Smart dogs sniff out leaky pipes
Using a highly unique solution to a common and sometimes vexing problem, a cocker spaniel and a springer spaniel in Britain are finding leaks in drinking water pipes by using their sensitive noses to sniff out the chlorine in the water. Snipe, a two-year-old cocker spaniel, received months of training from his handlers, who… Read More
2018 – Year in Review
At this time of year, ‘Year in Review’ lists seem to be everywhere and the water industry is no different. 2018 brought some exciting changes for us at LuminUltra, so here’s a look back at some of the events we’re particularly proud of as a company and some of the stories that made us… Read More
Most Wanted Microbes: Vibrio cholerae
From the editor: This is the fifteenth and final post in our series profiling microorganisms of particular significance in water and wastewater systems. In this series we will cover microorganisms of many types including some that are beneficial, inhibitory and pathogenic. Vibrio cholerae or V. cholerae is a species of bacteria commonly found in brackish… Read More
Is That Water Safe to Drink?
It’s been more than 160 years since someone first figured out that germs in drinking water could lead to the spread of disease. In 1854, British doctor John Snow plotted cases of cholera on a map of London and determined that a neighbourhood water pump was the source of an epidemic in the city…. Read More
Happy Holidays!
2018 was a milestone year for us! Along with it being LuminUltra’s 15th anniversary, we welcomed InstantLabs as well as aqua-tools’ Rapid Microbial Solutions division to our LuminUltra team. To top it off, and the icing on the celebratory cake, was the launch of our DNA services and the web version of our LuminUltra… Read More
Top 3 Things I Learned at WEFTEC 2018
Whether I’m talking to attendees or customers in our booth at WEFTEC, or attending presentations, I always walk away with valuable information. That is the key, as you’ll see in my #1 take-away from WEFTEC. 1. Data ≠ Information I initially heard this statement during Dr. Mark van Loosdrecht’s presentation on wastewater microbial… Read More
Drinking Water Safety Back in the Spotlight as Concerns Grow in Newark
As Flint, Michigan, continues to deal with the fallout of the water crisis that rocked the community beginning in 2014, there are growing concerns over lead in tap water in another major U.S. city. Residents of Newark, New Jersey, are learning that their city’s drinking water contains high levels of lead and has for… Read More
Not Your Average Filter – Specialized Features of Luminultra’s Quench-Gone Filter
Anyone looking through our line of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test kits will probably notice one particular item that is included in some methods, but not in others: the Quench-Gone syringe filters. So, what purpose do they serve and why are they only used in some methods? A major advantage of LuminUltra’s 2nd Generation ATP… Read More
New Luminultra DNA Tools Provide Rapid Screening and Identification of Microbes
Thanks to our two new DNA tools – Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) – LuminUltra can now rapidly screen for specific microbes or groups of microbes known to be significant in your process and identify nearly all of the types of microbes present. That means you’ll be able to… Read More
Quiz Time! Time to Test Your Water Smarts
Quiz time! As we continue to grow and offer advanced microbial services, we’re paying close attention to other scientific advances that will shape the water monitoring sector in the future. Here’s a brief quiz related to a few of those advances. Books down and good luck. 1. In a breakthrough with important implications for… Read More