Water quality measurements are performed for water in streams, rivers, lakes and in groundwater systems. Different parameters can be measured and used as indicators of water quality, such as electroconductivity (EC), acidity or alkalinity of a solution (pH), or dissolved oxygen (DO). Water depth, flow and temperature can add valuable insight into water quality. A 6549 water depth sensor or 6527 Starflow QSD instrument can be added to a water quality measurement station for that purpose.
Unidata supplies a wide range of water quality systems. In the illustration, water conductivity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and water depth are measured, and data are stored and wirelessly transmitted by a Neon Remote Logger.
Neon Remote Logger can be set up to collect/log readings from conductivity instruments 6536F, pH probe 6528, dissolved oxygen probe 7422 and water level transmitter 6549 every hour and to transmit this data to the central Neon server every four hours.
Ultra-low-power consumption of this system set up is ideal for remote, unattended operation. These instruments and logger will operate for up to 2 years using a small lithium battery package. Installing the Neon Remote Logger enables you to monitor and modify / change data acquisition and check the health of the site, all from a remote location using a web browser anywhere in the world.
The choice of telemetry option would be based on cellular coverage in the measurement area and costs associated with reporting the data back. Satellite services for these applications have reduced in price over the last 5 years, so satellite services are a reasonable option for such measurement stations.
The systems can be powered using lithium battery packs or a small solar panel and battery. Like all Unidata systems, you can connect many other sensors to the standard system. If water quality measurements are done in relatively shallow waters, the 6549 water level transmitter probe can be replaced by the 6527 Starflow QSD instrument. Starflow QSD will measure the depth of water as well as the velocity and rate of flow.
