Promium® provides laboratory information management systems (LIMS) to environmental laboratories. Element DataSystem® LIMS from Promium is used to manage samples through the laboratory from login to testing and ultimately to the generation of a final analytical report. Particularly with water and wastewater labs, there are many monitoring and reporting requirements that make it important to accurately and reliably manage data throughout the process and to feed that data to other information management systems such as WaterTrax®.

Element LIMS integrates with the WaterTrax solution to create a comprehensive information management infrastructure for water and wastewater labs. “Helping water and wastewater laboratories improve productivity is hugely important to us and we think that working directly with WaterTrax also gives us a unique advantage,” said Scot Cocanour, Promium CEO. “Our laboratory software is purpose-built for environmental labs that test water and it’s critical to our customers that data flows efficiently through our system and then out into the WaterTrax service. The seamless connection fortifies confidence in the data integrity and eliminates a lot of manual activity.”

“WaterTrax is very excited about formalizing this partnership with Promium. This partnership commits both companies to ensuring interoperability between our WaterTrax and Promium products so that leading municipalities and utilities can receive data from their analytical laboratories, stay in compliance with water and wastewater regulations and reduce manual data entry and paperwork,” said James Griffiths, WaterTrax General Manager. “WaterTrax brings disparate water and wastewater data together to facilitate compliance. Enhancing our relationship with Promium strengthens our capabilities in this area and will continue to bring added value to our mutual customers.”

SVL looks forward to the improved reporting capabilities for our clients that use the WaterTrax system.

Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a webcast titled “Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution Series: Nitrate in Ground Water” on Tuesday March 29, 2011 at 1:00-3:00 pm (EST). This webcast will highlight an emerging issue of increased nitrate loading to ground water, a growing national concern. According to EPA’s most recent data, public water systems using ground water as a drinking source serve over 300 million people nationwide. The total number of people drinking ground water increases when factoring in households supplied by private drinking water wells. Ground water can become contaminated by nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) leaching from the land surface into the ground water supply.

In a September 2010 report, “Nutrients in the Nation’s Streams and Groundwater,” the U.S. Geological Survey monitored and documented nitrate levels above 10 mg/L, which is the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) set by the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations through the Safe Drinking Water Act, in over 20 percent of shallow household wells in agricultural areas. Additionally, from 1998 to 2008, the number of nitrate violations recorded at public water systems around the country has nearly doubled. Surface sources of drinking water are also at risk. For example, stormwater runoff can carry nutrients directly to rivers, lakes and reservoirs – some of which are used as drinking water supplies. Capital costs to remove nitrates from public water systems or to provide alternative water supplies for individual households can be very high, with some communities spending millions of dollars.

The webcast will provide a national overview of the nitrate in ground water issue and highlight a case study in Oregon’s Southern Willamette Valley. This webcast is a second in a series of Watershed Academy Webcasts on the impacts of nutrients on water resources.

Participants are encouraged to download the presentation, which will be posted prior to the webcast. For more information on the webcast, including the presentation, information on speakers, and to register, visit www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts. More information on nitrates in drinking water can be found at http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/nitrate.cfm.

• Florida Drinking Water
• Florida Non-Potable Water
• Florida Hazardous Waste

In September, 2010, EPA released a draft of the scientific assessment (Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium) for public comment and external peer review. When this human health assessment is finalized in 2011, EPA will carefully review the conclusions and determine if a new standard needs to be set.

* EPA Press Release

Should my water system conduct enhanced monitoring for Chromium-6?
Given the emerging public health information, EPA is providing this guidance to all public water systems to show how a system could enhance chromium monitoring through additional sampling and analysis specifically for chromium-6. The Agency strongly encourages water systems to consider the following recommendations and to determine how your system might enhance drinking water monitoring for chromium-6.

