One in nine people worldwide do not have access to clean water, according to the United Nations. This is largely due to pollution from urban runoff and industrial and agricultural activities. Several new technologies may help sustain freshwater ecosystems.

Underwater robots store and transmit environmental information. Photo credit: EU FET-PROACTIVE H2020 project subCULTron.

European scientists have designed the world's largest water quality monitoring system in Venice, Italy. The subCULTRON project is coordinated by the Artificial Life Lab at the University of Graz. The team uses a swarm of 120 robotic mussels, fish, and lily pads to measure and report water quality. The underwater robots collect data on how Venice canals and waterways are impacted by industry, tourism, transportation, and sewage. The data is then sent to government agencies. If successful, the underwater robots could replace manual sampling.

The robots network with each other through bio-inspired algorithms called swarm communication. They mimic the way social insects communicate when they interact with their environments. Artificial mussels monitor algae and bacterial encrustation in the canals. They also store data gathered and shared. Lily pads collect information on the surface from ship traffic or satellite data. Fish explore and monitor waterways and exchange that information with the other robots. The scientists hope to expand the project for other applications.  Melting Ice with Electrified Concrete

	A slab of conductive concrete demonstrates de-icing capability outside the Peter Kiewit Institute in Omaha during a winter storm in December 2015. The concrete carries just enough current to melt ice while remaining safe to the touch. Photo credit: Chris Tuan and Lim Nguyen.

Traditional methods of de-icing roadways are hard on the environment, labor-intensive, and expensive. University of Nebraska Engineering Professor Chris Tuan may have solved the problem with a concrete mix that conducts electricity to generate heat and melt away ice. The concrete mixture contains a 20 percent blend of steel shavings and carbon particles. The conductive concrete is being trialed by Federal Aviation Administration officials in Omaha, Nebraska.

 

In early March, a storm dumped heavy rain across parts of the south, causing severe flooding in several states. A Mission customer in Louisiana monitors rainfall with rain tipping buckets that are connected to pulse option boards. The tipping bucket reported over 20 inches of rain over a four-day period as illustrated in the Rainfall Calendar below. 

The heaviest rainfall was recorded on March 9. A closer look at the data to the right shows there were several 15-minute intervals where 0.5 or more inches of rain fell. These readings represent about 3 to 4 tips per minute.

You can download rainfall data on your web portal to Excel, create a table, and sort the readings. This way you can further analyze the data to determine when the heaviest and the lightest rainfall occurred.  

If you have a large service area, consider strategically placing tipping buckets throughout your territory. You may be able to determine if early preparations for large inflows are necessary based on consistent weather patterns in your area. For instance, a Mission customer in Alabama monitors the west side of town for heavy rainfall to determine if preemptive action should be taken to divert flows on the east side of town.

The Runtime vs. Rainfall report can help inflow and infiltration problems. The graph below shows that runtimes dramatically increased when heavy rainfall began on March 9.

Pump runtimes doubled following the rain event on March 9.

Best Practices for Rainfall Tipping Buckets
Location and area conditions are important to consider when installing a rain tipping bucket. Make sure the tipping bucket is not located next to a building or structure. This prevents inaccurate readings due to rainfall splatter from the roof or swirling winds. It is best to place rain tipping buckets in areas with no falling debris. Leaves and bird droppings can affect the accuracy of the rainfall readings. Birds and rodents also like to nest in tipping buckets. Make routine checks to be sure nests are not obstructing the bucket.

No Missing Data
From time to time, cellular carriers perform routine maintenance on cell towers and RTUs will have a temporary loss of communication. The pulse option board will continue to count the tips from the tipping bucket and store them locally during these events. The readings are reported on the web portal when communication is restored.

If you have any questions about monitoring rainfall, please contact Mission Technical Support at (877) 993-1911, option 2.