Automated Water Sampling

We began using automated water samplers in 1986. Samplers are installed and used to collect high flow water samples and continuous, flow-weighted, composite samples from strategic locations in a watershed. This type of monitoring allows for a continuous assessment of both a true average concentration of constituents in the stream water and continuous discharge data, both crucial to calculating accurate pollution loading estimates. The accuracy of these estimates is necessary to account for changes in the water quality in a watershed where technical and cost-share assistance has resulted in the installation of conservation-based landuse changes (BMPs). We often use autosamplers in priority watershed projects: N. Canadian River, Illinois River, Eucha/Spavinaw, and Honey Creek.