A Pacific Northwest surveying firm successfully expanded its capabilities using the Aqua TROLL 600 to monitor water quality for a large industrial customer.

Statewide Land Surveying Inc. was looking for opportunities to take their surveying expertise into environmental applications. So, when a large industrial facility in Oregon asked them to conduct bathymetric surveys and water quality monitoring in two effluent ponds, they jumped at the opportunity.

The industrial facility first hired Statewide to survey depth, location and volume of accumulated solids in settling basins containing water that is eventually released into the Columbia River. Statewide was also asked to measure the effects of increased plant productivity on water quality following a facility process change that affected the dynamics of the stabilization basins.

For the water quality studies, Statewide used an Aqua TROLL 600 to take profiles of the water, casting it to specified depth intervals and collecting data to help understand pH levels throughout a stratified water column.

Project manager Tim Schierenbeck was particularly impressed by the Aqua TROLL’s durability and user interface.

“In our field, we really put our equipment to the test and rely on it to work in harsh environments,” he says. “I was impressed by how rugged the Aqua TROLL 600 is, how easy it is to use, and how its simple operation facilitates data collection.”

Schierenbeck says that with the Aqua TROLL 600 and VuSitu mobile app, Statewide was able to see in real-time how readings were changing and give the company a more complete picture of what was happening in their water. The findings provided the client with the evidence they needed to make a decision. And when Schierenbeck returned to the site some months later, the company had installed additional aerators to mitigate the problem.

“It was an exciting opportunity to venture into a new application,” he says. “One of our primary roles is to collect information about the environment, and now we have a great new tool to do that.”

Statewide has since used the Aqua TROLL 600 for other hydrographic surveys, collecting data for industrial projects, fisheries research, and stream and riparian restoration projects.

“We’ve found the Aqua TROLL to be a versatile instrument and utilize it for sound velocity calibrations, water quality diagnostics and monitoring projects,” he says. “We’ve also used our six-foot, unmanned survey vessel as a vessel of opportunity to tow the Aqua TROLL and collect surface water information in a safer and more efficient manner.”

Schierenbeck hopes to incorporate telemetry into future projects for continuous data collection.

“Long-term deployment is the next phase,” he says. “We have clients interested in long-term monitoring for wetlands and stream restoration projects, and this actionable data can help support restoration practitioners and environmental safety managers. The additional information we collect on surveys helps us set the stage and focus the scope of projects for the environmental engineers, biologists and consultants who use our products.”