Local water quality partners worked with EPA Region 10 and the Office of Research and Development to test five water quality monitoring instruments in the Nooksack River Basin. The goal of the project was to set up a network of monitors on the mainstem Nooksack River and major tributaries for real-time detection of water quality issues. The sensors had previously been used in water treatment plants and were of interest to use in ambient water quality monitoring. The sensors were designed by ZAPS technologies LLC and used optical measurements to detect E. coli, TSS, nitrate+nitrite, and BOD concentrations. Sensor measurements were compared to standard laboratory methodology.​

Results of the study shows that while a network of real-time sensors held much promise, the water quality measurements of the sensors was not within the accuracy requirements of standard laboratory methodology.