Water Sensor Mount and Cage

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

Here in the developed world, we take clean water for granted. We drink it, cook with it, bathe with it, clean with it and even use it for recreational purposes. Unfortunately, this is not the case in developing countries and could change here in the developed world in the coming decades. Only 2.5% of the world's water is freshwater, and only 1% of that freshwater is easily accessible. It is of utmost importance that we protect this valuable resource.

The future of our water is currently being threatened by climate change, which is causing sea level rise leading to saltwater intrusion of our already limited sources of freshwater. Saltwater intrusion combined with eutrophication could deplete our water supplies. Eutrophication occurs when there are excess amounts of phosphorous, the limiting nutrient in most ecosystems, in bodies of water. This leads to algal blooms (rapid growth of algae) which release harmful toxins, rendering water undrinkable and deadly. Additionally, as the large population of algae dies, decomposers deplete dissolved oxygen in the water, killing fish.

To protect these valuable resources the first step that we need to do is study them. Through this research, a sensor mount was developed to aid in stormwater research. The sensor mount holds a PASCO dissolved oxygen sensor, conductivity sensor, temperature probe, and pH probe. These sensors are friction fit into the mount which is easily threaded onto a standard broomstick. A small cage was then developed to enclose and protect these expensive sensors.

There are numerous advantages to using the sensors with this system. It increases the ease of water testing. As water can be tested from a distance, students no longer have to enter the water which dramatically decreases the time it takes to sample and makes it significantly easier. Importantly, the cage reduces the chance of breaking the sensors which are worth over $500 and prevents them from touching sediment at the bottom.

My high school and several others across the country that participate in SMART (Stormwater Management Research Team) use my sensor mount to aid in their stormwater research.

This assembly and its tolerances for the friction fit were designed to be printed on a FlashForge Finder 3D printer in PLA (polylactic acid) filament. This exact printer has been provided to participating high schools in the SMART program. Therefore, they can print additional sensor mounts and cages as needed.