River monitoring trial demonstrates reliable water quality data

Endress+Hauser’s Continuous River Monitoring Solution has achieved 99.8% data availability during the first phase of a UK river trial, highlighting the importance of reliable real-time monitoring for water companies and regulators.

The 15-week trial is being conducted in a live river environment at one of the UK’s water companies to evaluate different monitoring approaches and provide evidence-based insights for future deployments. Reliable data availability is becoming increasingly important as regulatory pressure increases, with new Environment Agency guidelines introducing stricter requirements for water quality management.

Unlike traditional pumped sampling systems, Endress+Hauser’s solution uses a direct immersion floating sensor assembly that measures water quality parameters directly within the river. This approach removes potential issues associated with pumps, including blockages caused by debris or sediment, overheating risks from enclosed equipment and possible changes to samples during transport through sampling lines.

“It’s encouraging that the trial is challenging the assumption that pumped kiosks are always the best solution,” said Ipek Temizel, Water and Wastewater Industry Manager at Endress+Hauser UK. “Our in-river system consistently reflected real events, following expected trends across multiple parameters rather than producing isolated sensor spikes, demonstrating both reliability and confidence in the measurements.”

Following the successful completion of Phase 1, the trial is now moving into Phase 2, with further results expected later this year. The findings will help assess the role of direct river monitoring technologies in supporting more effective water quality management.

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