Technology and circuits might make new water quality sensors “smart,” but it takes decades of time-trusted data to make them “wise.” A new project in the Lake Erie basin is demonstrating the viability of real-time, inexpensive sensor technology—the same kind found in your dishwasher or cell phone—by comparing it to long-term standardized data collected through Ohio’s Old Woman Creek Reserve’s System-wide Monitoring Program.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Reserve on this project,” says Bryan Stubbs, executive director of the Cleveland Water Alliance. “Their gold-standard monitoring and data create a baseline so we can vet new technologies against validated, accepted national standards.”

The sensors could save the state’s Department of Natural Resources significant time and money, allowing them to collect reliable data at roughly 10% the cost of legacy sensors. The abundance of new, real-time, remotely-accessible data will support science, research, and land management decisions in the Lake Erie basin. 

Improving water quality is a statewide goal as laid out in Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, which seeks to support the health and safety of the Ohioans who live, work, and play on the water. Effective water quality monitoring is integral to this goal and Northeast Ohio’s burgeoning “blue economy.” Water-related industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in Cuyahoga County, more so than aerospace, advanced manufacturing, energy, and biohealth.

“We know that investing in the health of our lakes, creeks, and rivers is investing in our local economy—be that through tourism, sport fishing, research and innovation, or talent and job development,” says Stubbs. “The Smart Sensor project will have the ability to assess our return on investment in freshwater resources and help build the growing water sector in Northeast Ohio.”

“We know that investing in the health of our lakes, creeks, and rivers is investing in our local economy—be that through tourism, sport fishing, research and innovation, or talent and job development,” says Stubbs. “The Smart Sensor project will have the ability to assess our return on investment in freshwater resources and help build the growing water sector in Northeast Ohio.”

That kind of impact requires people from all sectors to work together. The project was born out of partnership between the Old Woman Creek Reserve, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Cleveland Water Alliance, and LimnoTech. 

“What the Reserve brings to this partnership is our long-term historical dataset with known reliability and quality,” says Dr. Janice Kerns. “Our role is and always has been to be a tool for others. Our research, education, and training programs make us a resource. We provide the foundation for others to innovate and develop new technologies and new resources.”

“When it comes to water, more information is better,” adds Kerns. “And wetlands specifically are so diverse. No two are the same. So for us to fully understand their dynamics, we need widespread monitoring. Smart sensors can help us do that.”