Event information: EnviroDIY (Do-it-yourself environmental sensors) training with Stroud Water Research Center, June 27-28, Dickinson College
On June 27 and 28, the ALLARM office hosted Stroud Water Research Center (Stroud) as they led a workshop on their EnviroDIY environmental sensor technologies for local community members. Through an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Education Grant, Stroud is partnering with ALLARM to receive feedback on their training materials for community-based workshops. Specifically, we, along with the community members that attended, looked at the Mayfly water quality sensor, which can collect and store a variety of water chemistry parameters at regular time intervals. Learning about how the software and circuit board for the Mayfly were developed was fascinating. We also had the opportunity to experiment with the different functions of the Mayfly hardware and set up a sensor station to collect readings overnight on water chemistry. The workshop was intriguing and educational as I came out knowing far more about the impact of sensors on the field of water quality monitoring than when I had entered.
At the end of the workshop, the group journeyed to the LeTort Spring Run where we worked with Stroud to install and deploy ALLARM’s new sensor, the Mayfly SL180. ALLARM will now have continuous data on the conductivity, temperature, and depth of the LeTort where it runs through LeTort Park. The quality of the sensor data will be validated by collecting comparative data using the LaMotte Tracer PockeTester. The sensor will also require maintenance and cleaning every week or two, meaning that the SL180 will become a regular part of the ALLARM procedures, and will contribute to our over 25-year-old LeTort Spring Run data set.
The Mayfly SL180 data logger