, and contractors from Watercare, Healthy Waters, and various partner companies.

This digital solution is poised to elevate programme coordination, leading to substantial time savings and potential cost reductions. The efficiency gains can be redirected into efforts to resolve the issues and other water quality programmes, translating into tangible improvements in our networks for the future. In the current climate, where environmental concerns hold heightened public awareness and resources are constrained, it becomes more crucial than ever to optimise public systems efficiently without compromising outcomes for our communities and receiving environments.

Figure 1: The Water Quality Improvement Hub Landing Page