New smart technology water-testing sensors have been installed at four different sites along the Otakaro Avon River.
These sensors will enable Christchurch City Council staff and ecology scientists to monitor the health of the city’s waterways in real time.
This real-time data on the state of the water enables those responsible for its health to respond rapidly should a pollution event occur.
Smart Christchurch, the city council’s agency responsible for implementing smart technology into the city’s infrastructure, is trialling the monitoring equipment in partnership with Spark IoT (Internet of Things), and Adroit, the equipment’s supplier.
Dr Belinda Margetts, the council’s principal waterways ecologist, says the danger to the city’s waterways is especially high during and after heavy rainfall.
“Metals from car brakes, from roofs, all end up in the water. And then on occasions, some sediment discharges due to construction or development. Run-off from the roads flows into the gutters and then into the waterways, taking the contaminants along the way,” she says.
“The past methodology gives us very, very accurate information. But there is a delay between, you know, grabbing the sample and getting the data back. This gives us indicative high-level data to help us understand what's happening in real time.”
- John Spurdle, Public Interest Journalism Fund
