Region 5: Real-Time Sensors to Screen for Water Quality Impacts from Wastewater Discharges

2019 Regional-State-Tribal Innovation Projects

Screening rivers for potential sources of improperly permitted waste disposal is costly using conventional water monitoring approaches. The alternative, based on recent advances in water quality sensor technology, is to use sensor networks to cost-effectively screen large spatial areas in waterways.  This approach can better define priority areas for compliance monitoring and help the regulated community understand their compliance obligations.  The goal of this project is to develop a set of best practices or protocols for using new continuous (or near-continuous) sensor technologies to help focus traditional compliance monitoring activities on areas of greatest concern.  The project will conduct field monitoring and sampling at several sites (using both mobile and fixed water quality sensors) coupled with a web-based, geospatial platform to manage and analyze the data. In addition to best field practices for compliance monitoring screening, the project will provide valuable insights into how to manage the large data sets created by real-time sensor technology.