BloomWatch

Inspiration

Our inspiration for creating BloomWatch started when we volunteered at a local river cleanup. While working near the water, we noticed the excess turbidity caused by algae. At that moment, we didn't realize how critical the problem was. Through research, we learned about excess nutrients from fertilizers, waste, and runoff flowing into rivers and lakes, causing harmful algal blooms where algae rapidly covers the water surface. This isn't just a local problem. It affects water bodies across the entire world. Research shows that excess nutrient pollution is one of the leading causes of harmful algal blooms globally. These blooms reduce oxygen levels, devastate marine life, and contaminate drinking water, causing skin irritation, stomach pain, liver damage, and neurological effects in humans. https://www.cdc.gov/harmful-algal-blooms/about/index.html We are a team of students and future engineers and scientists who refuse to accept declining environmental health as the norm. We believe protecting our environment shouldn't require a degree or an expensive lab. It should be simple, free, and accessible to everyone.

What it does

Bloom Watch, our open-access detector, monitors and detects harmful algal blooms in rivers or lakes before they become severe and irreversible. Our platform uses satellite imagery provided by USGS and EPA, and we utilize the environmental DNA to identify places where the algae growth requires immediate attention. By observing the water color, turbidity, and other indicators, Bloom Watch can highlight locations that may be at risk for bloom for everyone to see!

The website portrays the info on a chart with temperature; risk score to show the chance of an algal bloom; the nearest water station to that water body; and the source. Below that, we provide solutions on what to do. If it requires immediate attention, we give a stronger solution for that certain area. This helps communities, researchers, environmentalist groups, and local communities to be informed about water conditions in real time. Early detection helps people take action faster to protect more wildlife, preserve freshwater, and save local ecosystems.

How we built it

Frontend: Next.js + React — interactive dashboard, animated water graphics, live map Backend: Next.js API routes — data pipeline, AI integration, caching Data: USGS Water Services API (live monitoring station data), EPA Water Quality Portal AI: Anthropic Claude API generates first-person water summaries, personalized actions, ecosystem impact data Map: Leaflet.js with OpenStreetMap tiles Game: Built in JavaScript using HTML5 Canvas, River Guardian bloom simulation Deployment: Vercel — live and accessible to anyone Version Control: GitHub

Challenges we ran into

We originally started in Python but switched to JavaScript/Next.js because it is far more effective for full-stack web development USGS API endpoints required specific bounding box formatting; the standard lat/long parameters returned 400 errors and had to be debugged Integrating Leaflet.js (the map library) with Next.js caused a "window is not defined" server-side rendering error that required dynamic imports to fix Getting the AI to return clean JSON without markdown code block wrappers required additional text cleaning in the API route Managing real-time git conflicts when multiple teammates pushed to the same files simultaneously

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a fully functional, live, deployed website in under 24 hours Successfully pulling and interpreting real-time government data from USGS for any US ZIP code The AI speaking as the water body in first person, a unique feature that makes environmental data emotional and personal The animated water graphic that visually changes from clear blue to murky green based on real risk data Making environmental science accessible to anyone with a ZIP code, completely free, no signup required

What we learned

How to work with real government APIs and handle inconsistent or missing data gracefully How to build a full-stack Next.js application with backend API routes and frontend components How AI can bridge the gap between complex scientific data and everyday understanding The real science behind harmful algal blooms, causes, effects, and prevention strategies How to collaborate under time pressure, manage git conflicts, and ship a working product fast

What's next for BloomWatch

Expand monitoring globally beyond US water bodies Add push notification alerts when bloom risk rises in a user's saved locations Improve detection accuracy with additional satellite imagery data and better algorithms Launch a mobile app on the App Store and Google Play License analytics dashboards to municipalities, schools, and environmental agencies Partner with eco-friendly brands for corporate sponsorship