Abstract The goal of this project is to design and build an affordable stream depth gauge that can be used to measure Iowa’s river and stream depths. The system will provide daily depth measurements for and entire year without needing a single battery replacement. The system is self reliant, allowing the user to “set it and forget it”. Depth measurements are sent to the user wirelessly via text message and does not need any user interaction after installation, except for yearly system checkups and battery replacements. Block Diagram Summary Our River Water Level Sensor device has been carefully designed and tested to make sure that all of our functional requirements were met. Our team has worked hard the last two semesters to produce a finished prototype that can accurately read the water height of any river is stationed near. Although the USGS has water level sensors in play measuring large rivers around the nation, our senior design project provides a cheaper alternative that could be used more widely in smaller rivers. It is also durable so that it could be used in almost any climate zone, and will provide an accurate reading of any river for its user. Requirements Our system has the following requirements: Must cost no more than $500 Must operate for an entire year without needing a new battery or recharge. Must provide depth measurements to an accuracy of at least 1 inch. Must be able to operate at temperatures from -5°C to 70°C Must be able to survive temperatures from -40°C to 70°C Must transmit depth measurements daily Must be placed in a power saving mode during winter months Concept Diagram Problem Flow levels in Iowa’s streams and rivers can vary dramatically from day to day. Paddlers need to know this information in order to adequately plan trips. Currently, these levels are measured by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) but the gauges they use can only cover a limited number of rivers and are under constant threat of cancelation due to their high costs. Further, damage caused by the Cedar Rapids flood of 2008 was exacerbated by a lack of warning due to inadequate gauging. Because of these factors, the Iowa State University Canoe and Kayak Club have asked our team to design and build this system. System used by the USGS Team Members John Henderson (EE) Curt LaBarge (EE) Greg Pearson (CprE) Yixin Qiao (CprE) Website: Faculty Advisor and Client Steve Holland - Head of ISU Canoe and Kayak Club Hardware Block DiagramTesting Add a summary of the test results here Work Breakdown Modular Testing: Our project has many individual components including the pressure sensor, microcontroller, cell modem, temp sensor and solar panels. Our first objective was to test each component individually everything functioned individually before putting it all together. Prototype Testing: Once we were sure each component would work on its own, we put everything together in a breadboard prototype. Our prototype combined all components to test whether our project could work as a whole. Prototype could read water height and transmit data as it would in the wild.