New station takes measurements every 5 minutes; investment of R$ 560 thousand is part of the State’s modernization program
The (Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo), linked to Semil (Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics), has advanced in expanding the monitoring of the Tietê River with the expansion of its network of automatic stations in strategic points, including Barra Bonita and, more recently, Promissão.
The new unit is essential to strengthen surveillance capacity in the Middle and Lower Tietê, integrating a continuous effort by the State to modernize the management of water resources and ensure more comprehensive and precise geographic coverage.
The installed equipment operates uninterruptedly, taking measurements every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, which allows detailed and real-time monitoring of essential parameters such as dissolved oxygen, temperature and pH. This high frequency in data collection is crucial for identifying immediate variations in environmental conditions, providing essential technical support for the preservation of the ecosystem and for rapid decision-making in water quality management throughout the monitored stretch.
With an investment of R$560 thousand, through Fehidro (Fundo Rstadual de Recursos Hídricos), the station is part of a modernization program started in 2023, which already totals around R$3 million invested in the implementation and operation of units along the river, including Mogi das Cruzes, Penha (Guarulhos), Rasgão (Pirapora do Bom Jesus) and Laranjal Paulista.
According to the director of Environmental Quality at Cetesb, Maria Helena Martins, continuous monitoring increases the ability to understand the dynamics of the river and guide management decisions. “With continuous and real-time data, we are able to monitor parameters such as oxygen dissolved in the water and evaluate how the operation of reservoirs influences the quality of the Tietê. This database is essential to guide planning and public policies”he states.
HOW IT WORKS
Each station has a submerged probe installed a few meters from the river bank, responsible for measuring parameters such as dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, pH and conductivity.
The data is transmitted to Cetesb’s headquarters, in the capital of São Paulo, where it undergoes technical validation before being consolidated and released.
MONITORING NETWORK GOES BEYOND AUTOMATIC STATIONS
In addition to the automatic stations, Cetesb maintains 27 collection points along the Tietê River, between Biritiba Mirim and the mouth of the Paraná River, to monitor the evolution of water quality.
To assess organic pollution from sewage in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, the company also monitors 30 tributaries between Mogi das Cruzes and Barueri, measuring the concentration of organic matter before these watercourses reach the Tietê.
At the Edgar de Souza dam, the organic pollution load that reaches the river after crossing the metropolitan region is quantified.
“With the combination of automatic stations, periodic collections and strategic measurement points, we have consolidated an integrated structure for monitoring the water quality of the Tietê River”, concludes the director.
This text was originally published by at 8:04 am on April 4, 2026 and adapted for publication on Poder360.
