Quality Professionals Assure Water
Quality
Water Quality is the top
priority for Las Virgenes Municipal Water District
(LVMWD). LVMWD’s State–certified laboratory
and its team of dedicated, educated, and credentialed
scientists and technicians work to assure this quality.
Seven individuals work on
the extensive testing and monitoring to make certain
the district´s water meets or exceeds standards
for health and safety. This is a huge responsibility,
and the lab team members study hard and work hard
to obtain and apply the knowledge and skills to make
these assurances. "The laboratory provides support
to our water and reclamation operations to ensure
that the water we provide is healthy and safe," notes
Brad Glassman, Laboratory Supervisor.
Test, after test, after test. . .
Every month, the lab team
conducts 2500 to 3000 tests. Some tests can take
minutes, while others take several days. So, lab
operations continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
year-round. Over 50% of the lab team´s work
is on LVMWD´s potable water, ensuring high
quality drinking water. On a monthly basis 72 samples
of potable water are taken in the field (throughout
the district´s 320 miles of potable water mainline)
to test for various parameters that include microbial
and physical characteristics.
In the lab, these samples
are tested for more than 100 constituents, including
bacteria, dissolved oxygen, chromium VI and chlorine
residual. Most of this work is "compliance sampling",
required to meet state and federal regulation, mostly
by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and
California Department of Health Services. Drinking
water, after all, is the most regulated product in
our homes. Results of the lab team´s testing
are prepared and published each year in LVMWD´s
Water Quality Report which is sent to each customer
and is available on-line, click
here.
But, that´s just a
portion of the lab team´s responsibilities.
With the water district´s separate systems
for drinking water and recycled water for irrigation,
the lab team not only samples and tests potable water,
but recycled water as well, to ensure that the final
product that goes out into the community for irrigation
meets health and safety standards. Then, there are
samples and tests of the final biosolids compost
product from the district´s Rancho Las Virgenes
facility.
Some of these tests are
for product quality, making certain recycled water
and compost meet regulatory requirements for quality
and safety. Many others are "process samples",
which help water district engineers and operators
see how effectively district facilities are running.
And, there´s more.
LVMWD´s location within
the Santa Monica Mountains means additional tests
to monitor environmental and watershed impacts of
the district´s operations. The lab team joins
with other district staff for testing and monitoring,
to provide a better environment for the district´s
communities and customers. There is environmental
moni-toring in the Malibu Creek Watershed, encompassing
the waters of Malibu Creek, Las Virgenes Creek, and
Malibu Lagoon. Tests are performed within Las Virgenes
and Malibu Creeks at seven sampling sites, every
2 weeks, to gather data on stream flows upstream
of Tapia as well as below the facility. These tests
continue whether or not Tapia releases water into
the stream flow. Field-testing – conducted
mostly by laboratory assistants must be done whatever
the weather, rain or shine. As for anyone who works
outdoors, sometimes that means trudging through the
rain or working in the baking heat.
While the lab team conducts
nearly all district testing, some specialized tests
are sent to outside labs for analysis.
Specialization
With so many different tests
and so many to do, modern equipment, automation and
computerization are a must. The Technicon Auto-analyzer,
spans more than 5 feet with a bundle of spaghetti
tubing, this laboratory workhorse automates testing
for nitrogen-nitrate, a requirement of increased
environmental monitoring. This specialized equipment
enables the analyst to accurately and efficiently
test dozens of samples at a time.
LIMS (Laboratory Information
Management System), a specialized computer program,
enables the lab to track projects and findings, then
quickly compute trends and compile reports. LIMS
is capable of tracking samples, starting at collection,
to what testing has been done, to creating an analysis
timeline, to recording results. It saves a lot of
time. LIMS can produce reliable information with
exceptional speed and accuracy, whatever the volume
and complexity of the data – which can be considerable
in a laboratory like that at LVMWD.
Then, there´s the
amazing ISCO samplers. Each of the refrigerated,
24-bottle units can automatically draw samples through
tubes connected to the flow at varied spots in Tapia
Water Reclamation Facility´s process. Pre-programming
enables the ISCOs to automatically sample flow at
pre-set times. This allows laboratory staff to schedule
their time between the laboratory and varied sampling
sites throughout the multi-acre facility.
Still, there´s plenty
of work to do by hand. One example is collecting "grab
samples" for immediate testing. This type of
sample is just what it sounds like, in that a collection
bottle is used to capture or "grab" water
by hand. Another is the seemingly endless task of
washing glassware, preparing reagents, maintaining
and calibrating equipment and keeping the laboratory
clean.
The work is unending. Once
one series of tests is completed, recorded and reported – there´s
another sample waiting. Each effort must be approached
with rigor and concentration, to be certain the best
testing practices are in place and specific scientific
protocols are applied. That´s the commitment
of the LVMWD lab team. Every day, year round, their
work enables the water district to assure the quality,
health and safety of our services to customers. LVMWD
is very proud of our water quality, and the Lab team
ensures our confidence in that pride. |
