French Environment Minister wants radar level sensors for flood monitoring

Radar flood sensors may soon be introduced in France, according to comments made by the country’s Environment Minister, Ségolène Royal in a recent TV interview. Directly translated she said: “Operative monitoring of floods overall worked well, but some sensors have experienced problems, a new system of radar sensors will be trialled to compensate for this.” French speakers can see the interview here.

Radar sensors for tide, river and flood level monitoring are being adopted across many sectors of the UK and Europe, according to Vega Controls, which has an office in West Sussex. The firm describes them as “an affordable, reliable alternative to existing technologies and unaffected by weather or surface conditions”. They require no stilling tubes or cable conduits for the protection of sensors, or to cope with different water surface conditions. As a result, says Vega, they are safer, faster and easier to install.

The company presented a UK case study at the recent FloodEx 2016 event (slides for which can be viewed here).

Using battery power these sensors can last for many years, using telemetry systems. Vega’s latest models include Bluetooth communication for easy set up and maintenance. Find out more about the technology at www.vega.com/radar.