Surface water stage, discharge, or flow rate measurements are key parameters and inputs for hydrologic research and models. Wellntel provides sensor and hardware solutions to measure surface water levels, and with tools available in Wellntel’s Analytics Dashboard (AD), these data can now be automatically converted to, and analyzed as, stage, discharge, or flow rate providing vital new utility to water scientists and resource managers.
As an example, using cutthroat flumes and Wellntel sensors, water managers are working with Wellntel to track and report stream flow rates along with groundwater level and pumping rates at a rural site and are using the information, combined on Wellntel’s Analytics Dashboard, for compliance and reporting purposes.
As part of the Wellntel system installation, sounding tubes were extended from cutthroat flumes, which were set into the streams, to base stations which house the level sensor and telemetry and power systems.
Once installation was complete, Wellntel sensors began transmitting depth to water data in realtime to the Wellntel Cloud, where the depth to water measurement represents the depth below an established measurement point on the sounding tube.
Using the new Upload tools in AD, the total length of the sounding tube from the measurement point to the bottom of the flume was uploaded and stored in the Wellntel Cloud. This length value represents the key metric for converting from sensor measured depth to water to the height of the stream water level in the flume, or stream stage. Once this calculation is complete, the next step is to apply a discharge equation for the specific make and model of flume to provide flow rate.
Within AD, these calculations were added and built into the analysis system enabling depth to water to be converted to flow automatically using the stored length metric and flume discharge equation. With this added code, visualization tools on Wellntel’s Analytics Dashboard now chart stream flow rate in real time.
To begin monitoring and analyzing surface water data – including stage, discharge, and flow rate – reach out to the Wellntel technical team for details on hardware installation, data services subscriptions and Uploading key metrics. If you are already monitoring surface water stage, discharge, and flow rate and want to incorporate it into your Wellntel AD for analysis and reporting, read about our Upload tool here.
For technical support email techsupport@wellntel.com (include `Analytics Dashboard` in the subject line) or call 844-935-5426 between the hours of 8-5pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. If you reach us after hours, we will promptly respond the next weekday morning.