New Technology Excites US Water Engineers  

A unique, highly innovative water quality monitoring technology is making waves in the North American water supply sector following initial trials at a variety of locations.

Developed by Intellitect Water Ltd in the UK, the new analyser (Intellisonde™) features up to 12 sensors in a tiny sonde head that inserts directly into a pipeline through a hot tap fitting. The Intellisonde™ logs water quality data and provides remote access to the data through a variety of telecommunication options.

Ken Thompson, a Technology Fellow with CH2M HILL’s Water Business Group, has led early work on the roll out of the technology and says he is "very excited about the potential benefits of measuring water quality within the distribution network between the treatment plant and the consumer."

Measurement options include Free Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Mono-chloramine, Dissolved Oxygen, Conductivity, pH, ORP/Redox, Flow, Pressure, Temperature, Turbidity and Colour. Importantly, none of these requires membranes or reagents for operation and the sondes can be deployed for long periods without the need for frequent recalibration or maintenance.

Deployed at strategic locations throughout a distribution network, continuous monitoring enables efficient management of water treatment processes including disinfection. It also informs decision making in the rehabilitation process and other operational activities such as flushing and air scouring.

The probe can be inserted through 1-1/2” or 2” hot tap connections into pressurised pipes ranging from 4” street headers to large distribution mains.