5th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing
SCADA System for Real-time Measuring and
Evaluation of River Water Quality
Emil Zaev, Darko Babunski, Atanasko Tuneski
Dept. of Automation, Faculty of mechanical engineering
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University
1000 Skopje, Macedonia
emil.zaev@mf.edu.mk
Abstract— Protection of the natural water resources becomes
more and more important issue. Usual way to deal with this
problem is to build on-site monitoring station capable for
independent measurement of water quality parameters where all
the measurement equipment is installed and where all
measurements are done. But, in this case a dedicated person is
needed which on regular basis will collect the data from the
station, in order to compare them with laboratory measurements.
In this way, delay between emerging and noted data is
introduced. It is here presented possible solution of this problem
developing completely independent real-time measuring station
using industrial SCADA system. Real-time monitoring of the
water quality and quantity parameters gives on-time alert and
time for reaction. This SCADA system provides continues (24/7)
monitoring of the diverse physical, chemical, biological
parameters enabling fast and reliable detection of the pollutants.
Saved data give chance for additional (off-site) analysis of the
measured parameters and their connections. System is consisted
of Central Monitoring Station (located at the Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering in Skopje), Local Monitoring Station
(located near town Demir Kapija), and several mobile monitoring
stations. Specially designed Local Monitoring Station has been
automated with the use of industrial PLC in order to integrate
the work of all diverse instruments, real-time measuring devices,
analytical measuring devices and station functionality equipment.
Data gathered at the Remote real-time stations is continuously
sent to CMS for further analysis.
Keywords- SCADA system; PLC; real-time; water quality;
river; sensors; alarming.
I. INTRODUCTION
Water quality is described by physical, chemical, and
biological characteristic parameters. Usual way to define a
surface (river) water quality, done by water quality specialists,
is to take a water samples and then perform a number of
laboratory tests in order to detect any pollution and parameter
abnormalities. Sometimes, time delays between water sampling
and results can take weeks and even months in which period
pollutions and water quality can be drastically changed. On-site
measurement of few water parameters (like dissolved oxygen,
conductivity, pH, turbidity, temperature, flow, pressure and
others) using appropriate instrumentation can be done by the
qualified person, but only for a short periods in a day (few
MECO’2016, Bar, Montenegro
minutes or hours). This type of measurements on daily basis
can be expensive especially if the suitable measuring spots
along the river are on a bigger distance from urban areas.
Setting-up on-site measurement equipment (without building
stationary measuring station) and living it unattended is also
not and adequate option because equipment can be stolen or
damaged. Therefore, usual way to deal with this problem of on-
line monitoring on regular basis is to build on-site monitoring
station where measurement equipment is installed; then water
from the river is pumped to the station where all measurements
are done. Then water is pumped back to the river. Even in this
case a dedicated person is needed which on regular basis, at list
few times in a month will go to the station and read all those
data from instruments, in order to process and compare them
with laboratory measurements. The data is again processed
with delay. In order to instantaneously inform of any changes
in water quality, detect spills and abnormal discharges and
respond effectively; real-time monitoring and sending (to
laboratory server station) of adequate water quality parameters
is needed.
In this paper it is described passable solution of this
problem using industrial Supervisory Control And Data
Acquisition Systems (SCADA) system. SCADA systems are
centralized computer controlled systems which are used in
industry to monitor and control whole industry processes and
plants [1][2][3]. Introduction of SCADA system for real-time
monitoring of river water quality and quantity parameters give
opportunity for continuous monitoring and data save which
help to evaluate longer term changes in water quality, identify
existing or emerging water quality problems and assist in the
interpretation of water quality observations obtained through
sampling. It is current state-of-the-art area for research [7][8].
Another problem which comes out is how to give valuable
meaning of all the collected data from the measuring station in
shortest period. To define river water quality on the basis of
available on-site measured parameters, water quality index
(WQI) for measurement of surface water quality has been used
in few cases [4],[5],[6]. For this purposes WQI for real-time
monitoring of river water quality in Macedonia has been
developed and used in the here described real-time measuring
system. This part of solution will not be covered in this paper.
 5th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing MECO’2016, Bar, Montenegro

