Buoys that text? Check out this project to make Lake Erie the largest digitally connected freshwater body in the world
Tower climbers install low power, wide area networking telecommunications devices in Cleveland (Great Lakes Outreach Media)
With Gen-Z-like dexterity, the buoys of the Smart Lake Erie Watershed can text you real-time reports on weather, water, and wind conditions. All you have to do is ask. This initiative is part of the Cleveland Water Alliance’s goal to make Lake Erie the largest digitally connected freshwater body in the world. The buoys, though, maintain the demeanor of Dragnet’s Sergeant Joe Friday: just the facts. No emojis allowed.
For the latest measurements on dissolved oxygen, pH, wave height, and temperature, send a text with one of the codes below to 866-218-9973:
45201, for Kelleys Island
45203, for Huron
45204, for Lorain
45176, 45196, or 45205, for West Cleveland
45197, 45206, for East Cleveland
The complete list of texting buoys is available here, courtesy of Limnotech, engineering firm and partner to the Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA), which helps build and maintain the watershed tech.
The buoys, along with a vast network of sensors, constitutes the heart of the Smart Lake Erie Watershed Initiative. The system delivers robust, real-time data to shape decisions related to industry, utilities, agriculture, maritime research, and recreation across the region.
"Our water managers and stewards require accurate, timely, robust data to make the best decisions possible to protect and conserve our most precious resource," said Bryan Stubbs, CWA president and executive director. “We are exploring opportunities to scale this effort into the Ohio River Valley, furthering our impact across the state and into a new watershed. Nothing like this exists at this scale anywhere else in the world." With 10 buoys this year, the telecommunications network of the initiative covers over 6,500 square miles of the watershed.
Lake Erie is the shallowest and warmest of the Great Lakes. It remains vulnerable to the effects of agriculture, manufacturing, and maritime use. CWA is thereby able to study and address problems in this region that are emerging in freshwater sources around the globe. It also allows them and their partners to test new technologies designed to meet the needs of water managers and their communities.
New Case Study: Avon Lake's Innovative Water Treatment System
CWA, in partnership with Avon Lake Regional Water and Techwin, a South Korean technology company, is introducing a first-in-the-US water treatment technology. This pilot project allows Avon Lake Regional Water to produce high-concentration chlorine on-site: a key chemical for water treatment. The potential benefits include the growth of local supply chains, fewer adverse public health impacts events, and reduced costs for communities across Northeast Ohio.
Traditionally, U.S. municipalities import chlorine from large manufacturing plants via ships and trains. Avon Lake Regional Water plans to produce more than enough sodium hypochlorite for its facility--and to sell the surplus to other utilities in the region. This “buy local” option reduces risks associated with the long-distance transport of hazardous materials and is expected to lower utility costs for residents.
What It Means to Ohio
These initiatives highlight CWA's commitment to fostering a world-class freshwater innovation ecosystem in Northeast Ohio. The smart buoy deployment serves as a plug-and-play testbed for global entrepreneurs to test new devices in real-world conditions. The Avon Lake project, a $6 million investment, exemplifies CWA’s ability to introduce willing partners to cutting-edge, fiscally smart solutions.
What People Are Saying
“If this technology performs as anticipated, Avon Lake Regional Water will be the first water utility in the United States to install an on-site sodium hypochlorite generating system producing at a 12% solution,” said Robert Monro, Avon Lake Regional Water’s Chief Utilities Executive. “This will not only allow Avon Lake Regional Water to become self-sufficient for disinfection purposes, other utilities in the region will also benefit economically by having another supply source for their disinfection needs at a below market price.”
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