New tech allows continuous real-time monitoring of water table in the Broads

Aerial view of the LoRaWAN monitoring site on the River Ant. © Broads Authority.

Conservationists at the Broads Authority have captured their first six months’ of continuous ‘live’ water level monitoring data at field scale.

The monitoring project was delivered by Environment Policy Advisor Andrea Kelly and Sustainability Manager Harry Mach and is based on a site that was previously extensively drained for farming. With funding from Natural England’s ‘Nature for Climate Programme’ and Anglian Water’s Get River Positive Programme, staff carried out works to improve water retention on the site. During autumn winter 2025-2026 sluice gates and a bund were installed with the aim of raising summer water table levels.

Whilst remote monitoring of water levels is not new in the Broads, it has previously been a labour-intensive process or required ‘work arounds’ such as web cams pointed at gauge boards. Poor connectivity in some of the more isolated areas of the Broads means getting data onto a network has previously been quite challenging.

In March 2026, nine dipwell sensors were installed on the site along the River Ant. These sensors were connected to a server using new technology from Cwiri Ltd, a startup of UKCEH, specialising in environmental monitoring and carbon verification across peatland and woodland projects. The solar-powered sensors transmit the water level data to a gateway which in turn uploads the data to a server. The so-called LoWaRAN ('low-powered, wide-area network') is a cheap and effective way to conduct remote monitoring.

A spokesperson for Cwiri Ltd said:

While six months represents only the beginning of the monitoring programme, the data collected so far highlights the value of continuous measurements in understanding peatland function and recovery. Early results are already showing considerable variation in water table conditions across different parts of the site, highlighting why site-specific monitoring is so important. As the dataset grows, it will provide an increasingly valuable resource for informing future management decisions."
Person holding a long, thin device with a visible circuit and battery.

Calibration device used with dipwell sensor. © Broads Authority.

Group of people in outdoor clothing in an area of reeds. One is holding a coring device to install a dipwell.

Team installing dipwell sensors in marshland. © Broads Authority.

Person in outdoor clothing using a long-handled corer to install a dipwell in an area of reeds. Two other people are watching with interest.

Using a corer to install dipwell sensors on site. © Broads Authority.

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