LAKES GO DIGITAL

LL-00256

Real time observations of water quality conditions in urban lakes using smart buoys

Common territorial challenge (s) that will be tackled by the project

The main challenge in Latvia and Lithuania is that urban freshwater ecosystems, such as lakes and ponds, are often excluded from state monitoring despite high public use. These lakes provide key societal benefits, making it crucial to assess their ecological condition and future changes. Currently, municipalities outsource water quality analysis only a few times per year, which is insufficient for ensuring water safety. Urban lakes face growing threats from microplastic pollution. Effective management requires knowledge-based, flexible decision-making, considering environmental, social, and economic factors. Stakeholder involvement is essential. Using remote smart buoys will improve monitoring, advancing municipalities as pioneers in sustainable urban lake management.

Project objective

Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution. To create, pilot and maintain smart buoys for sustainable urban lake ecosystem management and to teach end users to use them. The end users are municipalities responsible for lake management and monitoring. Created solution will be piloted in a few municipalities, while results will be distributed within the programme area. Change: available continuous measurements of lake water quality parameters, enhanced protection, preservation of urban waters, reduced pollution, safer environment.

Planned activities

The project will develop and deploy six autonomous smart buoys with optical sensors for continuous water quality monitoring. A server, data analysis system, and user-friendly dashboard will be created to provide real-time access to municipalities and scientists. Some data will be publicly available via QR codes placed near lakes, increasing awareness and understanding of water quality issues. Municipal experts' trust in smart buoys will be assessed through pre- and post-project surveys. Another key activity is the quantitative mapping and assessment of ecosystem services in six lakes to support sustainable decision-making. The ecosystem services to be analyzed will be chosen in collaboration with municipal authorities to ensure relevance. A methodological framework will be developed, integrating smart buoy data, ecological assessments, and remote sensing into process-based modeling. The results will be visually represented and tailored to different stakeholders, including municipal authorities, NGOs, citizens, and scientists. The ecosystem service maps will be made available on an online platform (e.g., ArcGIS Story Map) and integrated into an existing geoportal, ensuring free access for all users. Data will be translated into Lithuanian and Latvian to benefit municipalities, students, teachers, and other potential users, including the tourism sector.

Project results

The project will develop, pilot, and maintain six smart buoys for sustainable urban lake management in municipalities across Latvia and Lithuania. These buoys will provide real-time water quality data, helping authorities monitor and protect lakes efficiently while reducing pollution and response times to environmental changes. Smart buoys will be deployed in Telsiai (Lithuania – 2 lakes), Augšdaugava (Latvia – 2 lakes), Ludza (Latvia – 1 lake), and Saldus (Latvia – 1 lake). The project will also explore a novel microplastic sensor to enhance pollution monitoring and inform sustainable management strategies.

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