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Online Toxicity Monitors (OTM) for Distribution System Water Quality Monitoring
Citation:
ALLEN, JOEL J., S. PANGULURI, N. MUHAMMAD, D. A. Macke, J. L. HECKMAN, G. MEINERS, AND J. G. SZABO. Online Toxicity Monitors (OTM) for Distribution System Water Quality Monitoring. Presented at WQTC Technology Conference, Charlotte, NC, November 04 - 08, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
Present paper
Description:
Drinking water distribution systems in the U.S. are vulnerable to episodic contamination events (both unintentional and intentional). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting research to investigate the use of broad-spectrum online toxicity monitors (OTMs) in distribution systems. This research was conducted at the Early Warning Systems Laboratory (EWSL) located at the EPA’s Test and Evaluation (T&E) Facility in Cincinnati, OH and is part of ongoing OTM research for source water monitoring and watershed management. The data collected by the OTMs provides water quality managers with continuous, time-relevant information regarding water quality status. For the purposes of this testing, a pilot-scale distribution system simulator (DSS) available at the EPA T&E Facility collocated with the EWSL in Cincinnati, Ohio was used. Contaminants were injected into the distribution system and a sample line from the distribution system was connected to two OTMs to monitor their responses. Specifically, this paper presents the responses of luminescence bacteria Vibrio fischeri (as contained in the microLAN Toxcontrol system) and fish Pimephales promelas (as contained in the bbe Moldaenke ToxProtect system) to two toxic contaminants: sodium fluoroacetate and potassium cyanide under field conditions.