Remote pond monitoring at the Buckeye Ranch, January 2020

Published by wings on

A new requirement for land owners in California is reporting the water levels of ponds on their land. Measuring and recording pond levels on a monthly basis requires extra time, effort and fuel. Youth from the towns of Poplar and Arvin helped with the design, manufacturing, and installation of a prototype system that automatically takes pond level measurements for ranchers and uploads the information to the web where it can securely be accessed.

Rancher pointing out the installation location on the map
Pointing out the actual location on the mountain where the receiver unit will be installed.
Before the team sets out
This is one of the ponds where the water level will be monitored using a wireless sensor.
Climbing up the mountain to find a good location for the receiving antenna.
Digging a hole using an auger. The pole that holds the gateway and its antenna will be placed here.
The team working together to make sure the pole is straight and solid in the ground.
Connecting the wires inside the gateway unit.
Preparing the solar panel.
Melanie is attaching hardware to the pole that will hold the gateway box.
Placing the pole in the ground.
A successful installation.
We will let the gateway run for a few weeks to test out the quality of the data connection to the Internet.
Categories: ArvinCalifornia Hot SpringsEcologyPond monitoring

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