A) Why measure your drinking water plant intake? Below are some examples of reasons to monitor and protect public health and the infrastructure of your treatment plant.
- Contaminated river shut water supply down for 4 days; schools shut down. Chemical blast
- Strychnine found in Reservoir, shut down Reservoir. Unknown
- 7500 gallons of diesel spilled in river. Tanker truck crashed
- 13000 liters of diesel into river shutting down drinking water plant. Auto workshop
- Alum overflow into DWP — Alum delivery truck''s tank overfilled sending excess alum into river
B) Some other uses for monitoring the quality of water entering your Drinking Water Plant. Detect changes in Water Quality from:
- Dissolved organic matter
- Intrusion of another source
- Spring
- Municipal or industrial waste
- Acid mine drainage
- Produced water from oil and gas drilling operations
- Algal blooms
- Reservoir stratification
- Storm events
- Malicious contamination of the source water
C) Here are the Hach Probes that can be deployed using the Source Water Monitoring Panel:
Organics, UVAS sc probe, 5mm – Useful for seasonal changes and accidental spills of organic nature
Ammonium, NH4D probe – May indicate presence of pesticides or other biological degradation of organic matter
pH sensor, Ryton – Monitor the acid/base relationships within water
Conductivity, Inductive – May indicate presence of ionic species; measures the total ionic concentration in water
ORP Sensor – Can indicate sudden changes for oxidative or reducing species introduced into the water
Turbidity, SOLITAX™ t-line – May indicate some chemical compounds or increased bacterial levels (this instrument can measure suspended solids as well if proper version is ordered)
Dissolved Oxygen, LDO sensor – Sudden change may indicate toxic conditions that affect algal respiration or increased levels of bacteria using up the oxygen
Nitrate, NITRATAX™ plus sc, 5 mm: Monitor nutrient levels within water; beneficial in detecting agricultural runoff
