Key water equity challenges identified: Aging infrastructure that requires costly maintenance and repairs, funded by rising water rates that burden ratepayers. Affordability of water bills, especially for low-income residents and renters. Water quality concerns like lead pipes and fixtures that disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. Climate impacts like flooding that most acutely affect lower-income residents. To address these challenges, recommendations center on: Public engagement through outreach campaigns, listening sessions, and a Water Champions program to educate residents and gather community perspectives. Affordability via expanded cost-savings programs for renters and low-income households and increased enrollment. Climate resiliency by identifying vulnerable areas and communities and expanding planning tools. Workforce development by evaluating existing programs, modifying contracting processes to benefit local workers, and exposing youth to water sector careers.

"Smart Lake Erie" aims to create an intelligent water management and decision-making system for Lake Erie using new technologies, preventing and remediating issues like harmful algal blooms while creating economic impact. Lake Erie can serve as an incubator for accelerating water quality monitoring hardware and software, establishing the region as a hub for the freshwater tech development. The pilot brings together various partners including state and federal agencies, residents, municipal governments, industry partners, nonprofit actors, and policy makers. The flexible data platform aims to serve as a model for smart water management in the Great Lakes and beyond. Success of the pilot provides a template for similar "smart" efforts in coastal regions globally.

The spectrometer’s accuracy differed significantly between lab and field testing. Turbidity was likely a key factor impeding performance. Device usability was demonstrated to be effective under controlled conditions but several areas for improvement were identified through field use, including expanding platform compatibility, stabilizing photo alignment, confirming photo capture, and ambient light control.