OTT HydroMet’s XLink datalogger has been shortlisted for the WWEM 2024 ‘Most Innovative Water Monitoring Solution’ award.

XLink is a unique Wi-Fi enabled datalogger with two-way communications capability via IRIDIUM® or Cellular technology. Designed specifically for environmental monitoring, XLink is sensor agnostic, accepting SDI12, RS485 and 4-20mA inputs, and capable of transmitting up to 32 independent measurements. This means that the XLink can log and transmit remote monitoring data for parameters such as water level and flow, water quality, air quality, and meteorological parameters such as wind, precipitation and solar radiation.

“We are delighted that the XLink has been shortlisted for this award,” explains OTT HydroMet’s Dr Liam Goodes. “XLink is much more than just a highly sophisticated datalogger. With built in communications options it is able to exploit low-cost cellular comms, and where cellular is not available, IRIDIUM® satellite is a simple, elegant solution at a cost that many of our customers now find surprisingly low.”

WWEM will take place at the NEC from 9 –10 October, and the WWEM awards will be presented at the event’s Gala Dinner on Thursday 9th October. Anyone with an interest in remote environmental monitoring can vote for the XLink and other categories at www.ilmexhibitions.com/wwem/awards-voting/.

In addition to Conferences and Seminars, WWEM 2024 will also include an international Exhibition. Visitors to the OTT HydroMet booth (H3) will be able to see the XLink, along with other products such as borehole loggers, Lufft combined weather sensors, and Kipp & Zonen solar radiation instruments.

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Inspired by the Environmental Change Network, with freshwater and terrestrial sites spread out all over the UK, freelance Freshwater Biologist John Davy-Bowker set up the River Lab Long Term Monitoring (RLLTM) project in Dorset. John’s project focuses on two chalk streams which flow independently and discharge into Poole Harbour: River Frome and River Piddle. Monitoring two sites close to each other makes it easier to see patterns from the data in relation to temperature to determine a common denominator (i.e., weather) in macroinvertebrate communities.

There are always at least two Tinytag Aquatic 2 (TG-4100) temperature data loggers in one location, with a third typically running as a backup, to measure the temperature of the rivers. The loggers record once every half an hour, providing year-round data from both rivers. This temperature data is evaluated alongside water level data and samples of macroinvertebrates to ultimately assess what drives the changes in stream macroinvertebrate communities through time. Water temperature is likely an important influencing factor in macroinvertebrate communities, which is why John monitors this parameter so closely.

At 14 years old, the RLLTM project is still in its early stages. The goal for the coming years is to continue to gather high-quality data for an extended period. However, some of the data has also contributed to other projects, such as Marsh et al’s ‘Warm winters and cool springs negatively influence recruitment of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in a southern England chalk stream.’ Temperature data from the RLLTM programme was used to “calculate the mean water temperature during spawning and emergence.”

It can be difficult to sustain long-term monitoring projects using the same equipment – durability and quality are very important. At the start of this project almost 14 years ago, many freshwater biologists were still using traditional recorders with probes in the water and the device to the side of the river. This was not convenient and users often struggled to calibrate the equipment.

John instead chose Tinytag Aquatic 2 loggers because they are robust and submersible, ideal for being underwater for a long time. John adds, “The long battery life and robustness mean that I can confidently leave the loggers in place for a whole year with no concerns. I often think of them ceaselessly recoding the river temperatures while I’m snug and warm having my Christmas dinner!”

There is a convenient pillar on top of the logger to secure a shackle or seizing wire, stopping it from coming away underwater. There can be a lot of stress on underwater devices due to the varying weather and river conditions, but there is no need to worry about the Tinytag Aquatic 2 loggers being damaged, torn off, or washed away.

The RLLTM project’s loggers are periodically checked to ensure continuous recording. The convenient flashing red LED on the logger is useful to show that the loggers are still functioning correctly at just a glance, with a single flash every four seconds indicating that the logger is recording. All of the Aquatic 2 loggers involved in the programme to date have performed reliably without a single failure.

