Using Automated On-Line Monitoring to produce Lab-Grade Data for monitoring pollutants

Affinity Water's 36 Ml/d output karstic groundwater site in Hertfordshire abstracts from four boreholes which are then blended and treated at the works. All four sources contain metaldehyde, some at a constant low level and others at highly variable and rapidly changing concentrations.

Affinity Water and Anatune Ltd have developed an application of an Agilent Technologies Triple Quadrupole GCMS instrument with GERSTEL automated sample preparation and sampling to take quasi real-time samples of the raw and partially treated water at the aforementioned works analysing levels from three inlets at different stages of treatment.

Whilst this piece of equipment has been used for many years in a controlled laboratory setting this is the first installation on a WTW in the UK and is an innovative approach for online metaldehyde monitoring. The Anatune online monitor will be an integral part of the new treatment technology solution for metaldehyde removal, to be installed at this works in AMP6.