Potable Water Test Program Set-up

While ATP monitoring does provide the fastest and most accurate method to determine total bioburden in a water system, it is not intended to replace specific detection methods such as E. Coli and Total Coliform tests, nor should it be used for compliance monitoring to meet regulatory targets. Rather, it is a very effective operations monitoring tool to optimize treatment to meet these goals.

Measuring the total microbial content with ATP provides a direct indication of the risk of pathogen growth. Using ATP monitoring in conjunction with routine pathogen tests will help water system operators meet compliance targets.

In addition, many species of pathogens (i.e. Pseudomonas, Legionella, Cryptosporidium, etc.) are not routinely monitored in municipal and building water systems and would therefore go undetected. The risk of pathogen growth increases significantly if water systems are not maintained. ATP monitoring would provide the operator with the early warning to take corrective action and thus minimize the risk of pathogen growth.

The concepts associated with sampling location are similar regardless of what type of water system is being monitored. Typically, samples should be routinely collected and tested at the following locations:

• Source Water (i.e. lakes, rivers, wells, etc.) – By identifying the microbiological content of the source water, downstream results can be compared to the origin to gauge the extent of microbial growth within the network.

• Before & After Treatment – ATP provides the ideal tool to assess treatment efficacy, regardless of the method.

• High and Low-Traffic Areas – While monitoring high-traffic areas is crucial to minimize health risk in the busiest areas, monitoring of low-traffic areas is also important since areas where water is stagnant or flows slowly are typically hotbeds for microbial growth.

• Far-reaching Locations – Sample locations that are farthest from the source or water entry point typically contain elevated levels of microbial growth since they are the farthest away from where treatment takes place.

Oftentimes flush cycles are managed by monitoring turbidity. While high turbidity often indicates high microbial content, flushing until the turbidity is been sufficiently reduced does not necessarily result in the pipe being free of microorganisms. Conversely, turbid water does not always mean that it is laden with microorganisms.

ATP monitoring provides the means to quickly and effectively manage flush cycles to ensure that Planktonic organisms have been washed from the system. Avoiding over-flushing translates to significant savings, especially in large cities with complex water networks.

Since LuminUltra’s ATP test protocols provide real-time results, tests can be done in the field at several locations in a complex water network to determine what branches need flushing and to what degree.

In recent years, municipal water treatment systems have turned to chloramine as an alternative to chlorine disinfection due to the decreased risk of harmful disinfection byproduct formation and its ability to maintain a residual for longer periods.

However, Ammonia from chloramines can be utilized as a food source for a class of bacteria known as nitrifiers. Whereas nitrifiers go undetected when using traditional culture tests, ATP testing detects their presence. The best prevention against nitrifiers is early detection.