Smarter, Cleaner Sydney Harbour

Lead: Department of Planning and Environment

Collaborators 

• Sydney Olympic Park Authority
• Sydney Coastal Council Group Inc
• Parramatta River Catchment Group
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) and Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) are partnering with CSIRO and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) on an innovative project that applies smart technology to help reduce stormwater pollution entering Sydney Harbour. Six councils are involved in this trial: Northern Beaches, Woollahra, Inner West, Blacktown, City of Parramatta and Canterbury-Bankstown.

CSIRO has developed smart, low-cost AI-connected sensors that are being installed inside GPTs to determine when GPTs are approaching capacity and require cleaning. This will help optimize GPT maintenance regimes, reduce the risk of pollution bypassing the GPT and reduce work, health and safety risks associated with physical inspection.

In addition, AI-connected cameras are being installed over stormwater channels to monitor and estimate the amount of floating litter conveyed to receiving waterways. This will assist in catchment-based stormwater planning by, for example, quantifying pollutant loads, identifying pollutant hotspots within the catchment and evaluating the effectiveness of existing GPTs.