How Balfour Beatty Benefitted from Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring During Pre-Enablement Works

As environmental pressures intensify and construction regulations become more stringent, maintaining and improving water quality has become increasingly important. As part of early-stage planning for a Transmission project in Elgin, Scotland, Balfour Beatty collaborated with Sunbelt Rentals to trial WATR, a real-time monitoring device, to generate baseline water quality data in advance of construction.

With AMP8 placing increased emphasis on environmental protection, pollution prevention and data-led decision making, water companies and their delivery partners are under growing pressure to evidence baseline conditions ahead of construction activity.

During an innovation event at Balfour Beatty’s Shotts facility, The WATR product was demonstrated to Joanne Mackenzie, Environmental Sustainability Manager, who concluded the technology was well aligned with the requirements of the initial monitoring phase in Elgin.

Challenges

Conventional approaches to water quality monitoring rely on manual sampling, with technicians travelling to site to collect “grab samples” that are then sent to laboratories for analysis. While this approach is highly accurate, it presents several limitations:

• Speed - delays between sample collection and laboratory analysis can extend over several days or weeks, allowing issues to go unnoticed or escalate.
• Health and safety risks - on-site sampling may require individuals to operate alone in remote or high-risk environments.
• Limited frequency - samples provide only a snapshot at a single point in time, despite water quality being subject to rapid and often unseen changes.
• Manual record-keeping - logbook entries are susceptible to human error.
• Resource intensive - frequent travel to and from sites increases manpower requirements, time and costs.

Result

The introduction of the WATR Bankside system provided Balfour Beatty with continuous, reliable data, enabling the creation of a precise baseline before work began on site.

The dataset also demonstrated how adverse weather conditions influenced water quality in Elgin throughout the monitoring period. Higher rainfall levels drove additional runoff into the system, resulting in more acidic conditions and reduced clarity as debris levels in the water increased.

WATR is capable of monitoring over 15 water quality parameters and transmits data using multiple communication methods, including GSM, LoRa, and satellite. This ensures robust and uninterrupted data delivery, even in remote locations such as the Elgin site.

By eliminating the need for manual sampling, WATR reduces site visits, improving both safety and operational efficiency. The availability of continuous live data enables Balfour Beatty to take a more proactive approach to environmental compliance, streamline site operations, and demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable practices.

As the industry continues to evolve, systems capable of delivering continuous, auditable environmental data will play a critical role in enabling regulatory compliance, minimising environmental impact, and supporting sustainable delivery practices.

For more information, please visit www.watr.tech/construction or contact one of our construction monitoring specialists.