Laboratory and water quality personnel have been able to look at the "big picture" and see that they must diversify their services to maintain viability in a market that is constantly changing and very demanding. Initially, the laboratory was conducting tests just for the Water Reclamation Plant. Now, after some expansion, the laboratory is functioning as a "true" utilities laboratory by analyzing samples for every division in Public Utilities. In fact, the laboratory has analyzed samples for other utilities from New York to Wyoming under the ICR rule.

One of the most interesting protocols the laboratory follows is Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing (WET). This procedure uses live organisms, Ceridaphnia, (water fleas) and Fathead minnows (fish less than 7 days old) to determine the toxicity of the wastewater effluent. If the water fleas and minnows survive in the wastewater effluent, there is no acute toxicity. There are so many compounds in wastewater it’s impossible to sample for them all. WET testing eliminates the need for identifying everything in the wastewater, and determines that it is not toxic to the environment if it passes the WET test.

In 1997, the laboratory conducted approximately 1.2 million dollars worth of analytical work, and in 1998 analytical work should exceed that dollar amount.

New laboratory regulations will be implemented in the State of Utah under the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP). This new regulation will increase the amount of analytical data to over three times the previous output due to additional quality control procedures. The Salt Lake City laboratory personnel have already begun implementing the new changes and the Laboratory Director has expressed that, "the lab is about 14 months ahead of schedule." In addition, the lab has completed the last sample audit survey under the ICR Rule, and should be "wrapping-up" the final analysis in December of 1998. Analytical costs to the City would have totaled in excess of $200,000, if an outside laboratory were used to outsource the samples.

"Our laboratory is critical to our operations. With the expertise of our employees we can depend on identifying concerns in our systems long before they become problems. The advantage of having an in house facility, dedicated to providing prompt, accurate data is immeasurable. Our laboratory staff is exceptional, and we appreciate their contribution to the department," says Florence Reynolds, Water Quality and Treatment Administrator.

The Salt Lake City Laboratory is proud to support a staff with personnel qualifications that are some of the best in the field. The staff’s field of education ranges from chemistry to physics, and microbiology to biochemistry. Currently, the Director is completing a Master’s Degree, in Environmental Engineering; his thesis is based on the parameters that effect the performance of the Wastewater Reclamation Plant’s wetlands. The laboratory and its staff have several other accomplishments to their credit.

Three staff members have received lifetime achievement awards from the Utah Water Environment Association (WEAU), and one individual has received a national lifetime award for laboratory excellence. The Annual WEAU Laboratory Excellence Award has been won by the laboratory four years consecutively (a feat that has not been equaled since the award was offered). The laboratory was an integral part of the Water Reclamation Plant Team’s success in receiving the 1998 US EPA Region VIII Excellence Award for Operations, Maintenance and Management of a POTW. Currently, the laboratory personnel are members or hold positions on the following committees: Environmental Laboratory Activities Committee (Chairperson), National Laboratory Practices, National Analytical Standard Methods, National Chlorination, and Water Environment Literature Review. These achievements illustrate how the laboratory personnel are working to further achieve standards of excellence in their field.

Staff prides themselves as being real "team players" and has a strong desire to fill the needs of the City in the future. They are committed to increasing the number of certified tests they can run. The complex instrumentation in the laboratory requires staff members to constantly update their skills.

According to Public Utilities Director, LeRoy W. Hooton, Jr. having an in-house laboratory available 24-hours a day is invaluable in meeting emergency situations. "There have been a number of occasions when quick turn around time and reliable results have helped Public Utilities in coping with serious situations," says Hooton. The most recent occasion was the identification of a biofilm in a small portion of the City’s water distribution system. "Identifying the problem with confidence saved untold problems," adds Hooton.

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