Design, Deployment, and Evaluation of Wireless Sensors for Monitoring Water Distribution Systems in Rural Alaska

Continuous monitoring of water distribution systems has become a key practice for ensuring efficient operation and management. In particular, pressure monitoring plays a crucial role in detecting and localizing both ongoing and sudden leaks that lead to significant water losses. Monitoring such systems in Arctic regions is especially valuable, as frequent freeze–thaw cycles increase the risk of leaks and system failures. Monitoring water distribution systems in rural Alaska, however, presents unique challenges due to harsh weather conditions and limited communication infrastructure. This study focuses on the design, deployment, and evaluation of wireless sensors for tracking water distribution system pressure and temperature in Unalakleet, Alaska. We first present the design of our sensor nodes, which incorporate low-power pressure and temperature sensors, solar panels for energy harvesting, and a microcontroller that transmits data to a cloud-hosted database in real time. Sensor nodes are deployed on hydrants located on two of four of the community’s water distribution loops. Using the collected dataset, we evaluate the pressure sensors’ ability to detect diurnal pressure changes and assess how ambient air temperature fluctuations affect water temperature at each hydrant at daily and monthly time-scales. Ultimately, this research aims to enhance the resilience and efficiency of water distribution systems in rural Alaska through continuous monitoring, with solutions that may be extended to similarly challenging environments.