II. SCADA SYSTEM DESCRIPTION messages, alarms and general status information transmitted by
This SCADA system has the capability for measuring and all local and mobile stations spread all over the monitoring area
evaluating the physical, chemical, biological and hydraulic involved in the project. The main SCADA software performs
parameters of the river Vardar. The following diagram (Fig.1) fast diagnostics to these signals, a data quality control process,
represents the structure of the SCADA System. codifies allocates and stores them at the specific data sectors at
the respective data storage hardware. The main server stores
every data, signals and message strings to appropriate files, one
for each day, at respective time domains. In this file each line
describes the event in detail, the date and time it occurred, and
the reaction of the main server to the above mentioned received
string. This SCADA server based operating software processes
the telemetry and monitoring data and provides meaningful and
important values and diagrams for each one of the water
quality parameters under examination.
Local Monitoring Station B. SCADA Software
Local Monitoring Station
Location: Demir Kapija
Location: additional

VPN
Telecomunication

Mobile Monitoring Station

Location along river Vardar

SCADA
Interface SCADA
Station Server

Central Monitoring Station

Location Faculty of Mechanical engineering

Figure 1. Structure of the real-time platform.

As presented on Fig.1, SCADA system for real-time

monitoring of the river Vardar water quality and quantity
parameters is consisted of one Central Monitoring Station
(CMS), one Local Monitoring Station (LMS) and few Mobile
Monitoring Stations (MMS). All of them are equipped with
adequate measuring and communication equipment. LMS-s are
additionally equipped with surveillance equipment. MMS-s
will not be discussed here.
A. Central Monitoring Station
CMS is located at the Faculty for Mechanical Engineering Figure 2. Graphical presentation of the measured data.
in Skopje, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Macedonia. It is
consisted of SCADA server and PC based interface/service The access to the specially designed SCADA program for
station. All necessary SCADA and communication software is displaying the end results to the user can be on the following
installed on this server (19 inch industrial rack, main CPU hot- ways: 1. Direct access to the server, 2) Access by a local
swap type unit, 14-bay hot-swap HDD controller, main appropriate network (Ethernet), and 3) Access via an internet
communication module, communication router). interface. When an appropriately authorized user accesses the
interface of the SCADA operating software, he will reach an
CMS is the main coordination and supervisory center and is
interface where it is possible to select to observe data from the
the heart of the real-time SCADA platform. It receives all
last transmission measurements, or to obtain the measurements
remote measurement data, analysis and signals, working status
in scientific graphics of a time span defined by the user. It is
 5th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing
also possible to mix and match various measurements from
various stations for comparing purposes.
A few examples of data presentation in graphical mode are
given in the Fig.2.
C. Local Monitoring Station
LMS represents permanent monitoring station, located
near town Demir Kapija. It has a metallic structure, a type of a
steel rustproof ISO container with dimensions 12m x 2.5m x
2.5m. Placed under the open sky, the container is isolated and
air-conditioned.
Figure 3. Immersed type Sensors and measurement devices for real time in-
situ measurements.
The equipment of the LMS can be separated in two types:
measuring equipment and automation equipment. Measuring
equipment is consisted of three types of instruments: real-time
(on-line) measuring sensors immersed in the Vardar River
shown on Fig. 3 (Dissolved Oxygen, Conductivity, pH,
Turbidity, Reduction Oxidation, Temperature, Ammonium and
Potassium ions sensors), real-time (on-line) measuring sensors
installed inside the LMS (Hydrostatic pressure measuring
device, for measuring the level of the river, Dissolved Oxygen,
pH, conductivity and temperature sensors), and on-line
analytical instruments also installed inside the LMS (Nitrate,
Nitrite, Phosphate, Total Organic Carbon, Turbidity and
Toxicity online analytical instruments). Additionally there is
equipment for river water pumping to the LMS (bringing the
river inside the LMS), needed for the inside LMS analysis.
Additional measuring devices are installed for external river
level measuring, sonar type, installed at the top of the
stationary stainless steel support frame, river water sample
collection instrument, to collect river water samples at specific
instances and equipment for external and internal LMS
temperature measuring.
All these sensors, instruments and devices are operated and
controlled by industrial PLC-based automation system (Fig.4).
MECO’2016, Bar, Montenegro
D. PLC-Based Totally Integrated Automation System
The PLC-based automation system is connected with all
the analytical instruments and measuring devices, and receive
measurement signals, analysis and calibration data, working
status information, signal and data alarms. It powers them and
transmits control signals to regulate their operation and
functional status. All the measuring devices send data, signals
and alarms to the PLC-based automation system in various
forms and types. The PLC-based unified automation software
performs fast diagnostics to these signals, process, codifies and
transmits them to the CMS via the appropriate tele-
communication modular systems. The automation system also
stores these signals and data to its database for later use.
Subsequently the automation system transfers the above signals
and data to the integrated computer-based data logger, for
logging and backup purposes.
Diagram on Fig.5 depicts the interconnection and
organizational structure of PLC-based automation system.
E. Telecommunication System
The telecommunication’s system task is to connect the
PLC station with the CMS (Mainframe server), via the VPN
and internet. This is accomplished with specific
telecommunication commands that are performed by the
telecommunication software installed in the telecommunication
module integrated to the PLC system, in order to initiate a
phase of the transmission cycle. Of course there is a live
feedback on each phase so that no data will be lost during this
cycle. This whole procedure takes approximately 10 seconds to
be completed.
The telecommunication system consists of the following:
PLC communication module, Telecommunication Modem,
External antenna for GSM comunication (Fig. 6), Respective
communication software.
Figure 4. Local Monitoring Station. Automated using PLC.
 5th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing MECO’2016, Bar, Montenegro

