Robots to Monitor Water Quality
Robot housing on the Little Falls Branch by Mass Ave. The solar panel will charge the bot when it is docked.
Robots are coming to the Little Falls Watershed! In 2021, with funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, we started a project to develop autonomous water quality environmental robots. The bots will live in housing at several locations in the Little Falls and Willett Branches and sample the water. The data will be transmitted to a dashboard on our website which will be available to the general public. By using robots, we will be able to collect data in real time and gain better insight into the challenges our urban creeks are experiencing.
The robots are intended to measure pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, and total dissolved solids. To learn more about the project, please watch our SLIDE SHOW presented at our annual meeting in March 2022.
Water Sensors to measure Flow
The project also includes installing water level sensors to detect the rise and fall of the creek. These solar powered sensors have been installed under three bridges along the Little Falls Branch. They are identified by their solar panels. The information from the sensors will be available in real time on our website. The water sensors are live HERE.
Latest from the Robot Project
Our team
Research and development for the robots has been the job of John Crupi and his team at Kick Robotics. Karen Knee, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at American University serves as an advisor and supervises student researchers who have been instrumental in determining robot housing sites as well as locations for the water sensors. Student interns from the University of Maryland have been instrumental in design and construction.
Funders
Thank you to Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Chesapeake Bay Trust for their support. The project is made possible by funding from the Montgomery County Water Quality Protection Fund.
