Hydrowatch: an IoT-based in Situ Sensor System for Remote Water Quality Monitoring with Chlorophyll-a and Phosphate Concentration Measurement Capabilities

Water quality monitoring requires objective data to identify and predict potential water quality problems. This article introduces Hydrowatch, a prototype wireless sensor network (WSN) designed for multi-parameter water quality monitoring. Hydrowatch utilizes sensors for temperature, pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, along with a spectrophotometer to measure phosphate and chlorophyll-a concentrations. The system allows in-situ monitoring of water bodies using sensor node, which measure the target parameters and forward the data to the central node via SMS. The central node forwards the water quality data to a server, where the end users of the system can access the data remotely using the Internet. To assess the system's effectiveness, it underwent testing for sensor accuracy, power consumption, central node performance, and reliability. Results indicate low power consumption, reliable communication, promising scalability, and accurate measurement for most target parameters. However, chlorophyll-a and turbidity measurements require further testing due to a lack of available equipment. These findings demonstrate Hydrowatch's potential as a wireless sensor network for an automatic water quality monitoring system that integrates both spectrophotometric and physicochemical sensors.