Senior Engineer and Project Manager Trihydro Corp, Ohio, United States
Abstract Submission: Puerto Rico has about 247 public water systems outside of Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) control. Many of these systems use source waters that are contaminated by human and animal wastes but only about half use chlorination and very few use filtration. Thus, there is a very clear need for a multi-barrier approach to provide safe water and improve the health of individuals living in communities served by the non-PRASA systems. One of USEPA’s primary “Science-Related Issues of Importance” is finding low cost options for “Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for Small Communities”. Systems are generally gravity-fed and there is typically no electrical power or cellular service available. The remoteness of these drinking treatment systems results in inadequate operator attention because of the time and effort required to visit each system. LoRa, short for "Long Range," is a wireless communication technology designed for low-power, long-range connectivity, typically used in Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It operates in sub-gigahertz frequency bands, allowing devices to communicate over distances of several kilometers while consuming minimal power. The project is exploring the use of LoRa to implement a monitoring and notification system that could send out real-time data to operators when the systems require maintenance.
