Highlights:
- Designed and deployed a real-time sensor network to monitor the effectiveness of a wetland in filtering nutrients and sediment.
- Developed a real-time data dashboard that enabled field crews to sample during optimal times.
In the Lake Erie watershed, there has been substantial effort to reduce nutrient runoff, which contributes to issues such as harmful algal blooms and fish kills. One method to reduce nutrients has been constructing wetlands to filter runoff from agricultural fields. Water flowing through wetlands can be complex, making it difficult to determine the effectiveness of this strategy.
Freeboard Technology and LimnoTech worked together to develop and deploy sensors within a demonstration wetland in northwest Ohio to help government scientists assess the success of the wetland in filtering nutrients.
The sensors deployed included a meteorological station, water level sensors, a multi-parameter probe, and nutrient sensor. All sensors reported in real-time, and a custom dashboard was developed to view the data. The real-time data enabled field crews to conduct grab sampling at optimal times to follow the hydrograph.
