M2M Connectivity help monitor pollution in Dandenong Creek with IoT sensors

M2M Connectivity has assisted Bio2Lab deploy pollution-detecting IoT sensors to monitor another Victorian waterway after a community group successfully lobbied the federal government to improve the Dandenong Creek following a series of mass fish deaths.

First Friends of Dandenong Creek applied for a grant to restore the water quality in 2019. The 53-kilometre creek runs from the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne’s southeast to Port Phillip Bay, passing through Heathmont, Wantirna, Bayswater and other communities. 

As part of the Enhancing Dandenong Creek Program, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and Melbourne Water, engaged ecology experts from the University of Melbourne’s Bio2Lab to automate pollution monitoring of the creek previously conducted through manual collection and lab testing. 

Bio2Lab contracted M2M Connectivity who they had already partnered with earlier this year for a similar project deployed to Merlynston Creek.

The Melbourne-headquartered IoT specialists identified a suite of rugged hardware to collect pollution data and wirelessly transmit it to Bio2Lab’s integrated platform every 15 minutes for 24 hours a day.

The online portal is used by Melbourne Water and EPA for establishing patterns in water quality and pinpointing potential sources of pollution. The platform is also viewable to the public.

The network of Libelium’s ‘Smart Water Ions | Plug & Sense’ solutions were installed at four high-risk locations spanning approximately 10km of the creek. The data includes the pH, Oxidation-Reduction Potential, Dissolved Oxygen, conductivity and temperature in the creek.

The system also sends alerts through SMS and email when water quality changes, which has increased the community and respective water authorities’ ability to respond to incidents quickly.

Bio2Lab founder and director Dr David Sharley, commenting on the partnership, said: “working with M2M we have been able to deploy a rugged and reliable IoT solution which collects and transmits invaluable water-quality data using some of the best hardware available.

“This solution has opened up access to real-time data for the community, which has led to them working in close partnership with Melbourne Water and the EPA to deliver better outcomes for their local waterways.