Weck Laboratories has provided analytical support for the Environmental Protection Agency's UCMR program for UCMR1 & UCMR2 and will do so again for UCMR3.  The laboratory has developed the methods for compliance with the Rule.  All List 1 methods are currently availabe for analysis in-house at Weck Laboratories!  Utilities now have the opportunity to do preliminary monitoring to determine vulnerability to UCMR3 contaminants.

As proposed, UCMR 3 would require public water systems (PWSs) to monitor for 28 chemicals and two viruses.  All PWSs serving more than 10,000 people, and a representative sample of 800 PWSs serving 10,000 or fewer people, would be required to conduct Assessment Monitoring for 28 "List 1" chemicals during a continuous 12-month period from January 2013 through December 2015. In addition, a targeted group of 800 PWSs serving 1,000 or fewer people would be required to conduct Pre-Screen Testing for two "List 3" viruses during a 12-month period from January 2013 through December 2015.  EPA UCMR3 website info

UCMR 3 Proposed Contaminants
Assessment Monitoring (List 1)
Hormones   EPA 539
Volatile Organic Compounds   EPA 524.3
Synthetic Organic Compounds   EPA 522
Metals (V, Mo, Co, Sr)   EPA 200.8  Rev 5.4
Oxyhalide Anion - Chlorate   EPA 300.1
Perfluorinated Compounds   EPA 537

Pre-Screening Testing (List 3)
Enteroviruses
Noroviruses

 

The Washington, DC-based American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL) announced the 21 laboratories receiving the nationwide 2011 ACIL Seal of Excellence (SOE) Award at the ACIL Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA. Developed in 1996 to address the industry's quality issues and recognize those laboratories with exemplary quality performance, the SOE Program also provides laboratory data users with a mechanism to evaluate testing laboratories. Participants commit to ensuring data integrity, meeting customers’ quality needs and setting performance standards for the testing laboratory industry. No other evaluation program ranks customer satisfaction with laboratory services and requires laboratory management to commit to a data integrity program. As recipients of the ACIL SOE, Weck Laboratories, Inc. has demonstrated commitment to quality and customer service. 

Weck Laboratories, Inc. now offers the identification of positive results from testing for the Coliform group of bacteria.  We employ the API 20 E® standardized identification system from bioMérieux.  The system is applicable for Enterobacteriaceae and other non-fastidious, gram negative rods and uses miniaturized biochemical tests and a database.  The test strip consists of microtubes containing dehydrated substrates. These tubes are inoculated with a bacterial suspension that reconstitutes the media.  During incubation, metabolism produces color changes that are either spontaneous or revealed by the addition of reagents.  The reactions are recorded and compared to an Analytical Profile Index table.  The assignment of identification is simple, rapid and reliable.  Transfer, inoculation, enrichment, segregation & identification takes 3 days from the positive coliform result.  It cannot be used to identify any other family of microorganisms or to exclude their presence.  Water treatment and distribution system customers can use this information to track the type of contamination in their systems and take appropriate corrective actions. read more ...