In 2021, the California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) received funding to create a modern geospatial data system capable of receiving telemetry data (UPWARD Project1). The funding also created the Telemetry Research Unit (TRU), whose objective is to build institutional knowledge of costs, logistics, and data governance for telemetered water monitoring and to make recommendations about monitoring and reporting processes.

To support these goals, TRU is conducting a Telemetry Pilot Project (Pilot Project). The Pilot Project is a research initiative by the Water Board to explore and refine water monitoring practices using telemetered devices, and includes specific studies like the Russian River Telemetry Study3 (Study). This Study will take place from 2025 to 2027 and evaluate telemetered water monitoring within and around the Russian River watershed4 to understand costs, logistics, and data governance for telemetered water monitoring in a real-world setting. This Study has no regulatory or enforcement component and depends on community members volunteering access to their land and equipment.

A new video introduces the Russian River Telemetry Study, a first-of-its-kind project testing watershed-scale telemetry to improve water management and reduce reporting burdens for farmers. The video features perspectives from local landowners, water managers, and state officials on why better data are essential to the Russian River's future.

Russian River Telemetry Study Video 2026

 

The Russian River Telemetry Study is led by the Telemetry Research Unit at the California State Water Resources Control Board, with support from the California Water Data Consortium, Balance Hydrologics, and local partners. To learn more about the Consortium’s role in the project, visit cawaterdata.org/telemetry.

 

Pilot Documents:

Telemetered Water Monitoring Project Report Pt 2 April 2025.pdfSWRCB RR Telemetry Pilot info sheet.pdfSWRCB RR Telemetry Pilot FAQ.pdf