Automated Water Quality Monitoring for Lakes & Ponds

Monitoring water quality in lakes and ponds is essential for ecosystem health, public safety, and resource management. These bodies of water support diverse ecosystems, and regular monitoring helps detect changes in pH, oxygen, and nutrient levels that sustain aquatic life. Without monitoring, issues like algal blooms and fish kills can disrupt these environments.

Lakes and ponds often serve as drinking water sources. Monitoring helps ensure they meet health standards, remaining free of contaminants like bacteria and chemicals. These water bodies are also popular for recreation, and clean water supports safe swimming, fishing, and boating.

Because lakes and ponds can connect to creeks and streams, or rely on surface water runoff, they may face contamination risks, especially in agricultural areas. Runoff can introduce excess nutrients, causing rapid algae growth that depletes oxygen and harms aquatic life. Monitoring nutrient and oxygen levels allows for timely interventions to protect water quality and ecosystem balance.

But monitoring of lakes and ponds has historically been expensive and time-consuming. Manual efforts are often used to gather water samples that must be sent to third-party labs for analysis. This delay between gathering samples and getting results can allow issues to compound.

Automation is helping make lake and pond water management easier while driving down costs. With devices on-site, operating 24/7, samples can be pulled and tested at a regular cadence for pennies on the dollar. This ongoing collection of data and analysis also allows lake and pond management officials to spot trends in water quality and act in real-time to lab-accurate readings for more streamlined management of water bodies.