VCU and Richmond develop cutting-edge monitoring system to safeguard city water from potential threats

By Mike Frontiero and Clifford Fox

Richmond, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University's Center for Environmental Studies announced today that it has partnered with the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities to design and implement a state-of-the-art monitoring system for the city's water supply. Richmond's water utility is among the first in the nation to use this cutting-edge technology for the purpose of screening for biological, chemical and radiological threats.

"Considering the unusual times in which we are operating here in the United States, this partnership between the City of Richmond and VCU will prove to have a result-oriented impact on the entire metropolitan area," said Richmond City Manager Calvin D. Jamison, Ed.D.

The Department of Public Utilities currently provides water for multiple localities in the Greater Richmond metropolitan area, serving more than 700,000 residents.

The project is a landmark step in protecting the public water supply from both natural and intentionally introduced contaminants, according to project director Shelley A. Harris, Ph.D., in VCU's Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and the VCU Center for Environmental Studies. "While our obvious priority is protecting against terrorist acts, the monitoring system provides added detection of naturally-occurring risks as well," Harris said.

The monitoring system includes random sampling from all areas of the water treatment and distribution system. These advanced testing methods allow for rapid identification of a select group of hazards.

"The collaboration between VCU and the City of Richmond represents a unique alliance among microbiologists, molecular biologists, epidemiologists, engineers, environmental scientists, and policy makers who are using cutting-edge technologies to help safeguard an urban water supply from a wide range of potential threats," said Greg C. Garman, Ph.D., director of the VCU Center for Environmental Studies.

City and VCU officials said details concerning the testing methods used and the hazards monitored will remain restricted for security reasons. "We are using very sophisticated methods to look for what have been identified as some of the most likely hazards, but we don't want to give out any details that would help someone to avoid detection by the system," Harris explained.

An emergency response plan will be developed for each possible situation that might be discovered. It will include communication at the area-wide and neighborhood levels. The monitoring system and all responses are being coordinated with state and local health departments.