The Water Dashboard launched earlier this year on the city of Boerne website. This interactive tool gathers and organizes local, public water data from various sources and displays it in easy-to-read charts, giving the user access to crucial information about Boerne’s water resources, consumption patterns, and more.
This project took years of collaboration by local conservationists, scientists, and state and national organizations. The intention is to empower citizens to make informed decisions and contribute to sustainable water management in our region.
In 2019 Ben Eldredge, vice president of Conservation at The Cibolo, reached out to Dr. Michael Young, a senior research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology, to propose working with The Cibolo to evolve Boerne into a model resilient community. Dr. Young was eager to collaborate in this effort.
The Cibolo then engaged former Mayor Tim Handren to pitch this idea of making Boerne a Model Resilient City and he loved the idea. Together they asked the University of Texas for help with solutions to address the region’s water supply.
Dr. Young had an idea and contacted the Internet of Water team at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. This team had previously created water dashboards for North Carolina, California and New Mexico.
Dr. Young explained the potential value of a municipal scale dashboard serving decision makers and end users at a hyperlocal level, enrolling them in what would become the Boerne Internet of Water project.
While this project was gaining collaborators, there was still a need for funding, and that’s where the Mitchell Foundation came in. Emily Warren, director of Land Conservation and Water Programs, was excited to support what would one day be a great resource for the state and beyond.
The next step was for The Cibolo to organize a series of focus groups made up of environmentalists, business leaders, municipal leaders, and more. These groups helped the team know which water information people were most interested in monitoring.
This information was then gathered and fed into a data dashboard created by the Internet of Water team at Duke University. Vianey Rueda, a former graduate student mentored by Dr. Young, served as the architect of this data hub and developed the finished product along with a manual to be used for replication.
Once the Boerne dashboard was created, it was shared within close circles and caught the attention of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). The TWDB has since joined the project and is now collaborating with The Cibolo and UT to further evolve and expand the system for greater adoption by regional utilities and municipalities.
The city of Boerne received the 2023 Public Works award from the Texas Municipal League for the Water Dashboard, which they recognize “will serve as a model for other communities seeking to promoted sustainability and water conservation.”
As a result, Abilene has reached out to explore the possibility of creating their own water database.
Thanks to the hard work of these individuals and support from organizations, a strong information infrastructure was created.
The Boerne Water Dashboard is serving as a catalyst for the creation of a Texas Internet of Water informed by local data hubs that will simultaneously provide state-level water planners with near real- time information regarding regional water supplies and demand.
The dashboard architecture is already being enhanced to encourage its adoption by other communities that are eager to join the Internet of Water.
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