What is the Future of Water Quality Monitoring?

Water is the lifeblood of the world we live in. From keeping us hydrated and nurturing our crops to providing a habitat for marine life to thrive in, H2O keeps us alive. Because of its inherent importance to the health of the planet, it’s critical that we keep a close eye on the condition of our streams, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. Are they safe to drink from? Are they clean enough to swim in? Are they capable of supporting fish that are fit for consumption? These are all questions that water monitoring practices are designed to answer!

Want to know more about what’s in store for the future? Read on for an overview of current practices, as well as what’s on the horizon…

What is currently being monitored?

At present water monitoring specialists look at a range of different factors. These include chemical content, sediments and the presence of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, metals, oils and pesticides in marine life. They’ll also analyse physical conditions such as erosion, temperature and flow. These are then used to provide information for a range of different purposes. From identifying changes over time, detecting present and emerging water quality issues, designing pollution prevention strategies, determining whether or not compliance goals are being met and responding to environmental emergencies, monitoring data plays an integral role in keeping our planet’s water sources healthy.

What’s the future of water quality monitoring?

As indicated above, water quality monitoring is a complex and multifaceted arena. Like any area, there is always room for improvement and as technology continues to advance and develop, scientists are looking at new ways to gather data, share information and use results to make better decisions. 

• Governmental reviews on existing policies

One of the biggest changes set to shape the future of water quality monitoring is a focus on long-term, comprehensive strategies. Across the globe governments and environmental organisations are starting to roll out new policies that require local authorities to have these in place. For example, in the USA, independent states and the EPA are currently reviewing Sections 305(b) and 303(d) of the Clean Water Act in order to streamline and improve water quality monitoring techniques.

• An emphasis on wetlands

While there is plenty of data available on oceans, rivers and lakes, wetlands are one water body that remains largely un-researched. Over the next few years there will be an increasing focus on water monitoring in wetlands and what challenges they face.

• The introduction of electronic reporting

Another major change will be the introduction of advanced new technologies, particularly electric reporting equipment. This will make it much easier for members of the public, as well as government officials to review and make decisions based on results.

From large scale changes such as a national review of the Clean Water Act to smaller projects like independent studies on local wetland areas, the water quality monitoring strategies of the future will have a resounding impact on the health of our global water bodies.

Further reading...

If you’d like a better understanding of water monitoring, you can read about it in action in this article, Water Pollution in Asia – A Brief Review of Monitoring Technologies, or find out what actually happens to data collected from water quality monitoring.