Monitoring of water in the natural environment

hydrometric measuring stations for the SOMV water treatment plant

The Etablissement Public d'Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux du Sud-Ouest Mont Ventoux (EPAGE SOMV) decided to set up a network of 4 hydrometric measuring stations to continuously determine the flows of the main rivers of the managed catchment area.

This action is part of the implementation ofthe^2nd Flood Prevention Action Programme (PAPI) of South-West Mont Ventoux and more particularly of its action 2-1.

It responds to the objective of improving knowledge of the current hydrological functioning of the waters hed for the different regimes ranging from low-water periods to floods.

The system put in place is flexible and scalable in order to adapt progressively to new knowledge acquired. The equipment installed has been selected to meet the needs that may arise in the future, following the development of the municipalities, in particular the implementation of a flood warning system.

The EPAGE SOMV proceeded to the installation of 4 hydrometric stations on La Mede, Le Bregoux, L'Auzon and La Salette.

For these stations, the choice of equipment was made on the LNS PARATRONIC data acquisition units with a GSM modem communication (GPRS/3G). Depending on the sites, the power supply is different (autonomous on solar panel, on public lighting, on the 230V network...).

Concerning the measurements, the EPAGE has chosen to double the sensors (radar probe CR420 piezometric probe SNA and/or by bubbles) on each of the sites in order to ensure the redundancy of the data, and thus to make the measurements reliable as well in low water period as in flood period.