Enhanced Water Quality Analysis

One of the limitations of surface water monitoring is that it often consists of grab sampling, providing only a “snapshot” at a specific time and location, not a representative monitoring event over time providing environmental information of a dynamic, ever-changing environment. In comparison, the CLAM provides more detailed water quality analysis by offering a “video” during a specific timeframe, which it achieves by integrating into the SPE media pollutants from episodic and chronic events. By providing a quantitative continuous SPE extraction event, the CLAM is able to uniquely define complete storm events, illicit discharges and other dynamic changes in the environment.

Another benefit for this particular water sampling procedure is its allowance for easily obtainable water quality analysis objectives. While the CLAM is deployed, a pump continuously extracts up to 100 liters of water. Because of the large volume of water flowing through the disk media, the water testing labs can provide lower detection limits for the client, and in less time, thus resulting in more detailed water quality analysis reports as compared to traditional water monitoring methods. The SPE field extraction method uses EPA extraction method 3535, which can replace the 3510 liquid / liquid methods for trace organic analysis. Many water quality analysis methods can be run from the extraction by aliquoting the SPE cartridge solvent extract into fractions, since each fraction is still representative of many liters of testing water.

Supporting Documents