This remote sensor system determines if the water is safe to drink

The public often hears in various media and documentaries that many parts of the world do not have consistent access to quality drinking water. But what does that mean exactly? It's more than clear, pest-free water. Distilled water, for example, is not recommended as drinking water because it lacks minerals. This off-grid water quality monitoring system checks more factors to determine if the water is good.

This monitor is equipped with sensors to check a handful of data points: temperature, pH, turbidity (clarity/cloudiness), and total dissolved solids (TDS). When examining otherwise clean drinking water, TDS readings are the result of minerals and a small amount of organic matter. Although some level of TDS is okay (and often desirable), the readings should not be too high. This water quality monitoring system, which is battery powered, is intended for use in natural water bodies and sewage treatment plants. Its comprehensive readings can help determine water quality and suitability for drinking and other uses.

The hardware resides inside a small waterproof case and includes an Arduino Uno board, a microSD card reader, a 20,000 mAh USB battery and the sensors. These sensors are: DFRobot Gravity Analog Turbidity Sensor, DFRobot Gravity Analog TDS Sensor, DFRobot Gravity Analog pH Sensor and DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature Sensor. The Arduino sketch takes the readings from the sensor and stores them on the microSD card for later retrieval.

This low cost design is perfect for monitoring the water supply, especially in remote areas where on-grid monitors are not feasible.