A new water monitoring station that measures levels, flows, flumes and stage discharge via cloud networks has been launched, to assist in the mitigation of the effects of floodwaters, stormwater and compromised storage dams.

The system is said to deliver near real-time water level and flow alerts.  The Web-enabled station uses the same 4G cellular technology widely adopted for mobile devices, aimed at providing fast and reliable communications. It offers pre-programmed water flow formulas for select weirs and flumes, as well as a stage discharge table.

The monitoring system is distributed by local technology integrator, Euca Technologies, on behalf of logging and monitoring system company, Onset Computer Corporation. The HOBO MicroRX Water Level Station performs water flow and accumulated rainfall calculations directly on the station at the time of measurement. It then triggers notifications of critical water level conditions and combined with a ceramic water level sensor, delivers calculated water level and flow data through cloud-based software for remote reporting and management.

The compact station unit includes a built-in liquid crystal display and is available with optional integrated built-in solar power or battery power and is designed to withstand harsh conditions.

It has inputs for five plug-and-play smart sensors and the non-vented ceramic water level sensor has a choice of four ranges, interchangeable, Kevlar-reinforced water level sensor cables, integrated barometric pressure sensor and a compact IP66/NEMA 4X enclosure.

Supported measurements include absolute pressure, barometric pressure, leaf wetness, light intensity, PAR, pulse input, rainfall, relative humidity, soil moisture, temperature, water level and wind.

Features of the monitoring station include:

• Stormwater and wetlands monitoring
• Floodwater mitigation: providing an alert system for potential flood situations
• Irrigation control: delivering water usage data for conservation, water use records and water rights issues
• Hydrological studies: monitoring surface water systems and aquifers to support water quality and environmental studies
• Station-side alarms: for water flow and accumulated rainfall triggered at time of measurement