Gersprenzmonitor
The Gersprenzmonitoring project is long-term water monitoring with minimal infrastructure and cost requirements.
Measuring stations can be installed even in very remote locations, independent of electricity and the Internet.
The project is open to anyone interested and can of course be adapted in other ways (e.g. monitoring of buildings, etc.) or for other bodies of water.
Who or what is the Gersprenz?
The Gersprenz is a 51.3 km long, with the main source Mergbach 62.1 km long, originating in the Odenwald, southwestern and orographically left tributary of the Main in Hessen and Bavaria (Germany). It is a second-class body of water and is not navigable.
The Gersprenz arises in the Odenwald, southwest of the Reichelsheim district of Bockenrod at an altitude of around 200 m above sea level. NHN through the confluence of Mergbach and Osterbach. Since the Mergbach is the main source river, its source at the Neunkircher Höhe (605 m) in the Vorderen Odenwald is called the Gersprenzquelle; it is designated as a Gersprenzquelle natural monument.
Source: Wikipedia.org Gersprenz
Gersprenztal model project
Since 2020, ASV Gersprenztal has been making greater efforts and with great commitment to develop the Gersprenz into a high-quality ecosystem.
This is done, among other things, by creating new habitats for water-bound species by introducing gravel deposits and reintroducing the water with former fish species that have since become “extinct here”. The prerequisite for long-term success is the creation of gravel depots or gravel areas in the water, because most of the newly introduced species can only develop in the interstitial/gravel gap system (egg laying and habitat for the juvenile animals).
The fishing authorities, the City of Reinheim and the water association offer extensive support.
Water monitoring
The Gersprenzmonitor is now intended to record and document this habitat with data.
Water monitoring refers to the recording of chemical, physical and biological properties of a body of water over a longer period of time and thus the monitoring of water development and quality.
The European Water Framework Directive also requires the recording of the complex impact structure in the catchment area of a body of water, i.e. the pedological, structural-geological and climatological conditions and the historical and current land use.
Measured variables for water monitoring can be: oxygen content to estimate eutrophication, temperature, pH value, conductivity, redox potential as an indicator of the biological self-cleaning ability of the water, turbidity, spectral absorption coefficient (SAK), TOC value, ammonium and ortho and total -Phosphate, chlorophyll, nitrate content and heavy metal content.
As a sub-area of environmental monitoring, water monitoring can also provide data for an environmental information system.
