A large surface water treatment plant, the North
Jersey District Water Supply Commission (NJDWSC),
undertook a systematic and organized approach to the
development and implementation of a concentration
times time (C?T) microbial inactivation program for
regulatory compliance. Previous monitoring efforts
involving grab samples and manual entry of data into
spreadsheets were time-consuming, cumbersome, and
labor-intensive. The NJDWSC combined information
technology, tracer studies, a supervisory control and
data acquisition system, and a C?T calculation program
to achieve real-time monitoring for microbial
inactivation.
The move to automation was a step-by-step process
that required extensive management, planning, and organizational
efforts to review current operations, identify
challenges facing the utility, and resolve these problems.
Effective communication, both within the NJDWSC and
with outside agencies, abetted the computerization
efforts. The result is an on-line system that helps the utility
ensure water quality for its customers, achieve regulatory
compliance, and safeguard public health. Includes 15 references, tables, figures.