MCERTS awareness advance

Birmingham, UK - The organisers of the  environmental monitoring event WWEM 2008 are highlighting how the success of the event  in terms of facilitating an exchange of knowledge on testing, monitoring, technology and regulations.

Whilst the exhibition and workshops represented an opportunity to meet the world's leaders in the field of environmental monitoring, the conference themes, which were assembled with the help of the Environment Agency, focused mainly on regulations that apply to England and Wales.

At WWEM, John Tipping, who leads the Environment Agency’s MCERTS team, outlined the Agency’s Better Regulation programme. He explained how, in April 2008, over 40 separate pieces of environmental regulation have been consolidated into a new Environmental Permit Regime (EPR).

EPR has streamlined and combined separate waste and pollution control (PPC) systems thereby enabling a single environmental permit and common procedures. EPR delivers more flexibility for industry, a simpler risk-based system for regulators and continued protection of the environment and human health.

Commenting on the importance of the MCERTS schemes, Tipping said, “Operator self-monitoring (OSM) is enshrined within the EPR and MCERTS is a fundamentally important feature of OSM. It is very pleasing to see the progress MCERTS has made since the last WWEM in 2006; at the previous conference we received a number of complaints and resistance to the new schemes, but this year the questions that we received during the Conference and at our exhibition stand, were all about how to implement the schemes effectively.”

Sira's Bob Cooper gave an update on the MCERTS scheme for the self monitoring of effluent flow. He reported excellent progress on water utility processes with a discharge of >50m3/day - all 3600 of which will soon be certified.

From 2007 approximately 500 industrial sites (that have discharge flow in their PPC/EPR permits) also have to comply with the MCERTS flow scheme and the deadline by which site inspections and management system audits must be undertaken, or by which an approved inspector must be contracted, is 31st December 2008.

Debbie Hudson from UKAS gave a presentation on a new MCERTS performance standard (published in July 2008) for organisations conducting the sampling and chemical testing of water. She explained that this new requirement for accreditation has been created as a result of the Environment Agency’s move to Operator Self Monitoring, which for Water Utilities will commence 1st April 2009.

Jeff Ruddle from UKAS provided an update on the MCERTS scheme for soils. He said that there are now more than 30 organisations that are accredited to MCERTS for soil analysis covering a wide range of analytes.

Continuing the soil assessment theme, Colin Green from QROS outlined the difficulties in interpreting laboratory data for risk assessment and waste classification as a result of the non-homogeneity of soil on contaminated sites.

MCERTS Certificate Presentations

The Sira sponsored WWEM Gala Dinner included the presentation of MCERTS certificates to companies that have successfully completed the product assessment procedures that are outlined within the various MCERTS schemes.

The MCERTS schemes are operated on behalf of the Environment Agency by Sira Environmental.

Before announcing the awards, Sira Director Steve Lower said, “Two years ago, at WWEM 2006, MCERTS for water was in its embryonic stage, but since that time the scheme has made excellent progress and I am now pleased to announce that we have over 26 certificates on the MCERTS web site covering a wide range of 84 water related products.

"MCERTS promotes public confidence in monitoring data and provides industry with a proven framework for choosing monitoring systems and services that meet the Environment Agency's performance requirements.

"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my warmest congratulations to those instrument manufacturers that have made the commitment and I hope that they will all now reap the commercial benefits that certification makes possible."

MCERTS Certificates were awarded to the following companies:

Continuous Water Monitoring Equipment

· ABB Ltd - WaterMaster V Electromagnetic Flowmeter with WaterMaster Transmitter

· Aquamatic Ltd - S50 Automatic Waste Water Sampler

· Endress & Hauser Ltd - ASP Station 2000 Automatic Wastewater Sampler

· HACH LANGE GmbH - Bühler 1000 Wastewater Sampler

· Mobrey Ltd - MSP 900 FH-A Level Transmitter (with Remote Temperature Probe) & MCU 900 Series Transmitter Control Unit

· Rosemount Analytical Inc - Range of pH analysers & sensors

· Siemens Flow Instruments Ltd - MAG 3100 Electromagnetic Flowmeter, MAG 5100W Electromagnetic Flowmeter, MAG 8000 & MAG 8000CT Battery Powered Electromagnetic Flowmeter

· Sirco Controls Ltd - 10 Wastewater Samplers – GENIE Series

· YSI Inc. - 600 Series Multiparameter Sonde (DO, pH & Turbidity Monitor), 6600 Series Multiparameter Sonde (DO, pH & Turbidity Monitor), 6820/6920 Series Multiparameter Sonde (DO, pH & Turbidity Monitor)

MCERTS - Software

Envirosoft Ltd - CEMSuite CEMQual module