Floods call for greater water monitoring

After the floods of 2011 in Australia, scientists have deployed a new range of equipment to analyse how the debris may have affected water quality, which could be replicated in the UK after a recent spate of wet weather this summer.

Torrential rain in the UK at the start of the summer caused a significant amount of disruption and led to concerns over water pollution.  In some parts of the country a months-worth of rain fell within one day, with 170 flood alerts being put in place to alert residents of high water levels.

A similar occurrence happened in Australia in 2011, with floods washing large amounts of debris into major water storage reservoirs. Although the UK floods barely scratch the extent of the natural disaster Down Under, the Aussie case is an interesting example of the water monitoring procedures put into place after such an event.

Water treatment infrastructures in Australia were pushed to their limits in 2011, with residents in certain areas required to boil their water as a protective measurement against contamination. Monitoring of the water is still required today, and is expected to be in place for some time to ensure water doesn’t get contaminated.

Scientists at the University of Queensland are using AB SCIEX technologies, including the QTRAP 5500 system, which allowed them to gather the most accurate information on how concentrations of contaminants have changed since the floods. This data will form a big part of public policy.

Jochen Mueller, professor of environmental monitoring at the University of Queensland, said: "Recovery is a long process, and it requires intricate, reliable and ongoing monitoring.

"We are contributing to efforts to better understand what people, fish, animals and coral are potentially getting exposed to.  LC/MS/MS technology from AB SCIEX is proving to be an ideal technology for analysing the environment."

Posted by Joseph Hutton