Buoyant Technology Does Fine-tuning
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
Technology-enhanced Yellow Buoy Bobbing in Buffalo Pound Lake, Canadais Allowing the Water Treatment Plant to OptimiseIts Operations
"We're able to use a buoy in the lake to measure different chemical conditions and physical conditions, and that allows us to understand a lot about the ecology of the lake," said Helen Baulch, lead investigator on a project that pairs the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan with the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.
The buoy is the first lake sensor of its kind in Canada that communicates directly with a treatment plant, said Baulch.
Every two hours, the buoy transmits data on pH, oxygen concentration, temperature, carbon dioxide and chlorophyll that is uploaded onto a website shared by the researchers and the plant.
"The really nice thing is their operators have been able to use those data to adapt their operations," said Baulch, "so they know how the chemistry is changing."
Buffalo Pound Lake provides drinking water to onequarter of Saskatchewan's population, primarily the residents of Moose Jaw, Regina and its surrounding communities.
The lake is an average of three metres deep and on a hot, sunny day like Wednesday, the temperature reached 23 C by noon. The lake is also nutrient-rich, partly caused by soil transfers. That combination is a breeding ground for algae.
Not only can algae affect the taste and smell of drinking water, it also wreaks havoc on the water treatment process. When algae photosynthesizes, it produces oxygen, leading to bubbles that float some chemicals designed to sink particles. Weather can also quickly impact operations; wind, for instance, can stratify the components of the water.
"The operator has to respond to all of these things very quickly, sometimes literally within a half-hour or so, as the water quality can change very quickly," said plant chemist Dan Conrad.
The buoy gives operators advance warning about the conditions of the lake, allowing them to tweak the treatment process appropriately. You won't notice differences in the taste or smell of your water, but the plant will benefit from finetuned practices and costsavings.
The data collected from the buoy is part of a broader, longer-term examination of Buffalo Pound Lake water quality.
The treatment plant has provided 40 years of data collection to the University of Saskatchewan researchers. It has also ramped up data analyses on its end, and a researcher from the University of Regina is performing complimentary work on sediment cores.
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