Senix and AirWire LoRa Wireless System and ToughSonic Sensors used to Remotely Monitor Water Level

Senix: The Causey-Lingo area, about 300 square miles in extent, is in south-central Roosevelt County on the High Plains of eastern New Mexico, adjacent to Bailey and Cochran Counties, Texas. An increase in the use of ground water for irrigation, cattle feeding and general population growth in recent years has created a need for additional wells, and storage tanks in many areas.

Farming and ranching are the principal industries in this area. Near Portales, about 12 miles north of the Causey-Lingo area, crops have been irrigated successfully for many years. Ground water in the Portales Valley is pumped from wells into an abandoned stream valley which runs diagonally across the northern part of Roosevelt County. However, in the remainder of the county agriculture and stock raising has been dependent upon precipitation. During years of normal rainfall, crop yields were satisfactory and adequate pasture was produced. In years when rainfall was deficient, the yield of crops grown on dry-land farms declined seriously and pasture grass was inadequate for cattle feeding. These conditions drove considerable interest in improving irrigation and water storage in the area.

Several water towers in the Causey, NM area are raised quite high to create sufficient pressure and flow to wide areas. Due to the height and remote locations of some of these towers, continuously monitoring the water level is difficult, but critical to ensure that each region is prepared to meet future water demands.

The Causey, NM water storage tank is 16 ft. tall, but is lifted 120 ft. off the ground. The town needed a water level monitoring system on this elevated water tank which could be viewed from a more accessible location.

Larry Paiz of the Village of Causey, NM said “we needed an economical system that gave us an accurate reading on our water level, as well as be in compliance with our State of New Mexico water agency.” Larry selected the ToughSonic 30 Ultrasonic Level and Distance Sensor from Senix. The ToughSonic 30 is ideal this 16-foot outdoor tank due to its rugged design, 316 Stainless Steel housing, potted and protected cables and electronics, and IP68 rating. To send and view the water level data at a remote location, the Senix AirWire Transmitter and Gateway system was used, combined with Senix free secure Cloud-based monitoring software.

AirWire from Senix is a versatile system for making remote measurements within a local region without the need for wired communications. AirWire uses LoRa technology, a low-power and high penetration data transmission technology widely accepted as a cost-effective choice in the IoT area. The Senix AirWire transmitter powers and controls the sensor through integral batteries and transmits the data to either a public LoRa gateway or a private gateway for display on the internet, or Cloud-based software from Senix. High and Low levels and alarms can be sent, HTTP posts can be set up as well as automatic text messages or emails can be set up when any alarm message occurs.

“We are extremely happy with the Senix equipment. It was easy to install and easy to monitor” reported Larry. “Senix was extremely helpful in understanding our needs, the purchase and installation of the equipment, and followed up with me to ensure the equipment was working properly. Without my asking, Senix has even contacted me with recommendations on how to correct any issues that were noted in our software settings.”

Larry commented further to say “I work remotely and being able to monitor the system on my phone and computer has been invaluable. My hope was to install the system and have it do what it was intended to do, and so far, it has met our expectations.