In the face of rising environmental challenges such as harmful algal blooms (HABs), the need for rapid, precise, and efficient water quality monitoring has never been more critical. FlowCam, a high-tech imaging particle analyzer developed by Yokogawa, supports utilities and environmental laboratories in monitoring hazardous algae in water bodies and drinking water supplies. From early detection of HABs to tracking phytoplankton population dynamics and mitigating their impact, FlowCam empowers water managers with same-day analysis and actionable data.
In this interview, Polly Barrowman, Water Markets Specialist at Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies, explores the transformative capabilities of the FlowCam instrument in addressing these challenges.
How does FlowCam support the monitoring of hazardous algae in water bodies and drinking water supplies?
As Harmful Algal Blooms are rising nationwide, drinking water utilities are looking for rapid monitoring solutions to protect consumer health. Many utilities that once sent samples out for analysis are looking to bring the analysis in-house to reduce response time. Instruments like FlowCam have been beneficial to these labs, providing rapid, same-day results that can be used for lake management decisions. The FlowCam Cyano delivers the additional benefit of fluorescence profiling, providing analysts with immediate concentrations of cyanobacteria vs other algae and diatoms. Further taxonomic separation provides rapid detection of potential taste and odor or toxin producers, as well as filter cloggers and organisms that interfere with treatment helping to direct the next steps towards further testing and treatment. Since phytoplankton populations change rapidly, the time between sample analysis and results is key to ensuring that mitigation steps are successful. Traditional manual microscopy is time-consuming and tends to have a high level of variability between analysts. FlowCam reduces analysis time significantly, while also reducing variability.
What steps are involved in identifying and mitigating harmful algal blooms (HABs) in their early stages?
The phytoplankton population dynamics are unique to each waterbody. Understanding the baseline populations of each lake is an important first step to the identification of a harmful algal bloom. The population of a healthy lake will differ significantly from that of a lake during a bloom. Tracking concentrations and biovolumes of potentially harmful organisms and identifying the point at which they become problematic in each lake is key to early mitigation of blooms. Rapid analysis using FlowCam means that lake managers can increase sampling frequency, depths, and locations, creating a more complete profile of each lake and allowing them to see changes in populations before they become problematic. Early detection of HABs means spot treatment of a lake, increasing treatment at the plant or source switching are an effective means of public health protection and customer complaint reduction.
Why is understanding natural phytoplankton populations in lakes or reservoirs important for assessing water quality, and how does FlowCam assist in this process?
Different organisms are used as indicators of water quality. A healthy ecosystem should exhibit diverse populations of phytoplankton and zooplankton. FlowCam enables lake managers to track populations over time, creating a profile for each sampling site.
In what ways does FlowCam support algae cultivation and optimization experiments?
FlowCam is being used to support algae cultivation and optimization experiments in several ways. Rapid analysis means that the instrument can be used for early detection of contaminants (e.g. grazers, fungi). The particle properties and statistics that are automatically acquired with each image are also an excellent means of measuring cell growth and biovolume over time and detecting anomalies in different experimental treatments. FlowCam is also being used to monitor algal diversity in wastewater treatment facilities that use algae as a mechanism for nutrient recovery.
Why is the webinar "HAB Monitoring and Particle Characterization in a Municipal Environmental Laboratory" by Yokogawa Fluid Imaging Technologies significant for advancing water quality management and monitoring practices?
The webinar is a great example of how one utility manages its phytoplankton monitoring program for taste and odor and toxin-producing organisms. Their FlowCam results point the way to each of the next steps in their monitoring plan. While there is no one size fits all monitoring plan, this webinar is a good starting point for utilities considering their own monitoring programs.