CMS located at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in

Local Data Loger
Station (Industrial PC) Skopje, Macedonia, one permanent LMS located on the river
CMS
shore near the town Demir Kapija and few MMS. All of them
VPN/Intern are equipped with adequate measuring and communication
et
PLC I/O modules equipment. LMS is equipped with real-time (on-line)
measuring equipment (Hydrostatic pressure measuring device,
PLC Dissolved Oxygen, Conductivity, pH, Turbidity, Reduction
Oxidation, Temperature, Ammonium and Potassium ions
Analytical instrument 1 sensors) and on-line analytical instruments installed inside the
Dissolved Nitrates LMS (Nitrate, Nitrite , Phosphate, Total Organic Carbon,
Oxygen Sensor
Turbidity and Toxicity online analytical instruments).
Analytical instrument 2 Additionally there is equipment for river water pumping to the
Ph Sensor Nitrites
LMS (bringing the river inside the LMS), needed for the inside
Analytical instrument 3 LMS analysis. The work of all this totally deverse instruments
Conductivity Sensor has been automated with the use of industrial PLC.
TOC

Analytical instrument 4
Turbidity Sensor Ammonium
River level sensor Analytical instrument 5
Phosphates
Temperature sensor Analytical instrument 6
Auton. sampler
Figure 5. Interconnection and organizational structure of PLC-based
automation system with all the analytical instruments and measuring devices.
Data gathered from all the remote real-time stations (local
and mobile) is continuously send to CMS for further analysis.
This SCADA platform gives possibility for instantaneous
detect of any changes in water quality, detect spills and
abnormal discharges and respond effectively, continuous data
save for evaluation of longer term changes in water quality,
identification of existing or emerging water quality problems
and support in the interpretation of water quality observations
obtained through sampling.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research was supported from NATO program Science
for peace.
REFERENCES

Figure 6. External antenna for GSM communication.
III. CONCLUSION
Usual way to define a surface (river) water quality is to
perform a number of laboratory tests in order to detect any
pollution and parameter abnormalities. Time delays between
water sampling and results can take weeks and even months in
which period pollutions and water quality can be drastically
changed. Use of independent on-site measuring stations does
not really solve this problem because again dedicated
specialized person is needed to collect and process data from
the station. In order to overcome those problems and
instantaneously present collected data in a meaningful way
(using specially developed WQI) a SCADA system for real-
time monitoring of the river water quality has been designed
and implemented on the river Vardar. This SCADA system has
the capability of measuring and analyzing wade range of
parameters of the river Vardar. The system is consisted of
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