This guide focuses on specifying monitoring for water infrastructure and pump-station projects. For farm and solar-pump operating considerations, see Remote Monitoring for Boreholes, Dams and Solar Pumps.
Remote monitoring allows operators to see what is happening at boreholes, reservoirs, pump stations and other water infrastructure without physically travelling to every site. A well-designed system can report levels, pressures, pump status, alarms and communications health while the local control system continues operating the process.
Remote monitoring is not one product. It is an architecture made up of field instrumentation, a PLC or RTU, communications equipment, power supplies and a supervisory platform such as SCADA or another approved monitoring system.
What Can Be Monitored?
Typical water and pump station data includes:
- Reservoir or tank level
- Borehole level where suitable instrumentation is installed
- Discharge pressure
- Flow rate and totalised flow
- Pump running or stopped
- Motor or VSD fault
- Local or remote mode
- Power supply status
- Door or enclosure alarms
- Communications health
- Running hours and starts
PLC or RTU?
A PLC is commonly used where the site has significant local control logic, while an RTU is often chosen for remote telemetry applications. In practice the distinction can overlap because many modern PLCs include communications and remote I/O capabilities and many RTUs perform control logic.
The choice should be based on I/O requirements, communications, environmental conditions, programming standards, maintainability and compatibility with the wider system.
Local Control Should Still Work
A remote monitoring system should not automatically make a pump station dependent on a permanent communications link. Where appropriate, the local PLC or controller can continue operating pumps according to level, pressure and protection logic if the remote link is lost.
The system should define what information is lost, which commands are disabled and what local operating mode remains available during a communications failure.
Level Monitoring
Reservoir level can be measured using level transmitters, ultrasonic sensors, radar instruments, hydrostatic probes or other suitable technology. Simple high and low float switches may also be used for discrete control or backup alarms.
Sensor type should be selected according to range, process conditions, mounting, condensation, foam, turbulence, cable distance and required accuracy.
Pressure and Flow Monitoring
Pressure transmitters can show whether a pump station is maintaining the required pressure and can support automatic pressure control. Flowmeters can provide instantaneous flow and totalised volume for operational or reporting purposes.
Signal type, range, process connection and communications protocol should be confirmed before the PLC or RTU I/O is finalised.
Cellular Communications
Cellular routers are commonly used where mobile network coverage is available. They can provide an IP connection between the remote site and a central system using an appropriately secured architecture.
Signal strength, antenna selection, network availability, SIM management, VPN or secure tunnel requirements and data usage should all be considered.
Radio Links
Point-to-point or point-to-multipoint radio can be useful when sites have suitable line of sight and a private wireless link is preferred. Antenna height, terrain, path clearance, frequency regulations and interference must be assessed during radio design.
Fibre and Industrial Ethernet
Where infrastructure already exists, fibre or industrial Ethernet can provide high-speed communications between control sites. Fibre is particularly useful for longer distances, electrical isolation and environments with electromagnetic interference.
Media converters, industrial Ethernet switches, SFP modules and correctly selected fibre types form part of the complete communications path.
SCADA and Central Monitoring
SCADA can provide a central view of multiple boreholes, reservoirs and pump stations. Operators can see levels, pressures, pump status, alarms and communications health from one interface.
Historical trends can help identify pump cycling, falling borehole yield, unusual consumption, reservoir recovery patterns or recurring faults.
Remote Commands
Some projects require remote start, stop, reset, mode selection or setpoint changes. Remote commands should be deliberately engineered with permissions, interlocks and confirmation logic so that an operator cannot create an unsafe condition from a remote interface.
Not every monitored site needs remote control. Monitoring-only architectures can be appropriate where local control must remain independent.
Alarm Notifications
Useful alarms can include high or low level, pump trip, power failure, low pressure, high pressure, dry-run condition, communications failure and intrusion or door status.
The system should avoid alarm flooding. Priorities, delays and escalation rules should be defined so that notifications represent conditions requiring attention.
Power Supply and Backup
Remote telemetry equipment normally requires a stable control power supply. Depending on site requirements, this may include a 24 V DC power supply, DC UPS, battery backup or solar supply for the telemetry equipment.
If the communications equipment must remain online during a mains outage, the backup system should be sized for the PLC or RTU, router, radio, instrumentation and any other essential control loads.
Solar-Powered Remote Sites
Sites without grid power can use a dedicated solar system for telemetry and instrumentation. This is separate from a solar pump inverter system that powers the pump motor itself.
The telemetry solar system must be sized for continuous control and communications loads, battery autonomy and local solar conditions.
Outdoor Enclosures
Remote sites often require outdoor kiosks or cabinets. Enclosure selection should consider IP rating, corrosion, direct sun, internal temperature, condensation, cable entry, antennas, batteries and access for maintenance.
A sealed cabinet can overheat if solar loading and internal equipment losses are ignored.
Cybersecurity
Remote access to industrial assets should use a controlled security architecture. Typical measures include network segmentation, firewalls, VPNs or secure tunnels, strong authentication, least-privilege user access and controlled configuration changes.
PLCs and HMIs should not be exposed directly to the public internet.
Typical Borehole-to-Reservoir Example
A borehole site can use a PLC or RTU to monitor the source level, pump status and motor fault. The destination reservoir can report its level from a second remote station. The control system can coordinate pumping according to reservoir demand while maintaining local dry-run and motor protection.
A central SCADA system can show both sites, record trends and raise alarms. If communications are lost, the local control philosophy determines whether pumping continues, stops or reverts to a defined local mode.
A Practical Planning Checklist
- Number and location of remote sites
- What must be monitored at each site
- What must be controlled remotely, if anything
- Existing PLC, RTU or panel equipment
- Existing instrumentation and signal types
- Available cellular coverage, radio line of sight, Ethernet or fibre
- Existing SCADA or monitoring platform
- Required alarm and notification methods
- Power supply available at each site
- Backup power requirements
- Indoor or outdoor installation
- Existing drawings, network diagrams and panel photographs
- Site cybersecurity standards
Project-specific telemetry, SCADA, communications and control integration can be assessed. Engineering, programming, cybersecurity design, installation and commissioning should be undertaken or verified by appropriately qualified professionals.
Technical Note
This guide provides general architecture guidance. Communications design, radio planning, cybersecurity, control philosophy, electrical protection and instrumentation selection must be assessed for the specific application and applicable standards.
Related catalogue examples: Remote I/O & Automation Modules | Industrial Networking. For an equipment enquiry, contact Softcore Group Industrial Solutions at info@softcoregroup.co.za.