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Water department to replace obsolete turbidimeters; staff confirm regulatory limits and monitoring cadence
Summary
Water management staff said the plant’s existing turbidimeters are obsolete and they trialed a replacement; operators reiterated turbidity filter-bottom limits and that turbidity is recorded every 15 minutes.
Water management staff told the council the department is replacing obsolete turbidimeters used at the Brown Water Treatment Plant and that operators trialed new equipment before choosing a vendor.
Tom Lucas, superintendent of the Brown Water Treatment Plant, explained the technical requirement: turbidity at the bottom of the filters must be below 0.3 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) and the plant must record turbidity at 15‑minute intervals. Lucas said the plant’s existing instruments are past obsolescence and the department trialed two types before selecting the Swan instruments recommended in the agenda materials.
Jeremy Durkarnum, acting assistant director with the water management department, and Lucas answered council questions about the regulatory basis and the department’s testing process. Lucas said the monitoring cadence and the 0.3 NTU limit correspond to long‑standing instrumentation and operational rules at the treatment plant.
The item had been pulled for questions; staff described testing and the need to replace unsupported equipment. The council returned the item to the consent package and approved the consent agenda later in the meeting.