Another reason John Davy-Bowker chose Tinytag data loggers for the River Lab Long Term Monitoring Project is due to Gemini Data Loggers’ certificated calibration service, traceable to national standards. John comments, “the calibration service is fantastic. We download the data every year and then send the loggers off for calibration. We receive the loggers back with a certificate to prove the readings, fresh batteries installed, and new sealants, all ready to go again!”

Most of the rivers’ temperature readings fall between 5°C to 15°C. John praises the off-the-shelf calibration service measuring at points 0°C and 30°C, however, he typically uses our custom calibration service to receive 7 points of calibration, in 5°C increments from 0°C to 30°C, for greater confirmed accuracy. This gives him reassurance that all of his loggers are running well and providing the best possible data.

Impressed with the quality and durability of the loggers, John would “highly recommend Tinytag data loggers to any environmental scientists looking to record water temperature. They have served me very well for 14 years and I intend to continue using them for the foreseeable future.”

A continuous water quality monitoring project has been the the winner in the ‘Pollution Mitigation Initiative of the Year’ category at the Water Industry Awards.

Working in partnership with Meteor Communications, APEM Group managed a water quality monitoring project on the River Kent near Kendal in the Lake District. The project was implemented to help ensure the protection of water quality while treated water was discharged into the river through a temporary outfall pipe at a new location, following the damage of the original outfall by storm Desmond in 2015.

Hannah Austin, Divisional Director – Water Science, APEM Group, said: “I am immensely proud of the team that brought this amazing project to life. It’s great to see the tangible benefits to our rivers that monitoring data and evidence-led decision making bring. For APEM Group and our partners at Meteor Communications to be nationally recognised for this innovative work is a remarkable achievement.”

The WIA judges felt that APEM Group’s entry “stood out as both very relevant and innovative, while also presenting a positive message about pollution mitigation.” They described it as “a scalable solution to enhance pollution control and meet future demands, presenting significant benefits.”

A key element of the project was the deployment of Meteor ESNET water quality monitoring stations, installed and maintained by Meteor Communications to provide real-time water quality data both upstream and downstream of the temporary outfall. Meteor’s Managing Director Matt Dibbs, who attended the awards ceremony, said: “We were delighted that the scalability of our water monitoring quality monitoring solutions has been recognised as these systems meet the river monitoring requirements of the Environment Act’s Section 82. This project therefore represents a blueprint for the large number of monitoring systems that water companies will establish in the upcoming AMP period.”

Further information on the Kendal project is available at https://meteorcommunications.co.uk/news-views/

A new continuous metals monitoring technology was recently trialled at a river by a Talc production plant in central Finland. The trial was conducted to assess the possibility of avoiding the need to sample and analyse large numbers of environmental water samples. “The results were extremely enlightening,” explains Jari Sirviö, Development Engineer for Elementis, the plant’s owner. “Luckily, a heavy rainfall event occurred during the brief trial, and we discovered a rapid increase, and subsequent decrease, in nickel concentration that closely followed the rain. This strong correlation between rainfall and nickel provides an important insight into the behaviour of nickel, and raises a number of important questions; it also highlights the enormous benefits that can be gained from continuous monitoring.”

It is common practice globally, to monitor metals concentrations by sampling for laboratory analysis, and the plant had previously taken samples three times per week. In contrast, the continuous and automated monitor makes a measurement every 5 minutes, 24/7. “Lab analysis would not have been able to demonstrate the correlation between rainfall and nickel concentration,” Jari explains. “We are therefore delighted to see that this new monitoring technology can deliver greater insights into the factors affecting water quality, so that we can continuously improve our environmental performance.”

The new monitoring technology employs Micro-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (µDOES®), and was supplied by the Finnish company Sensmet.

Background
Employing over 1,300 people at more than 24 locations, Elementis is a specialty chemicals company with operations worldwide. The company is focused on distinctive, high-value solutions and products to improve performance and enhance sustainability for customers in the personal care and product performance specialties markets. The Elementis plant at Sotkamo produces Talc according to market demand, as well as Nickel concentrate as a by-product.

