H2NOW & The Award Winning, Proteus Multiparameter Sensors,
are monitoring in the Chicago River in real-time
H2NOW reports on water quality from 3 locations every 15 minutes. The platform is providing a guide to water quality by estimating faecal coliform levels every 15 minutes from three spots along the river, through an array of novel technologies. The resource is available at H2NOWChicago.
A SUMMARY
The H2NOW platform is providing the city of Chicago with real-time insights into the bacteriological water quality of the Chicago River and Calumet River. Merging cutting edge fluorescence sensor technology with specialist algorithms and a cloud server, faecal coliform levels are outputted every 15 minutes from 4 different locations.
This online resource, available at H2NOWChicago.org, is changing the perceptions of the river but also providing a much-needed record of the water quality. The H2Now project has documented an increase in general water quality since the project began and is helping users feel more informed before undertaking recreational activity within the rivers.
WATER QUALITY READINGS
H2NOW’s probes track a range of water quality readings to provide a real-time window into two of the area’s urban waterways — the Chicago River and the Calumet River. The charts below are updated with new data every 15 minutes.
THE STORY
H2NOW was first launched in September 2021, with the aim of reports on the river water quality being as common as a weather report. This real-time data would be aimed at local citizens, recreational users, tourists, diners, and anyone else who would want to know more about the health of the Chicago River. H2NOW is spear-headed by Current, a Chicago-based catalyst for better and cleaner water. Under the H2NOW project, Current have amassed the support of over 20 different partners to realise the project goals.
Proteus Instruments is a proud member of the partnership, supplying the innovative sensor technology that allows bacteria to be tracked in real-time. This was the first instance of Proteus technology being deployed in a large urban river scheme, where the focus was on both real-time monitoring and accessibility of the data recorded.
Proteus Instruments multiprobes were initially deployed at three sites along the Chicago River, to capture the dynamics between the different branches of the river. The data collected by the probes is then transmitted to the online H2NOW portal, accessible to any web user. Since launching, the project has undergone one major update which included adding new technology to the sensors and transforming the online portal, now accessible via QR code.
Since Autumn 2022, Current has upgraded its approach to translating sensor data into real-time water quality assessments using the best available science and has redesigned the online gauges to deliver information to visitors and residents in a more usable and accessible way. Additionally, a fourth monitoring location was added on the Calumet River, which is also now available to view on the online system.
The Proteus multiprobes were also upgraded to include Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) fluorescence and specific conductivity, alongside Tryptophan-Like Fluorescence (TLF), temperature and turbidity. The addition of CDOM not only allows refinement of the coliforms algorithms but also provides important information as to the fulvic-like compounds present in the water; fulvic-like compounds can account for organic carbon in the water, whether dissolved or particulate.
The upgrade also included the landing page for the gauges, with new gages added to provide context to the coliform readings using a categorical scale. The ‘Good’ threshold is based on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Primary Contact Use standard value; ‘Good’ would indicate that one is unlikely to get sick if river water is ingested at this coliform level.
THE LEGACY
Building and launching H2NOW was the result of collaboration among more than 20 partners, including the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, which protects and monitors waterways and oversees wastewater treatment and storm water management for Chicago and 128 suburbs, and the City of Chicago’s Department of Water Management, which is responsible for delivering drinking water to the city and 125 suburbs and collecting wastewater and storm water through local sewers for transport to MWRD’s treatment facilities.
“The Chicago River connects our communities,” said MWRD Board of Commissioners President Kari K. Steele. “H2NOW helps us make informed decisions about how we interact with the river.”
“The Chicago Department of Water Management was proud to be a founding member of Current to help identify and implement innovative technologies, which are improving every year,” said Dr. Andrea Cheng, Commissioner of the Department of Water Management. “H2NOW is a terrific example of how technology can connect residents to their environment.”
Faecal matter pollutes the Chicago River in two main ways. First, rainwater that falls over 1,834 square miles from Wisconsin to Indiana drains into the Chicago River, carrying, among other things, droppings from birds and other animals. Second, heavy rains can occasionally overwhelm local sewer systems. These events can cause harmful combined sewer overflow [CSOs] into the Chicago River. These events are reported by the MWRD and other advocacy groups. H2NOW augments the CSO alert system by providing more detailed information about river water quality.
ABOUT CURRENT
Current is a catalyst for better, cleaner water. Founded in Chicago in 2016, our mission is to grow an inclusive Blue Economy, accelerate innovation, and solve pressing water challenges. We bring together corporations, non-profits and governments to develop water management policies and test new technologies — projects that would be too risky or even impossible for any one group to undertake. Our innovation hub is growing because water is no longer an issue; it is a crisis. Our health and environment hang in the balance.
The information provided by H2NOW is not meant to evaluate biological safety of the river, and neither Current nor its partners are responsible and/or legally liable for illnesses contracted/injuries incurred by persons who engage with the river based on H2NOW data.