Monitoring rainfall - Case Study

Springfield, Mo., makes critical decisions using rainfall data

The city of Springfield, Mo., has a service area of 82 sq miles with a population of about 160,000. City officials have used Mission Communications remote terminal units (RTUs) to monitor rainfall since 2007. Carrie Lamb, water quality compliance officer for the city of Springfield, said the Department of Public Works (DPW) needed a network of rainfall gauges interspersed across the city to collect consistent, long-term data.

“I did a lot of research online and spoke with other communities,” Lamb said. “Some had systems they were supporting internally. We wanted a system that we didn’t have to support ourselves. That was a really important consideration for us, and that’s how we came to Mission.”

The city began with 20 solar-powered M110 units attached to tipping bucket rain gauges. Solar power was chosen for cost efficiency and to follow the department goal of maintaining a clean environment. The majority of the units were positioned on roofs of school buildings and near lift stations as a way of spacing the network.