Talc is one of the softest minerals, and with platy and hydrophobic characteristics it adds value to a range of industrial products including paper, paints & coatings, polyester putties, plastics, ceramics, food, and fertilizers.

Nickel is used in a wide range of industrial applications such as the manufacture of stainless steel. However, its importance has been heightened in recent years as a component of rechargeable batteries – in electric vehicles for example.

Environmental monitoring
Elementis constantly aims to design better products that use less resources and create less pollution. In addition, the company has identified water management, waste minimisation and ecological impacts as material issues within its sustainability strategy.

A water treatment plant was built at the Sotkamo facility in 2021, using lime to raise the pH of site wastewaters and remove contaminants such as metals. In compliance with an environmental permit, together with Finnish environmental law, high quality process monitoring ensures the receiving environment is not polluted by the discharge, and includes an upper limit for nickel in the receiving river water of 0.034 mg/l.

During the period immediately after the installation of the neutralisation plant, a large number of laboratory samples were taken as the plant was optimised. This prompted Elementis staff to investigate the possibility of continuous analysis, which led to the trial of Sensmet’s µDOES® analyser.

Continuous multi-metal monitoring technology
Sensmet’s Micro-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy, µDOES®, enables the multi-metal real-time analysis of aqueous samples. In addition to nickel monitoring, the technology can also be utilised to monitor elements such as lithium, sodium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, copper, and more.

The patented µDOES® technology is based on atomic emission spectroscopy. A micro-discharge (electric spark) is created directly inside the aqueous sample, causing a microscopic volume of the fluid surrounding the spark to be flash-heated to 10 000 °C. Molecules in the micro-discharge are dissociated into atoms, which are excited to their respective higher electronic states. Upon returning to their ground state, these atoms release their excess energy by emitting light at their characteristic wavelengths. The µDOES® measures this atomic emission spectrum to derive quantitative analysis of the sample, displaying measurements locally, and transferring data to the user’s DCS and database as needed.

Conclusions
The µDOES® analyser has provided the Sotkamo staff with new insights into the factors affecting nickel levels, which enables the development of mitigation measures. “Sensmet’s continuous monitoring technology has delivered a real lightbulb moment for us,” Jari Sirviö explains. “Now that we know about the correlation between rainfall and nickel concentration, we can investigate a range of options that could be employed to lower nickel levels, and with continuous monitoring we will be in a better position to evaluate the results.”

In recent years there has been a global trend toward greater use of continuous environmental monitoring. “This has been enabled by advances in technology,” explains Sensmet CEO Dr Toni Laurila. “However, as this trial has demonstrated, continuous monitoring delivers a range of other important advantages, that combine to further improve environmental protection.”

Experts in water quality from 17 different countries will be descending on Aberdeen next week for a three-day international workshop.

The event, being co-led by and held at The James Hutton Institute, will explore recent advances in water quality measurement helping to pinpoint nutrients and chemicals in freshwaters using state-of-the art sensors.

Running from 17 to 19 June, the workshop will include presentations by experts from across four continents, including from Canada, New Zealand, Northern Ireland and Scandinavia, as well as field trips to river restoration and water quality monitoring sites in Aberdeenshire.

Dr Miriam Glendell, event co-organiser and research leader in catchment modelling at the Hutton, says, “We are proud to host the fifth in this series of workshops here at the Hutton where we have a strong focus on waters, from understanding water quality management and modelling, and host Scotland’s Hydro Nation International Centre.

“There are many advances being made in how we can monitor and understand our waters and river catchments for pollutants, from biological to emerging contaminants, such as forever chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

“Sharing these advances, looking at how best to deploy them and how best to use the data they provide, including use of sensors and AI, will be a major focus at this event, helping to drive forward expertise, evidence and understanding in this area to inform policy and practise and safeguard our waters in Scotland, the UK and beyond.”

The event, the 5th International Workshop on High Temporal Resolution Water Quality Monitoring and Analysis, is run by the Hutton, Hydro Nation International Centre (based at the Hutton), the University of Stirling and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Sponsorship is provided from Badger Meter, the parent company of the world leading brand of water quality sensors from s::can.

