Process and Chemical

Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Compliance

A utility is judged on water quality by results it collects itself, which places a heavy obligation on the sampling programme and on what happens when a sample fails. This course covers both. Delegates work through the parameters that matter and why microbiological, chemical and aesthetic parameters carry different consequences. Designing a sampling programme follows: sample points across the network, frequency and the representativeness that makes a result meaningful. Sampling technique is covered practically, including the errors that contaminate a sample before it reaches the laboratory. Analysis methods and the limits of field testing are addressed. Interpreting results against the standard follows, including trend analysis rather than sample by sample reaction. Failure response is covered in sequence: verification, investigation, notification and boil water advisories. Consumer complaints and taste and odour investigation are addressed. The course closes on reporting to a regulator and on maintaining public confidence through an incident.