AWWA JAW64311 Journal AWWA - An Online Real-Time Biomonitor for Contaminant Surveillance in Water Supplies

Journal Article by American Water Works Association, 02/01/2007

Mikol, Yves B.; Richardson, William R.; Van der Schalie, William H.; Shedd, Tommy R.; Widder, Mark W.

Full Description

Automated biomonitoring systems provide continuous,real-time monitoring of changes in water quality.They can rapidly identify toxicity associated with awide range of chemical contaminants and increasepublic confidence in drinking water quality. Althoughthe concept of biomonitoring was proposed more than40 years ago, and its use is widespread in Europe, many U.S. utilities still use manual observation as amethod to identify water quality problems.This article illustrates how biomonitors can contributeto an early warning system for source waterprotection. Two case studies involving biomonitoringsystems that continuously monitor the ventilatory patternsof fish are described for a large and a small system.The case studies provide a context for a discussionof the considerations important for implementing abiomonitoring approach, including toxicant responsiveness,event confirmation, biomonitors as part of thedecision-making process, and cost.These case studies demonstrate the ability of biomonitorsto detect common accidental surface water contaminantsin source waters with differing physical and chemicalcharacteristics and show that a biomonitor usingsophisticated software to rapidly identify toxicity inwater can be operated for extended periods of time withminimal maintenance and infrequent downtime. Includes 37 references, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. 99 - No. 2 Published: 02/01/2007 Number of Pages: 9 File Size: 1 file , 230 KB