The field trip will include visits to the Beltie Burn restoration project near Torphins and the Hutton’s Glensaugh research farm where nature-based solutions (such as “leaky barriers” and riparian planting) are being monitored and assessed and long-term data collection takes place as part of the Environmental Change Network. The event has previously been held in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Ireland.

A consortium of British marine technology companies has secured Innovate UK funding to deploy non-invasive Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) for water quality monitoring in three key South West regional ports; Dartmouth, Falmouth and Plymouth.

Led by Somerset-based marine acoustic monitoring experts, MSeis, the ‘Smart Ports, Clean Waters’ project partners aim to transform public understanding of water ecosystems in ports and harbours in the South West of England by providing broad range, accessible data relating to pollution in the region’s rivers and estuaries. MSeis will be supported by technical partners, HydroSurv (based in Exeter) and Chelsea Technologies.

Water quality standards have become a pressing concern in the UK. Under the Water Framework Directive, just 14% of UK rivers currently meet the criteria for ‘good ecological status’. The River Dart has recently been given bathing water status across four tidal locations, highlighting the immediate need for a sustainable water quality monitoring solution to detect potential issues related to agricultural run-off, untreated sewage and hydrocarbon contamination.

The ‘Smart Ports, Clean Waters’ end-to-end solution will see a specialist sensor payload from Chelsea Technologies integrated into MSeis’ three, battery electric HydroSurv REAV-16 uncrewed vessels. The remotely controlled USVs will harvest a range of water quality and eutrophication data within inland waters on weekly deployments by MSeis from their stations in Dartmouth, Falmouth and Plymouth, with the results widely accessible to regional stakeholders via a cloud-based, geospatial data viewing platform developed by HydroSurv.

David Hull, CEO of HydroSurv, said: “This zero-emission, safe and sustainable solution for water quality data collection will achieve widespread coverage at three of the South West’s key harbours using highly automated, robotic vessels overseen by shore-based personnel. The consortium is committed to serving public interest, operating independently from other public and private monitoring efforts, with the goal of providing accurate and unbiased information to the community.”

During the 12-month test and demonstration campaign, which will showcase the cloud-based visualisation platform, other expected outputs include detailed weekly datasets from each harbour, evaluation workshops involving the port partners and the further enhancement of integration and survey tactics knowledge.

MSeis Managing Director, Mark Higginbottom, said: “This project will make a real difference to the environmental monitoring of our harbours and coastal waters. We are thrilled to be working with HydroSurv and Chelsea Technologies, whose knowledge and skill sets will complement our own offshore experience and expertise.”

The South West’s rich maritime heritage and strong economic tie to tourism, fisheries and recreational marine makes it an ideal testing ground for this groundbreaking pilot, strengthening the region’s technological innovation reputation for the global blue economy.

An important advance is claimed for a technology that allows water quality to be assessed in a matter of minutes.

The new Bacterisk technology was developed by Molendotech (https://molendotech.com/), a spin-out from The University of Plymouth. It gives an accurate running water quality assessment in the field, seemingly for the first time, with results available in 15 minutes. Historically, water quality testing has taken up to 48 hours and required testing in a laboratory. The Bacterisk kit is portable and can be carried in a briefcase, allowing water utilities and other stakeholders to rapidly and accurately assess water quality on the spot.

Bacterisk uses patented endotoxin detection technology, cutting out long waits involved in lab testing as well as avoiding the dangerous practice of growing live bacteria. The new technology also offers more accurate testing than standard methods, which focus on assessing the presence of E.Coli and Enterococci only. Bacterisk technology also capture and inform of the risk other pathogens that cause diseases that are on the rise, such as Weil’s Disease (lepto) and typho (salmonella) plus Vibrius Vulnificus (flesh eating bacteria) in any running water.

The roll-out comes at a time when hospital admissions for waterborne diseases in England are up by 60% [source]. Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has recently hailed sewage in water “a growing public health problem” [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sewage-in-water-a-growing-public-health-problem].

