AWWA WQTC60630

In response to the events of 9/11 and the results of the Vulnerability Assessment required of all water utilities by federal mandate, Mohawk Valley Water Authority (MVWA) initiated an intensive water quality monitoring program to: more rapidly detect and respond to changes in the system's water quality; and, gain a better overall understanding of baseline water quality conditions in MVWA distribution mains. This progressive approach has integrated many of the cutting edge water quality security tools available today into our standard operating procedures. One of these tools is the RBD3000 from Advanced Analytical (Ames, IA). This instrument provides near real time qualitative results for total viable organisms (TVO) in a water sample using a rapid flow cytometric technique. This technique involves tagging organisms with a Nucleic Acid Dye and then adding a proprietary solution (BRAG3) to decrease background fluorescence. After a short incubation period a small volume (0.250mL) of sample is passed through the RBD3000 for detection of TVO. Includes 3 references, figures.