Where should water systems collect samples?
Chromium is complex in its behavior in drinking water systems as it may occur in water systems in both the chromium-3 (trivalent chromium) and chromium-6 forms. Under distribution system conditions, e.g., in the presence of an oxidant such as chlorine, chromium-3 can be transformed into the more toxic chromium-6 form. Existing treatment processes such as conventional treatment may be effective in removing chromium-3, but not chromium -6. To understand the fate of incoming chromium-6 in raw water supplies or transformed chromium-6 from chromium-3 following conventional treatment and disinfection, EPA recommends that systems collect samples at the locations listed below.

1. Intake/well locations: EPA recommends that water systems collect samples of untreated water at the intake/well. Systems with multiple intakes/wells should identify sampling points that result in a representative sample of the utilized source waters to account for the multiple sources, seasonal variation in sources and historical measured total chromium concentrations at entry points to the distribution system. Chromium data at entry points can serve as a guide for identifying the corresponding source water intakes/wells, which should preferably be targeted for monitoring.
2. Entry points to the distribution system: EPA recommends that systems with drinking water treatment processes also collect samples at the point that treated water enters the distribution system. Systems with multiple entry points should collect samples from representative entry points to the distribution system.
3. Distribution System: EPA recommends that systems collect representative samples from locations within the distribution systems. Since chromium-3 can transform into chromium-6 in the distribution system due to the presence of an oxidant such as chlorine, it is desirable that systems monitor for chromium-6 at locations considered to represent the maximum residence time, which is consistent with the monitoring goals for disinfection byproducts. The number of locations to consider for sampling within the distribution system will depend on the number of entry points, the relational proximity of entry points and the overall size of the distribution system. EPA also recommends that systems collect samples at a subset of 10 or fewer distribution system locations where they currently sample under the Disinfection By-products Rule (DBP) Stage 1 and 2, and that systems not disinfecting consider collecting samples from a subset of 10 or fewer locations where they typically sample under the Total Coliform Rule (TCR).

How frequently should samples be collected?
EPA recommends that water systems with surface water sources collect samples quarterly to capture the variation that may occur in the levels of chromium-6 in source waters. EPA recommends that ground water systems be sampled semi-annually. EPA recommends that systems collect samples from each of the locations listed above on the same day.

How can I find a laboratory to measure chromium-6?
EPA recommends the following steps for monitoring specifically for chromium-6. Public water systems should contact a drinking water laboratory they typically use for compliance monitoring and request sample analysis using a modified version of EPA Method 218.6. These modifications allow for improved low concentration measurement and are outlined in Dionex Corp. Application Update 144 “Determination of Hexavalent Chromium in Drinking Water by Ion Chromatography” found at www.dionex.com/en-us/webdocs/4242-AU144_V18.pdf. With these modifications, laboratories are capable of attaining a detection limit as low as 0.02 µg/L (ppb) and can support a reporting limit of 0.06 µg/L (ppb).

Laboratories that have the necessary equipment and are certified by an accrediting authority to conduct an approved ion chromatography method (e.g., EPA Method 300.0, SM 4110B, ASTM D4327) should be given preferential consideration to provide this analytical support. EPA is in the process of contacting drinking water laboratories across the country in an effort to further establish national drinking water laboratory capacity. SVL is working to develop its capability to perform the modified EPA 218.6.

To address concerns regarding the sample holding time of 24 hours specified in EPA Method 218.6, EPA reviewed published literature and recent laboratory sample holding time studies for drinking waters.The holding time of 24 hours prescribed in Method 218.6 was based upon the most conservative holding times for wastewater and sludge extracts, also covered by the method, and not the stability of chromium-6 in drinking water matrices. Consequently, EPA is temporarily recommending an extension of the maximum holding time for properly collected and buffered drinking water samples from 24 hours to 5 days following sample collection.

Who should I call if I have questions about EPA’s recommended enhanced monitoring for chromium-6?
Contact EPA via email at the Safe Drinking Water Hotline website or call the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 (Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm eastern time)

Adapted from http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/chromium/guidance.cfm