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CONSERVATION
From Space to Source
Waterlix helps communities identify pollution sources faster than ever
This satellite image of Niagara Falls (January 2, 2019) highlights water anomalies, indicating potential pollution 昀氀owing from ship docking zones, a
tributary connected to industrial e昀툀uents, and the North Tonawanda Wastewater Plant, a昀昀ecting even steady-昀氀ow areas.
CROSS THE GLOBE, communities are
confronting a growing crisis: the degradation
of water quality in rivers, lakes, and coastal
ecosystems. Pollution,whether from agriculture,
industry, or untreated sewage, threatens not
only drinking water but also public health, food security,
and biodiversity. Traditional methods for tracking pollution often lag behind the pace of environmental damage.
Waterlix Inc., based in Cambridge, Ont., is using artificial intelligence (AI), satellite remote sensing, and advanced analytics to make water quality monitoring faster,
more accurate, and more actionable. Named winner of the
2024 Water Canada Award for Conservation, the company’s platform is helping to stop pollution at the source.
Waterlix
A
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
“This is about taking control of our water. We can no
longer afford to fly blind,” said Mehrdad Varedi, founder
of Waterlix.
Waterlix uses a hybrid monitoring model, combining
satellite imagery with AI-driven spectral analysis and
ground-based contextual research. Instead of relying solely on periodic field sampling, which can miss transient
pollution events,Waterlix captures a near-continuous,
large-scale view of aquatic environments and integrates
it with historical, industrial, and geographic data to trace
pollution events back to their likely sources. By integrating AI with space-based observation, Waterlix enables
proactive responses to threats that were previously only
discovered after the damage was done.
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