When the Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River were connected by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the 1880s, the region underwent a variety of environmental changes. While water control locks were installed in the 1930s and 1960s, the Sanibel area in Southwest Florida still suffered from deteriorating water quality due to runoff and pollution occurring up the river and surrounding watershed. Incoming nutrient loading caused massive algae drift/stranding events in 2005-2006, according to AJ Martignette, the Laboratory Manager with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). The water quality shifts also led to the increased frequency and severity of red tides as well as large salinity swings affecting sea grasses in the estuary and freshwater grasses in the river. In order to mitigate some of the damages, the SCCF stepped in to help develop a monitoring program that would help inform the USACE and the South Florida Water Management District when to release water and when to close off the connection between the lake and river. In 2007, what is now referred to as the River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network, or simply RECON was created. Made up of 11 monitoring sites, the network tracks weather and water quality across Southwest Florida in order to ensure the residents can continue to rely on the aquatic system. Challenge: Environmental Conditions in Southwest Florida

Sanibel and Captiva Islands sit near the Gulf Coast in Southwest Florida and are some of the last stops for water flowing from Lake Okeechobee through the Caloosahatchee River and to the Gulf of Mexico. The region has dealt with die-offs of snook, a sought-after game fish, because of temperature fluctuations in the water. Other marine life has suffered from the temperature swings as well, as turtles there have been found stunned by the cold. To keep tabs on temperatures and other water quality indicators there, scientists at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Marine Laboratory oversee an estuary observation network that collects data in real time. By observing changes as they happen, the researchers can make appropriate and timely recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls water releases from dams upstream.

Coney Island Creek is a sea inlet separating the western portion of Coney Island from the main body of Kings County, New York. In the early 1900s, a tire factory near the creek contaminated it by dumping benzene and other hazardous chemicals. In an effort to dredge the contaminated sediment, a New York consulting firm contacted NexSens Technology for assistance on designing and implementing a real-time turbidity dredge monitoring system. Monitoring dredge operations in real time The water level in Coney Island Creek fluctuates drastically daily based on tides. Due to sediment buildup, many areas completely dry up during low tide. Therefore, a typical buoy-based dredge monitoring system was not feasible in all areas. As a solution, NexSens engineers developed unique float kits to keep the turbidity sensor from becoming covered in muck during low tide.