‘Plug-and-play’ saves the day for RAAF project

Earlier this year, HydroTerra travelled to the Darwin Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) Base to install and commission an automated stormwater sampling system. HydroTerra prepared a ‘plug and play’ style rental telemetry kit that was used to quickly deploy the sampling system on-site.

The setup consisted of an automated water sampler triggered by an ultrasonic doppler flow meter installed within a key stormwater discharge point. The system was fully automated to commence liquid sampling at the onset of rainfall events to capture first flush samples any time day or night. Triggering thresholds were fully customisable and were able to be changed remotely. The lightweight self-contained system was run from a tripod setup with its own solar power supply. Telemetry included data visualisation and system status accessible online, with custom email alarms to notify stakeholders of sampling events. After sampling, bottles were stored within the sampler housing for later collection.

The utility of the ‘plug and play’ kit came into its own when a need arrived to relocate the system to monitor stormwater flow in a different location. The autosampler was able to be easily removed and the telemetry system redeployed with the flow meter to act as a stand-alone system; thereby saving time and cost and reducing the overall risk involved in the relocation. The system ultimately provided a user-friendly solution for helping to characterise PFAS migration from key sources on the site.