Rapid Deployment for the Small Field Buoy
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency were asked to investigate a fish kill event at the popular angling location of Ballykeel Lough Erne, Co. Down.
Anglers reported a large number of dead fish floating on the surface of the water, and washed ashore around the angling stands of the fishery, which was also confirmed by the Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure (DCAL).
Inspectors from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency were, at short notice, required to monitor the water quality at different depths in the 8m deep fly-fishing lake, to ascertain if the brown trout died as a result of a dissolved oxygen mixing event.
Inspectors from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency took water samples, and deployed an OSIL Small Field Buoy, with two Hydrolab sondes at different depths, set up for internal logging which provides up to 30 days data on up to 16 parameters simultaneously.
The OSIL Small Field Buoy was specifically selected for this application, due to restrictions imposed on the types of vessels allowed on the freshwater lake.
The buoy is small at 0.6m in diameter and 1.2m in length, lightweight (just 25 kg), and easy to deploy by two people from a small craft, such as a rowing boat. The buoy’s single point mooring also assists in ease of deployment and recovery.
OSIL’s Small Field Buoy is designed for use in applications where data needs to be obtained ASAP, and where other data collection systems would be difficult to deploy from small vessels.
The small, lightweight buoy is designed for long-term use, and carries a GPRS enabled data logger, solar panels and battery backup.
Constructed with a machined foam centre and durable rubber coating, the Buoy has a central through hull compartment designed to accommodate a water quality sonde while providing protection from collision damage and accurate equipment positioning.