RIVER SUPPORT GAUGING STATIONS

Chalk streams can require support in summer and during droughts to maintain water quality plus to reserve aquatic life. Support is normally provided by increasing dry weather flows using water from boreholes and other sources, including a blend of recycled water from local sewage treatment plants.

Chalk streams  often pass through land owned by 3rd parties, with limited access rights for the likes of the Environment Agency, Drainage Boards or the Utilities often to whom the topping up is assigned.

Measurement of levels can be seasonal or permanent, and in many locations can be a challenge. The choice of sensor and telemetry is crucial. Often water levels are inadequate for the use of traditional pressure transducers in stilling tubes as low flow levels can leave such sensors exposed to siltation and frost damage.

One of RDN’s semi-portable river gauging stations deployed to measure efficacy of a recharge scheme for a chalk stream in East Lincolnshire

Non-evasive level measurement is the obvious solution. This is where ultrasonic and more often their modern equal microwave radar sensors are used to measure the levels.

The unit featured above comprises of a 16-bit precision battery powered analogue telemetry controller, capable of driving either or both an #Iridium satellite modem or one of RDN’s RDNET1000 Radio Telemetry Systems, capable of uploading data to either a web portal and/or sending data to a local pumping station respectively.

Retrofit V-notch weir adapter to enable calibration of a top-up channel by deriving flow from level.

In the example above, the gauging station is mounted above in a custom manufactured pipe adapter, which can be fitted with a variety of V-Notch or rectangular flume profiles.  The portable gauging station is mounted above on a support frame set circa 1m above the flow.

For permanent gauging RDN have a variety of solutions that are perfect for retrofitting to chalk stream, “drains” and “lodes”.

Lightweight, permanent gauging station manufactured in the UK by RDN for applications such as River Support level monitoring