· 2 min read
DRYLINE's First U.S. Utility Deployment Is Live in the Tonto National Forest
Over 200 sensors are monitoring fuel moisture across six sites in Arizona, deployed with Salt River Project and Northern Arizona University. The project has drawn coverage from utility trade press, public radio, and Arizona TV news.
This summer, Growvera reached a major milestone: the first utility deployment of DRYLINE in the United States is live in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest.
In partnership with the Salt River Project (SRP) and Northern Arizona University’s School of Forestry, over 200 sensors are now streaming live and dead fuel moisture and microclimate data across six sites, from the Tonto Basin to Payson. The network monitors the forested watershed and transmission corridors that serve more than two million people in the Phoenix metro area.
The project is funded through SRP’s Innovation and Development Program, which supports research with Arizona universities and technology companies. Fuel conditions that crews previously sampled by hand every week or two are now measured continuously, around the clock.
“We want to try to keep the power on. That’s our job,” SRP wildfire mitigation specialist Barry Johnson told KJZZ, Phoenix’s NPR affiliate.
Alongside the fuel moisture network, NAU researchers led by Dr. Salli Dymond are studying soil moisture as a complementary wildfire indicator, using sensors also built by Growvera. “This sensor technology allows us to put sensors throughout the forest without the people power,” Dymond told KJZZ.
In the news
The deployment has been covered widely:
- SRP, Northern Arizona University Installing New Fuel Moisture Sensor Technology to Monitor Wildfire Risk - American Public Power Association
- SRP and NAU Deploy Sensor Technology to Assess Wildfire Risk - KJZZ Phoenix (NPR)
- New Sensors Are Watching Arizona’s Wildfire Threat in Real Time - ABC15 Arizona
- New Sensors Launched in Tonto National Forest for Wildfire Prevention - FOX 10 Phoenix
- NAU Partners with SRP and Growvera on Wildfire Sensing Research - Northern Arizona University
- Moisture Study Aims to Enhance Wildfire Preparedness in Arizona - SignalsAZ
For the full story of the deployment, including what the network measures and why it matters, see our field results page.
Interested in what DRYLINE could do on your territory? Schedule time with our team.
