An Ohio technology firm whose innovative water quality monitors helped gather new knowledge during Hurricane Katrina has chosen Phinizy Swamp Nature Park in Augusta as a test site for a real-time study of Butler Creek.
"It is brand-new technology, and this is one of just four or five places they are being tested," said Gene Eidson, the president of Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy, which operates the nature park.
YSI Inc. donated the solar-powered EcoNet water quality monitor that has been placed in Butler Creek - through which 32 million gallons of Augusta's treated wastewater enters the Savannah River each day.
The academy, through ongoing studies related to its River at Risk initiative, already operates 10 similar monitors, but the new one offers real-time data on dissolved oxygen, turbidity and other pollution indicators.
"It actually beams the data continuously," Dr. Eidson said. "We have a screen in the research window where you can actually see real-time data."
In addition to proving valuable in education programs, the real-time monitor - valued at $20,000 - can alert scientists of spills or other events that could affect water quality.
Similar devices were being tested in Grand Bay Reserve in Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, Dr. Eidson said.
The transmitter boxes, normally mounted 5 feet above the water, were completely submerged by the storm, yet they continued to accurately record data and were able to resume transmission after water levels subsided, he said.
The academy's River at Risk study involves ongoing evaluations of the impact of urban cities on major rivers such as the Savannah.
The study initially focused on a 23-mile portion of the Savannah and was expanded to 50 miles through equipment added with a $100,000 Southern Co. grant.
The academy also is the recent beneficiary of a $242,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for studies related to the development of firmer guidelines on the maximum daily amounts of certain contaminants that will be allowed into the waterway.
Reach Rob Pavey at 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.
New technology
Facts about the EcoNet Experimental Monitor:
- It is placed in Butler Creek, through which 32 million gallons of Augusta's treated sewage enters the Savannah River.
- It offfers real-time data on dissolved oxygen levels and other pollution indicators.
- Valued at $20,000, the device was donated by its maker, Ohio-based YSI Inc.
For more, visit YSI Inc.'s Southeastern Natural Sciences Web site at: www.ysieconet.com/public/WebUI/Default.aspx?hidCustomerID=96.
Source: Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy
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