Water-testing device measures up

EPA approves system that got a trial run in Arkansas

STAFF PHOTO SAMANTHA BAKER • @NWASAMANTHA

Jenny Doyle, engineering intern, demonstrates how to test a water sample in Palintest's ChlordioX Plus Thursday, June 26, 2014, at Beaver Water District in Lowell. The device tests for chlorine dioxide, chlorine and chlorites, and is portable.
STAFF PHOTO SAMANTHA BAKER • @NWASAMANTHA Jenny Doyle, engineering intern, demonstrates how to test a water sample in Palintest's ChlordioX Plus Thursday, June 26, 2014, at Beaver Water District in Lowell. The device tests for chlorine dioxide, chlorine and chlorites, and is portable.

LOWELL -- A new water-testing device that was put through its paces by the Beaver Water District recently gained the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Beaver Water District was one of three sites that tested the Palintest Ltd. ChlordioX Plus Method -- a device that measures the amount of chlorine dioxide, a man-made chemical; and chlorine and its possible byproducts, including chlorite, in drinking water.

Palintest Ltd. operates around the globe with its U.S. base in Kentucky. It is a subsidiary of Halma PLC, a safety, health and environmental technology group with 40 businesses in 23 countries and major operations in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

Chlorine dioxide is used as a disinfectant in water-treatment systems. Disinfectants are introduced to kill bacteria and viruses in water.

"It's the first step in making drinking water safe," said Larry Lloyd, chief operating officer of the Beaver Water District.

The water district shifted to a chlorine dioxide system in January 2013.

Beaver Water District is the largest of four public water suppliers that use Beaver Lake as a source and provide water to municipal and regional water associations. Beaver Water District sells to Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville, a total of 310,000 customers.

Lloyd said other already approved methods for detection of chlorine dioxide and its byproducts were time-consuming and took multiple steps, taking as much as 30 minutes per test. They also required a highly skilled lab analyst.

The ChlordioX device is more straightforward, Lloyd said. In its testing, Beaver Water District found it to be faster, with tests taking about five minutes; less complex with fewer steps; and it didn't require a specially trained operator. The new system uses a disposable sensor system and is portable.

The final rule approving the ChlordioX Plus Method was published June 19 in the Federal Register. The Environmental Protection Agency approved 21 methods of analyzing drinking water samples to give water facilities fast access to new measurement techniques and more flexibility, according to EPA documents.

Lynda Eisenmann, business development manager for Palintest in the U.S., said the Beaver Water District was selected because it was willing to provide open and honest feedback on the qualities of the device.

She said the ChlordioX Plus had been on the market for several years worldwide, but approval from the EPA opens up a whole new U.S. market for the device which retails for $1,700. The device also can be used in a wide variety of water-processing situations.

To be approved by the EPA, the new methods must be at least equally effective as existing methods. Jeff Stone of the Arkansas Department of Health said that in Arkansas, water districts are free to use any method of testing approved by the EPA.

Bill HagenBurger, plant engineer for the Beaver Water District, oversaw the testing. He said the process took place over about six months and took more than 80 hours to complete.

He said the process included matching the results from new device against the main plant's monitoring equipment, as well as testing samples at the district's pilot facility, a mini-treatment plant used for research. Jenny Doyle, a student in the master's program for civil engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, did most of the testing while working as an intern at the district.

SundayMonday Business on 06/30/2014

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