Real-time Nutrient Analyser Project
Water quality analyser at Ouse, Tasmania.
Image: Derwent Estuary Program
We recently concluded our three-year Real-time Nutrient Analyser Project, trialling Eco Detection analysers to address a critical challenge for the Australian water industry: monitoring and managing dissolved nutrient pollution in real time. Elevated dissolved nutrient levels are a leading cause of waterway degradation, driving algal blooms, biodiversity loss, and reduced water usability.
Key benefits of the project included:
- Catchment-scale nutrient management: High-frequency data enabled industry to make timely management decisions to manage nutrients.
- Policy and regulation: Real-time insights provide a stronger evidence base for water quality standards and compliance frameworks.
- Complementary measurements: The project demonstrated the importance of monitoring both total nutrients and dissolved nutrients (nitrate + nitrite), as they provide different but complementary insights into risk, sources, and management.
This work represents a major step forward in catchment-scale nutrient monitoring and management in Tasmania. Its success provides a model for how real-time technologies can be integrated into water quality programs, enabling faster and more effective environmental decision-making.
The next stage will focus on measuring total nutrients to develop a nutrient “budget” for the catchment—an approach that helps set allowable limits of nutrient pollution and guides long-term management.
This project was made possible through funding from The Ian Potter Foundation, one of Australia’s leading philanthropic organisations, with additional support from EcoDetection, EPA Tasmania, TasWater, Hydro Tasmania, and Meadowbank Vineyard.
Read about the project and the final Real Time Analyser Project Report.
Tuesday 21 October 2025