Little Falls robot

 

Over a year ago I first noticed a little blue tent and a solar panel alongside Little Falls Branch stream. I had no idea what it was for, my best guess was some sort of shelter for wayward ducks or a beaver rehab center, but both of those seemed unlikely.  Yesterday I noticed they have a sign explaining it is an automated water monitoring robot that can measure Temperature, pH, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, and Water Flow.  I'm not really sure why it has to physically move to the water as opposed to just having sensors in the creek all the time, but that's how it is.  You can learn more at the Little Falls Watershed Alliance Robot Project. You could also take a look at it yourself, it is located where Little Falls branch goes under Massachusetts Avenue, across from Little Falls Parkway.