Molendotech Ltd was founded in 2018 by Professor Simon Jackson, who discovered the potential that endotoxin detection technology held as a quick risk assessment for water quality. Jackson has a background in immunology research into sepsis, and the breakthrough came when he was conducting medical research. Molendotech now works out of two University-managed facilities – the Brixham Laboratory in Devon and the Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre in Truro, Cornwall.

Uses for Bacterisk are expected to be wide -ranging and Molendotech is currently in talks with water boards, action groups and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

Professor Simon Jackson, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Molendotech, said: “The roll out of Bacterisk will mean a breakthrough in water quality monitoring and is something both the water industry and stakeholders need. Having portable, real-time assessments of water quality will allow the development of meaningful water quality maps that users and regulators can use to inform decision making and guide practices.”

West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) in the UK recently refused a planning application on the grounds of flood risk. The proposed development included the construction of just a single dwelling within the village of Standlake. However, local campaigners were able to argue against the proposal with the benefit of groundwater level data provided by a continuous level logger that had been installed in the garden of an adjacent property. Instrumentation firm OTT HydroMet writes.

In this case, the developer took occasional manual measurements that were found to be of limited value in comparison with continuous readings from a professional borehole logger from OTT HydroMet.

“The groundwater level data was critically important to our case,” explains local campaigner Paula Gaffney. “The village of Standlake is heavily affected by flooding, so this is a major consideration in any proposed new development, but without evidence, it is difficult to draw reliable conclusions.

“For this reason, we dug two boreholes adjacent to the proposed development site and rented an OTT ecoLog 1000 water level logger from OTT HydroMet to take measurements automatically every 15 minutes, 24/7.

“This generated a continuous data stream that provided a wealth of information on local groundwater conditions, particularly when combined with rainfall data from the nearby Brize Norton meteorological station.

“Perhaps the most striking conclusion was the stark contrast between our continuous data stream and the developer’s occasional manual observations from the borehole that they had constructed in the middle of the proposed development site. In particular, the WODC Lowlands Planning Sub Committee were interested to note that the applicant’s water level observations did not coincide with any of the heavy rainfall events that took place.”

Standlake is located alongside the River Windrush, close to the point where it joins the River Thames. Village residents have become accustomed to regular flooding, which is mostly derived from rising groundwater. Drainage pipe ingress is also a problem and Thames Water frequently supplies tankers to help alleviate flood damage. However, Standlake is by no means unique with its flood-related challenges and since their success in fighting the development application, the campaigners have been contacted by other villages seeking help and advice on ways to handle planning applications in flood zones.

“Our recommendation is always to gather reliable data,” says Paula Gaffney. “The installation of the monitoring system was much easier than we initially anticipated. Digging the boreholes was probably the hardest part! The telephone support from OTT HydroMet was excellent – helping us to set the monitor to record the distance from ground surface to the water, which was occasionally near to zero, after heavy rain.

“Online access to the data via the Hydromet Cloud web portal provided by OTT Hydromet was also very useful. The ability to access real-time data in the cloud gave full and transparent data access to the WODC planning and drainage officers so that they could see the rapid rise of high water table events and the slow infiltration rate as ground water levels fell over several days.”

The OTT ecoLog 1000 comprises a data logger connected by cable to a stainless-steel probe containing a very stable ceramic pressure cell. The datalogger stores measurements locally, but also transmits encrypted data to a website that can be easily accessed by all stakeholders, providing transparent access to trustworthy data.

Explaining the importance of data reliability, Paula says: “The installation of the ecoLog was simple and intuitive, but we were keen for OTT’s support engineers to check the configuration, so that it could be relied upon as evidence. This contrasted starkly with the applicant’s manually derived measurements, which were obviously selective and, in some cases, could be erroneous.”

Oxfordshire County Council’s drainage engineer visited the site and determined that the logger’s data demonstrated the site to be outside the tolerance required for effective soakaways. He also noted the absence of readings by the applicant during or following flood events and suggested that the applicant should also operate an automatic borehole logger.

Summarising, Paula says: “We were very impressed with the diligence of the WODC Lowlands Planning Sub Committee, and obviously delighted that the evidence we provided empowered them to determine that the proposed development would result in unacceptable flood risk. In fact, one of the councillors remarked that this was the first time an application had been refused on the grounds of flood risk.”

