40 Water / Wastewater
CONTINUOUS REMOTE WATER QUALITY MONITORING NETWORKS
Proven scalable
monitoring solutions for Environment Act 2021
O
ne of the key objectives of the Environment Act 2021 is to tackle the major sources of pollution in rivers and improve water quality. As a result, rigorous new monitoring requirements have been established, so it is fortunate that one company, Meteor Communications, has been implementing such networks for many years, and operates the largest real-time continuous water quality monitoring network in the UK.
ESNET Kiosk at Wastewater Treatment Works
By continuously monitoring upstream and downstream, sewerage undertakers will better understand the impacts discharges have on the receiving watercourse. This evidence will help them to improve asset performance and deliver a progressive reduction in pollution.
Matt Dibbs with kiosk remote water quality monitor
In the following article, Matt Dibbs, Managing Director at Meteor Communications Ltd., outlines the implications of the Act and explains how the new monitoring requirements can be successfully implemented. With over 700 remote water quality monitors already installed across the UK, Matt is in an ideal position to describe the ways in which continuous monitoring leads to water quality improvements.
Environment Act 2021
Section 82 of the Act addresses the monitoring of water potentially affected by discharges from storm overfl ows and sewage treatment works. Under this new law, a sewerage undertaker whose area is wholly or mainly in England is required to continuously monitor the quality of water upstream and downstream of storm overfl ows and sewage disposal works. Many thousands of these assets exist; often in remote locations without power and communications infrastructure, so the Act presents a signifi cant challenge for the wastewater sector.
IET NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023
Each of the monitoring systems will continuously monitor the key indicators of water quality: dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, turbidity and ammoniacal nitrogen. The Meteor team has been at the forefront of real-time monitoring for many years and as a result Meteor Communications was asked to submit evidence to the UK Government’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) during its inquiry into river water quality. Meteor’s evidence included a live demonstration of data from hundreds of continuous water quality monitoring sites across the UK.
It was important for the EAC to see the Meteor Communications Environment Sensor Network (ESNET) conducting continuous monitoring of numerous UK rivers, because this provided them with evidence that the technology has been operating successfully for many years, and has been developed to provide solutions for a wide range of applications.
There are tens of thousands of storm overfl ows and sewerage assets in England in Wales, so the new Act will result in a dramatic increase in river water quality monitoring.
Remote, continuous water
quality monitors For more than 30 years, Meteor Communications has worked with government agencies and water companies to develop remote continuous water quality monitoring systems. The key objectives for this work are as follows:
ESNET Water Quality Monitoring System
1. Low power – Mains power is not available at most sites so it is an absolute requirement for monitors to operate on solar or fuel cell power. Consequently, the sensor, control systems and telemetry must all have a very low power requirement.
2. Reliable sensors – Labour is a signifi cant cost in remote water quality monitoring, so unplanned maintenance visits should be avoided. In addition to extra costs, unnecessary site visits also increase the carbon footprint of the work. Multiparameter sondes have been developed to provide reliable data over extended periods of time, and Meteor has worked with leading manufacturers and stakeholders to develop operating methods and procedures that reduce downtime to an absolute minimum and maximise data reliability.
Multiparameter Water Quality Monitoring Sonde
3. Communications simplicity and fl exibility – Remote locations may have poor communications availability, so water quality monitors must have the fl exibility to employ the most effective communications methods available. Data must be delivered in real-time to Cloud-based platforms with secure data visualisation, analysis and alarm capability.
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