Xylem’s Surfbee Autonomous Drone Innovative Technology Showcases the Future of River Health Monitoring

By Xylem

As the water industry continues to focus on improving environmental intelligence and regulatory compliance, Xylem is bringing a new generation of river monitoring technology to the UK. Ahead of WWEM Expo 2026, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the innovative Surfbee autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), a remotely operated and autonomous drone boat designed to transform how water quality and river health data are collected.

Introduced to the UK through an exclusive partnership between Xylem and Australian robotics specialist Surfbee Hydrobotics, the compact vessel combines advanced autonomous navigation with industry-leading Xylem sensors to provide rapid, high-resolution environmental sampling across rivers, reservoirs and other inland waters. The platform is compatible with Xylem's YSI EXO water quality sondes and SonTek acoustic profiling technologies, enabling comprehensive measurements of water quality, flow and discharge rates.

The technology has already undergone successful demonstrations & user training events and is now in the hands of many UK water utilities. Xylem application specialists train customers on the Surfbee's autonomous mission planning, GPS-guided safety features, high resolution bank side water quality viewing and on its advanced flow-monitoring capabilities. According to Xylem, the platform enables utilities, environmental regulators and researchers to gather significantly more data than traditional point-sampling methods while reducing operational effort and improving safety for survey teams.

James Chapman, Environmental Solutions Business Development Manager at Xylem, commented during field evaluations:

"Using the Surfbee app on an Android controller, we mapped precise GPS-controlled missions for high-quality ADCP flow discharge and water quality data collection. This is a step-change in water quality and flow discharge monitoring, with exciting opportunities to unlock new insights into river and environmental performance."

The growing need for better environmental intelligence is reflected in increasing public and media attention on river health across the UK. Recent reporting by the BBC highlighted ongoing efforts and investments associated with river water quality and recreational water use along the River Severn in Shrewsbury. These initiatives and assessments remain under the jurisdiction of Severn Trent and the relevant environmental authorities. The BBC report demonstrates the increasing importance of reliable, evidence-based monitoring technologies that can provide detailed environmental data to support informed decision-making. (BBC News Article : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy4qr94e5go)

Rather than making assessments about river conditions themselves, technologies such as Surfbee provide water companies, regulators, researchers and environmental organisations with the high-quality data needed to better understand watercourses, identify trends and support compliance with evolving environmental legislation.

Xylem's partnership with Surfbee arrives at a particularly important time for the UK water sector, with increasing requirements for continuous environmental monitoring under the Environment Act and growing expectations around transparency, catchment management and river health improvement.

See the Surfbee at WWEM Expo 2026 on Xylem's Stand WW-L84

Visitors to WWEM Expo 2026 will be able to explore how autonomous monitoring platforms are reshaping environmental monitoring and discover how the Surfbee can support:

• River water quality sampling
• Flow and discharge measurement
• Environmental investigations / hot spots
• Reservoir and catchment management
• Regulatory compliance Section 82 sonde siting & Effluent mixing
• Research and ecological assessments

With autonomous navigation, live video streaming, 4G connectivity and integration with Xylem's proven water quality instrumentation, Surfbee represents a significant advancement in gathering the environmental intelligence required to support healthier waterways and more informed water management decisions.

Visit Xylem at WWEM Expo 2026 to see how autonomous monitoring technology is helping shape the future of river health assessment.

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