Microfluidic technology has potential as a solution to the increasing demand for environmental monitoring; through minimization of reagents, standard solutions, and power consumption. These efforts will lead to the development of compact autonomous instruments for in situ continuous monitoring of remote locations over long deployable lifetimes. There is therefore a growing need for low cost, reliable systems which can be deployed in sufficient numbers to ensure that data on key water quality parameters is available at the appropriate geographic and temporal densities to allow stakeholders to make well-informed decisions on the management and protection of our environmental waters.