Watershed Monitoring - St. Joseph River WatershedProject Overview
In order to improve water quality and protect drinking water, researchers at the St. Joseph River Watershed in Indiana are working to identify best management practices (BMPs) that will reduce soil erosion and the amount of nutrients and chemicals in surface water runoff.
The research area includes a variety of crop and soil types that undergo different agricultural and water management practices. Characterizing water quality in runoff from different site conditions and agricultural treatments will help identify which land management practices are most effective at protecting water resources.
In order to characterize the relationship between water quality, weather, site conditions, and management practices, a network of automated, real-time monitoring stations was installed within the St. Joseph River Watershed.
System Description
Every 60 minutes, NexSens Technology 4100-iSIC radio telemetry systems transmit soil, weather, and solar radiation data from numerous remote sites to a base station computer at a centralized laboratory. This data is analyzed in conjunction with water chemistry data from samples collected by ISCO samplers in response to rain events. NexSens iSIC data logging systems are designed to trigger ISCO samplers based on user-defined parameter variables.
Data from the monitoring sites is automatically collected, exported, and posted to the USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Lab datacenter. NexSens iChart software allows data to be automatically exported in multiple ODBC compliant database formats including Oracle, MySQL, Excel, Access, and more.
Researchers at the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, USDA - Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Purdue University, and other associated agencies have open access the real-time datacenter to view, analyze, and share data.
For more information or to view real-time data, visit the USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Lab datacenter: http://milford.nserl.purdue.edu/swpi | NexSens 1001 | iChart software | NexSens 4100-BASE | Spread spectrum radio base station | NexSens A41 | Omni antenna, radio frequency, 890-970 MHz | NexSens A31 | RF cable, low-loss, 10' | NexSens 4100-iSIC | iSIC data logger with spread spectrum radio telemetry | NexSens AVSS241608 | Stainless steel enclosure, 24" x 16" x 8" | NexSens A55 | Pole/wall mounting kit | NexSens A38 | Ground kit | NexSens A22 | Solar power kit, 20-watt | NexSens A46 | Yagi antenna, radio frequency, 866-960 MHz | Stevens 93640 | Hydra Probe II soil moisture, temperature, & salinity sensor, SDI-12 interface, 25' cable | RM Young 52203 | Tipping bucket rain gauge | RM Young 05103V | Wind speed & direction monitor, 0-5 V | RM Young 41382VC | Relative humidity & temperature probe, degrees Celsius, 0-1 V | RM Young 41003 | Radiation shield, universal adapter (for sensors to 15mm diameter) | Vaisala WXT510AAA0AA00B0 | Multi-parameter weather sensor, SDI-12 | ISCO 68-6710-070 | Model 6712 Full Size Portable Sampler. Includes controller with 512kB RAM, top cover, center section, base, distributor arm, instruction manual & pocket guide. | NexSens A59 | iSIC to ISCO interface cable, 20' |
| |
