Nutrient reduction is heavily reliant on effective monitoring and looking back, this has been limited by a number of factors including cost, sensor technology, maintenance requirements, data management capability and telecommunications.
The cost of developing and implementing nutrient reduction plans to restore or maintain water quality can be very high, so it is essential that such plans are based on sound science and that monitoring is available to track progress and enable refinements. The advantages of freshwater monitoring also apply to inshore marine environments which can be harmfully impacted by river nutrient loads.
Looking forward, we are at a tipping point; many of the previous limitations no longer exist or have been minimized, so the prospects for much wider use of continuous nutrient monitoring look extremely bright. We will be able to monitor more wells, streams and rivers in even more remote locations, and with real-time data, to build fast-response, alarm-based systems that prevent ecological harm from taking place. Improved monitoring and communication technology will increase spatial data density and thereby improve the models that underpin strategic investment. By improving our understanding of nutrient behavior, continuous monitoring will enable the effective prioritization of infrastructure investments to reduce the impacts of nutrients and the restoration of impaired waters.
We can therefore look forward to a much better understanding of nutrient sources and loads, and to the creation of measurable goals… and to meeting them. To learn more visit otthydromet.com to see insights from nutrient monitoring experts.