Societal Benefits of the Real-Time Coastal Observation Network (ReCON): Implications for Municipal Drinking Water Quality

Abstract

Environmental conditions on Lake Erie in summer 2006 produced hypoxic waters (1.2 mg/l dissolved oxygen), with characteristic low pH (7.2), low temperature (18°C) and high manganese levels, negatively impacting water processing at the Cleveland Water Department. A ReCON system deployed in 2005 recorded the onset of similar conditions and is used to explain the episodic nature of the event. Internal waves initiated by winds can propagate around the central basin of Lake Erie for several days explaining the cyclical nature of the event. Future deployments of a ReCON buoy system in Lake Erie's central basin will provide real-time observations of temperature and dissolved oxygen to water department managers. The buoy will function as an early warning system for the detection of low oxygen and the onset of internal waves responsible for delivering hypoxic waters to water intakes, thus ensuring the quality of drinking water for approximately 1.5 million residents of Cleveland, OH.