Tharsus partners with Northumbrian Water Group in world first coastal water quality monitoring project
Tharsus is proud to announce its participation in the winning Ofwat project "Smart Skies, Healthy Waters", an innovative initiative that will transform coastal water quality monitoring across England and Wales.
Pioneering the future of water quality assessment
Working alongside project lead Northumbrian Water and partners including Makutu, Newcastle University, Skyports Drone Services, and Proteus Instruments, Tharsus will help develop a fully containerised ‘drone and lab-in-a-box’ solution that represents a significant leap forward in environmental monitoring technology.
This collaborative effort will revolutionise sampling and monitoring processes by creating a cost-effective, versatile system that delivers real-time, on-site results and lab-grade testing of coastal bathing water quality.
Tharsus’s critical role
Our team at Tharsus will be responsible for designing and delivering several key components of this integrated water quality monitoring solution, set for supervised trials with four different water companies. Our contributions will include:
- Advanced automated water sample collection mechanisms
- Specialised water sample storage container enabling aseptic collection and transfer
- Sophisticated exchange systems between drones and the laboratory environment
- Automated laboratory systems for sample management
- Comprehensive laboratory enclosure providing full environmental protection
A revolutionary approach to water quality management
“Smart Skies, Healthy Waters” will dramatically reduce the time required to obtain water quality results from up to three days to just minutes while significantly increasing sampling frequency. This innovative approach combines automated drones, robotics, and cutting-edge water sampling techniques to ensure healthier waters for communities and the environment.
Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director at Northumbrian Water, describes the project as “a world first and a step change for our sector, helping to ensure healthier waters for our customers, communities and our environment.”
Award-winning innovation
The project is one of 16 solutions awarded funding in Ofwat’s fifth Water Breakthrough Challenge. Delivered with Arup and Isle Utilities, Challenge 5 aims to encourage initiatives that help to tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector.
David Black, CEO of Ofwat, highlighted the “remarkable” level of ambition demonstrated by this year’s winners, noting the deployment of “robots, drones, satellites and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence” across the funded projects.
Looking Ahead
Initially set for trials along England’s North East coastline, the solution holds the potential to be economically viable and scalable, providing comprehensive coverage for the UK’s full coastline while reducing the carbon impact of meeting future legislation.
At Tharsus, we’re looking forward to applying our expertise in automation and robotics to this environmentally crucial project that will help safeguard our coastal waters for generations to come.
This project represents how Tharsus is collaborating to develop automation solutions for critical infrastructure. Explore our other transformative product development and manufacturing projects here.