Abstract
The design, development and operation of an automated water quality station at the banks of the Brantas River, Java, Indonesia is described. The objective of the work was to prove that such a station can be operated in tropical areas with trained local personnel. By designing and building a modular system within a transportable container, a generalised system that can be applied to other tropical or subtropical regions was developed. The main problem in tropical waters — biofouling of sensors – was solved by automated cleaning procedures that include pressure cleaning with acidified water and chlorination. Low maintenance requirements could be achieved by a completely automated operation and remote maintenance via phone and internet. The different components of the system – water inlet, hydraulic circuit, data management – are described in detail. The performance and the costs of the automated water quality station are discussed.
