The monitoring system (or QuB pronounced "cube") was designed for a Northern California water agency to serve as a real-time monitoring station, to alert downstream Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) of real-time changes in their raw source water.

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The remote water diversion system is significantly impacted by local wintertime runoff events. In particular, during and after runoff events for weeks to months at a time, the source water contains high levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) that can lead to high levels of harmful disinfection by products if improperly treated. The purpose of the stage monitoring Water Quality QuB is to measure real-time levels of DOC in the slough, but with minimal maintenance and staff time required. Since direct measurement of DOC by laboratory instruments was deemed impractical, two surrogate parameters were used: UVA-254 and fDOM (Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter). To accurately measure UVA-254 and fDOM, water is pre-filtered using a set of 3 in-line cartridge filters (10 µm, 1 µm, 0.45 µm). Turbidity is also measured as part of the cube.

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To date, the station has been running for over 2-years. The surrogate DOC parameters, and in particular fDOM, have proven to be very accurate and helpful in tracking real-time DOC levels and trends. Furthermore, downstream WTP operators have been able to make more informed decisions on blending, switching of source waters, and allowing for a more proactive vs. reactive approach.