Real-Time Water Monitoring

Recognizing that source water intakes are a critical component of the drinking water infrastructure, Macomb and St. Clair Counties established a drinking water monitoring system along the corridor from Lake Huron to Lake Erie.

The goal of this system was to protect drinking water utilized by four million people from the chemical spills that flow upstream from industrial plants. To accomplish this, monitoring equipment was installed in all 13 water treatment plants along the Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor from Port Huron (St. Clair Co.) downstream to Mt. Clemens (Macomb Co.), as well as in the plants at Grosse Pointe Farms, Water Works Park II, Southwest Detroit, and Wyandotte.

While plant operators and other partners have real-time access to all the data from the network and receive electronic alerts from the network when necessary, the data that have been produced have been analyzed only superficially. Proposed work includes a comprehensive statistical analysis of the network data including an analysis of spatial and temporal trends and correlations among analytes and with ambient conditions. Also, the archived gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer data will be re-analyzed for non-target constituents that may be toxic or affect portability.

This project will allow quicker identification of pollutants, more prompt notification to water plant operators regarding the presence and identity of water contaminants, and faster implementation of actions to protect water users from exposure to contaminants. These actions will result in improved protection of public health and help minimize the economic consequences of interruptions in the water supply due to chemical spills.

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