Tracking pollution helps to keep Bristol drinking
15 Jan 2000
Four multiparameter monitoring stations are currently helping to detect and track down pollution in the supply of water for Bristol Water's drinking water treatment works at Purton. Designed by ABB Instrumentation, the monitoring stations detect pollutants up to seven miles upstream of the works and report back via radio signals to the Purton control station.
Each unit consists of an ABB 4600 series integrated on-line analyser with filters and delivery pumps, which measures pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and turbidity; an ABB 8232 ammonia monitor; and UV light absorption sensors to detect nitrate and organic pollution. The packages are housed in 3m32m glass-reinforced plastic cabins.
The four packages are located at various points along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. The radio telemetry system transits the data gathered by these sensors back to Purton.
The system is intend to complement rather than replace manual sampling, says a Bristol Water spokesman. `The monitoring stations will give us considerably more information on a continuous basis [than manual sampling].'
