Real-time water safety information, built for recreationists and river users.
Industry
Energy / Public Safety
Services
AWS Services
UI/UX design
Web Application
The challenge
Brookfield Renewable US operates hydroelectric facilities across Maine and the broader northeast. Water release schedules from these dams directly affect the safety of kayakers, anglers, swimmers, and other river users downstream — but existing tools for communicating this information were inadequate for a non-technical public audience.
The project required a custom web application that could surface complex, facility-specific release data in a format that was immediately clear and useful to outdoor recreationists who might be checking conditions from a parking lot or a river bank.
Our approach
Autumn Lane AI designed and built Safewaters — a custom AWS-hosted web application that presents real-time and scheduled water release information for each Brookfield facility across Maine. The UX is built around the needs of the end user: fast to load, easy to navigate by state or river, and instantly readable at a glance.
Mobile-first design was central to the project given the context of use. Clear visual hierarchy and a clean, accessible interface ensure that anyone — not just experienced paddlers — can quickly understand current and upcoming release schedules before heading out.
The Result
Safewaters gives Maine’s river community a trusted, reliable tool that keeps people safer around Brookfield’s hydro operations.
It demonstrates Brookfield’s commitment to community stewardship and is a model for how utility operators can use thoughtful product design to communicate clearly and build public trust.