The Abilene City Council Thursday approved a $94,815.30 bid from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments for two Ion Chromatograph systems for the Abilene Water Department’s environmental lab.
An Ion Chromatograph is a laboratory instrument used to monitor compounds of interest in the City of Abilene’s drinking water, wastewater, private wells, and in other cities around Abilene, said Mike Michaud, Quality Control Division Manager of The Abilene Environmental Laboratory.
Chromatography is defined as a process for separating components of a mixture.
Ion chromatography is a form of liquid chromatography. It measures concentrations of ionic species by separating them based on interaction with a resin.
Ionic species separate differently based on species type and size.
“The Ion Chromatographs that we use are for the anions of salts,” Michaud said.
The 10 compounds monitored for are fluoride, chloride, nitrate, nitrite, chlorate, chlorite, bromide, sulfate, phosphate, and bromate.
The Environmental Protection Agency has established compliance limits on the concentration of those compounds to protect human health and the environment.
“All of these ions could have health effects if at a high enough concentration,” Michaud said
The two systems approved for purchase by the Council will replace three existing units, all near the end of their expected life cycles.
The new units are more efficient than those being replaced, Michaud said.
Funding for the new equipment comes from the Water Utilities Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Operating Budget.
About Abilene’s Environmental Laboratory
The Abilene Environmental Laboratory (AEL) is Nationally Accredited by the NELAC Institute, a non-profit organization with a mission to foster generation of high-quality environmental data through open, inclusive, and transparent processes.
The City’s lab holds two Drinking Water Certificates for Texas and is recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Discharge Monitoring and Reporting Quality Assurance laboratory.
The Environmental Lab supports process control and compliance sampling for both the Hamby Water Reclamation Facility and Abilene’s Public Water System.
It also provides collection and analysis of lake water from Abilene's water supply sources, while acting as a regional provider of water and wastewater analysis.
For more information about Abilene’s Environmental Laboratory, visit Abilenetx.gov/water and click on “Quality Control” on the left menu, or call 325-676-6041.