Online monitoring systems Hi ...

Online monitoring systems

Hi Mark

There are the BactControl and Coliminder systems for the online detection of faecal contamination in water. Both work on the principle of detecting the enzyme β-glucoronidase as an indicator of the presence of E. coli . Measurement is different from conventional testing for E. coli that can only detect cells that can be cultivated on an appropriate growth medium.  These systems also detect cells that cannot be cultured but are still viable.

They have been used to monitor faecal contamination of source waters to provide an early warning of potential contamination events. I have no practical experience of the devices at the moment but the results look promising. However, I will be looking into conducting trials of this type of technology within the EU Aquavalens project. It aims to develop and apply new technologies for protecting the microbiological quality of drinking water.

BactControl       http://toxcontrol.com/

Coliminder        http://www.vienna-water-monitoring.com/index.php/en/

Aquavalens       http://aquavalens.org/