With over 10 million US Residents living along Lake Erie shores, and countless fisheries, utilities, and other industries relying on the lake for their livelihoods, the ever-changing maritime and weather conditions have a significant impact on the day to day lives of many people.
The Smart Lake Erie Watershed initiative is a project of Cleveland Water Alliance that has established over 6,500 square miles of telecommunications network coverage across the Lake Erie Watershed, connecting Smart Buoys equipped with sensors that transmit real-time weather and maritime conditions data for public use.
Select data can be accessed through a new CWA data viewer (launching Spring 2024) or through the Text A Buoy program, owned and operated by CWA Partners at LimnoTech. The Text A Buoy program is the only program like this in the world, and works with any 5-digit buoy anywhere in the world that's listed on the NOAA site.
Look up a buoy of interest here or find one while roaming around on Lake Erie and text the 5-digit buoy-ID number to (866) 218-9973, and you'll receive wind, wave and temperature conditions at the buoy's location.
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