Last month our MCS'er Frank Olsthoorn was a guest of cycling friend Tom. In addition to being a cycling fanatic, Tom is also Functional Manager of Technical Process Automation at the Delfland Water Board.
Frank went to Den Hoorn, near Delft, to take a look at the new Vislift UP with Tom. This innovative installation ensures that the aquatic animals feel like a fish in the water. The fish lift promotes fish migration and monitors water quality at the same time!
Caring for water
But first it is good to look at what exactly the Water Board does. In short, they take care of water in the watery part in the southwest corner of South Holland. Crucial for the Netherlands Waterland.
This care includes management of the water level in the area, safe dikes and dunes, and clean and healthy open water for water sports, among other things. The Water Board also purifies the wastewater. This water comes from homes and businesses in the region and is then drained to the Waterway or the North Sea.
Efficient operation and optimal water management via 4G
Tom manages, among other things, the majority of the drainage pumping stations and polder pumping stations in the Delfland working area. In addition to these more than 300 pumping stations and dams, the water level is measured at approximately 700 places.
The controls and touch panels for operating the pumping stations and pumps, for example, are connected remotely via 4G to the central management platform of the Water Board. All this for efficient operations and optimal water management.
Healthy and varied fish stocks
Clean water is very important for a healthy and varied fish population. In spring and autumn, many fish species move from larger to smaller waters and vice versa. For example, the well-known eel originally comes from the Caribbean Sargasso Sea as larvae or glass eel via the North Sea in the spring.
They make this long journey with the warm Atlantic Gulf Stream to Europe. Off the coast at the mouths of our rivers, the fish then find their way further upstream to grow up in the polder waters. After a number of years they swim back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn there.
Promote fish migration with fish lifts
To promote and facilitate fish migration, there are approximately 26 fish passages in the Delfland area. Swimming upstream is sometimes quite a challenge for the fish. They encounter various obstacles such as dams, weirs, locks, pumping stations, height differences of the various waterways, small ditches and wide reservoirs.
Fish passages remove these obstacles and ensure smoother fish migration. These passages are often in the form of a staircase. This allows the fish to bridge the height difference during their journey. In Delfland, modern fish can now also take the elevator instead of the stairs.
Special version of the smart Vislift
In Den Hoorn, Tom took Frank to a new Smart Vislift, the so-called UP version of the manufacturer Fish lift. Together our partner Aqua Data Systems we have made an important contribution to this system. Aqua Data Systems developed the control and MCS provided the mobile 4G gateway solution with antennas.
Fish migration with two-way traffic through the new UP Fish Lift
The Vislift UP is a special bosom-polder variant of the Smart Vislift. It enables fish migration in two directions, where a barrier between two gauging areas blocks the swimming route. The drainage basin at the location visited is higher than the lower ditches in the residential area. In the spring the fish want to swim from low to high. In the autumn their route is exactly the opposite.
Fish also appear to have a knack for the smell and taste of water. Fresh and salt water are mixed in certain places by the Water Board. This entices the fish to those parts that are perfectly on the route for their migration.
Loitering youth & artificial intelligence
In addition to promoting fish migration, the Vislift UP does even more. For example, water quality is measured via sensors. In addition, cameras take underwater images of the fish present.
Via artificial intelligence on the gateway in the Vislift, passing fish are counted and distinguished by species. During Frank's visit, the images showed that there were mainly minnows in the elevator. According to Tom, these are well-known 'loiterers' in the neighborhood.
After a fun and interesting afternoon, Frank received a crash course in fish migration. He looks forward to further collaboration with the Delfland Water Board in the field of smart Managed IoT solutions. They watch over Frank's backyard in the beautiful Midden-Delfland polder.
More information
Would you like to know more about the Smart Vislift? In our use case they explain how IoT contributes to nature restoration and fish migration in our waters.
Want to get started with 4G or Managed IoT yourself? Take Contact with us! Based on your wishes, we will look together at the possibilities for your organization.
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