Typical users of the OTT ecoLog 1000 include government agencies, flood managers, developers, local communities, highway managers, rail network operators, water companies and water resource managers, as well as consultants, academics and environmental researchers. However, OTT HydroMet’s Dr Liam Goodes says: “Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather, so it seems likely that flood risk is set to become a greater issue in planning and development.

“Obviously, Planning decisions have to be informed by reliable facts, underpinned by accurate data. Groundwater levels can change quickly, so the OTT ecoLog offers all stakeholders, including councils, developers and local communities, an opportunity to create reliable evidence to ensure that planning decisions are fair and underpinned by science.”

This article contains paid for content produced in collaboration with iCenta Controls.

Instrument specialist iCenta Controls details a demonstration of its Metri Pro-Lite ultrasonic flowmeters on a 1260-mm mains water transmission pipe (see image, right) at a Southwest Water reservoir.

The pipe was in good condition, having been manufactured in the 1980s. Two sensor types were tested, both a large 0.5 MHz and a standard 1 MHz sensor (see images, below right). Firstly, 0.5 MHz sensors were installed on the pipe in Z mode using a bubble level and a ratchet strap.

The correct factor values were entered into the meter. One sensor measured flow, but it would only give a zero value. Although the signal looked good, the meter would not read the flow, indicated by the fact the signal was negative. The parameters that decide whether to let the unit read the flow needed to be adjusted in this case. The position of the sensor was adjusted to make sure the installation was the best available.

The 1MHz sensor was tested next, set up in Z mode. Good results were obtained.

The next test was in V mode. There was less signal this time, but enough to produce accurate results.

These tests prove that the meter will work on 1250-mm pipes that are in good condition and containing water, and it will work in both Z & V mode.

The device is fast to set up and we found that it compared favourably with the reference meter. There are also some video clips of this testing available. The device has exactly what you need to test the installation and log the data. It is intuitive to use.

www.icenta.co.uk

A startup developing specialized biosensors, Grapheal, and the EDYTEM laboratory*, have announced the fine-tuning of a portable device for monitoring water-borne PFAS pollution. Made up of miniature sensors, this device provides in situ direct measurements of pollution linked to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water.

Grapheal and EDYTEM co-developed the portable water monitoring device through their joint laboratory ‘Fluorograph’, under the ‘LabCom’ program supported by France’s National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR).

PFAS are a class of around 12,000 chemicals which, due to their unique properties, are now being used in a huge number of applications and devices. A major mapping project showed that they can be found at millions of sites throughout Europe. As a result of their extraordinary persistence, toxicity and (bio)accumulation, PFAS are now described as ‘forever chemicals’. They cause major health problems and environmental damage. Consequently, detecting trace amounts of PFAS and monitoring them has become a global priority. Evaluating PFAS contamination of water sources is currently a highly complex matter, requiring laboratory testing with the use of sophisticated and costly equipment.

To address this, the Fluorograph laboratory developed a miniature electronic sensor, the size of a credit card, that can conduct on-site sampling tests, making contamination mapping a much simpler task. Initial test results using these new sensors to detect one of the most common PFAS compounds, PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), in water, showed detection limits in the region of 300 ng/L, below the European Union regulatory maximum of 500 ng/L of total PFAS in drinking water.

“The high sensitivity and ease of use of the Fluorograph device allow for quantitative detection of PFAS in situ and help meet the pressing need to map polluted areas and monitor them over time,” said Guy Royal, researcher at EDYTEM. “It’s a valuable tool for regulatory organizations, field researchers and other staff with responsibility for water management.”

“As it is produced with printed electronics and uses a carbon sensor, Flurograph’s device has a very low environmental impact,” said Vincent Bouchiat, CEO of Grapheal. “On-site analysis is made easier, making it possible to increase the density of tests while significantly reducing the financial burden associated with frequent water analyses. In this context, Grapheal is looking for industrial partners to support the industrialization of its solution and the increase in production volume.”

* a joint research unit between France’s Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Savoie Mont Blanc University