Dam Water Level Telemetry Reporter with Dashboard

Dam operators make release decisions from water-level data, and in many small reservoirs that data still arrives by phone from a gauge reader once a day. The engineering gap is a low-cost telemetry unit that watches the level continuously, reports on schedule, and raises the alarm before the water reaches the danger mark — not after. This project builds that unit on an ESP32: an HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor mounted over a gauge well measures the level without touching the water, the firmware converts distance to reservoir level against a calibrated datum, and readings stream to a dashboard with level curves, gate status, inflow/outflow entries and configurable alert thresholds. A model dam with a water reservoir demonstrates the full loop on the bench.

1. The ultrasonic sensor fires at the water surface in the gauge well and the ESP32 times the echo to get distance.
2. Firmware subtracts the distance from the calibrated datum height to produce reservoir level in metres.
3. A moving median filter rejects ripples and stray echoes before the value is accepted.
4. Accepted readings publish to the dashboard every few seconds; a compact hourly summary is stored for the daily report.
5. If the level crosses a threshold or rises faster than the configured rate, the alarm path fires locally and on the dashboard.
6. Gate positions and flow entries are logged alongside, giving the operator one screen for level, releases and trend.

Tech stack:

• ESP32 development board (Wi-Fi telemetry)
• HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor
• Real-time clock module (timestamped logging)
• MicroSD card module (backup log)
• Buzzer + status LEDs (local alarms)
• Model dam with reservoir (demonstration rig)
• Single-page reservoir dashboard (HTML/JS)

• [Non-contact level sensing] The ultrasonic sensor measures the water surface from above, so there is nothing to corrode, foul or submerge.
• [Datum-calibrated readings] Firmware converts raw distance to reservoir level against a surveyed datum the student sets during installation — the report documents the calibration.
• [Hourly reporting] The unit publishes a scheduled report (level, trend, gate state) to the dashboard and can log to an SD card as backup.
• [Threshold alerts] High-level, rapid-rise and sensor-fault alarms trigger the buzzer locally and flag the dashboard immediately.
• [Gate status panel] Spillway gate positions are entered or sensed and shown alongside the level, so release decisions read in context.
• [Inflow/outflow log] Manual or sensor-fed flow entries sit next to the level curve, making the water-balance story visible.
• [Offline buffering] Readings timestamp on-device and sync when connectivity returns, so a network gap never loses the record.

• Working telemetry prototype (ultrasonic sensor, ESP32, RTC, SD logging, alarm buzzer)
• Model dam with reservoir for bench demonstration
• Complete firmware source code (sensing, filtering, calibration, reporting, alarms)
• Reservoir dashboard with level curves and alert log
• Circuit and wiring documentation
• Datum calibration procedure (the buyer's own setup run, documented in the report)
• Project report PDF (hydrometry basics, calibration, logged data from the buyer's run)
• PPT presentation for final review
• Viva Q&A preparation document (ultrasonic ranging, datum, telemetry design, alarm logic)