A new low-cost, real-time water quality sensor developed by the Beacon Institute and Clarkson University could help scientists and managers clean up the Hudson and St. Lawrence rivers.<\/p>\n
The River and Estuary Observatory Network II sensor is \u201cthe first technology development project of the Beacon Institute after Gov. George Pataki founded the Institute,\u201d said Timothy Sugrue, Beacon Institute president and CEO. The institute is a research facility dedicated to studying rivers and estuaries, and an auxiliary of Clarkson University.<\/p>\n
REON II will replace the previous REON I monitoring system, which was based on floating sensor packages launched six years ago. Its sensitivity to ice kept it from being deployed during the winter. REON II is permanently placed on river banks, which makes it better able to monitor safely in spite of the weather. <\/p>\n
The sensor, built by collaboration between the institute and Clarkson University, measures dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, chlorophyll, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It took about six years and several million dollars to complete, Sugrue said. \u201cThis has been a public partnership to get us this far. Part of it is the state of New York and a part of it is the university that takes engineering seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Beacon Institute and Clarkson chose to build the sensor because there wasn\u2019t anything in REON II\u2019s price range that could match its capabilities, Sugrue said. Commercially available sensor packages measuring the same range of parameters can cost up to $24,000, while REON II costs around $1,200. \u201cIn keeping with our mission of answering critical water challenges with technology, it was clear that we needed to find a way to make water quality sensing universal \u2014 to set a new standard for environmental protection,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
REON II, launched in October, has been working well by providing scientists with consistent data as they seek to better understand the delicate connection between the environment, water and human activity. \u201cIn a project like this, you have your ups and downs. This year has been the best,\u201d Sugrue said. <\/p>\n