After a host of beaches in Texas were found to have exorbitant levels of water contaminants, a local university has received $500K to study an artificial intelligence solution.
A recent Governing article featured The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University for developing an artificial intelligence tool to provide real-time water safety updates for beachgoers to prevent them from getting sick. Currently local health departments and the Maryland Department of the Environment track water quality levels manually at regular intervals. When testing yields dangerous results, water advisories are reported and sometimes beaches and other swimming areas are closed to residents.
From the article:
Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger noted during a press conference celebrating the grant that these water tests are usually only administered once a week. “That’s what makes the Meadows Center project so important,” Metzger said. “By developing an early warning system for fecal bacteria, we can help protect people from getting sick.
Real-time readings and notifications have to potential to save local environmental health departments time, labor, and money spent on doing these reports manually, while also getting consequential health information to communities faster.
