To promote sustainable management of urban lakes and improve public access to information on water quality, from 2025 – 2027 a new Interreg Latvia – Lithuania cross-border cooperation project “Real time observations of water quality conditions in urban lakes using smart buoys (LAKES GO DIGITAL)” (LL-00256) will be implemented.
In the framework of the project smart buoys will measure water quality in real time: algae, bacteria, microplastics and other important parameters. The buoys will be tested in 6 lakes – four in Latvia and two in Lithuania. The data obtained will help make sustainable and smart decisions.
Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology is the lead partner of the project. On June 30 and July 1 in Daugavpils, Latvia we held a kick-off meeting with project partners and representatives of local authorities. During the meeting, project manager Inta Dimante-Deimantoviča presented the project action plan and emphasized: the project will make a tangible contribution to both science and society. LHEI communication specialist Kristīne Plinta presented the communication plan so that the project results will reach a wider audience.
Invited expert, leading smart buoy researcher Alo Laas (Estonian University of Life Sciences) shared information about the mechanisms, functionality and management of smart buoys. The principle of the buoys was also demonstrated with real-time samples. Senior researcher at the Institute of Solid State Physics Aleksejs Zolotarjovs demonstrated the sensors of smart buoys and their operating principles. Miguel Inácio from Mykolas Romeris University shared the water service action plan. It is important to know how to make data understandable for anglers, vacationers and other water users.
Follow the news of project LAKES GO DIGITAL – environmental innovations start here! Let’s make lake management smarter, more data-driven and sustainable, while promoting cooperation between municipalities.
More about the project here: lhei.lv/projekts-lakes-go-digital/
