Modern Water Introduces Oil In Water Monitor Into US Market

Modern Water plc, the owner of leading water technologies for the production of fresh water and monitoring of water quality, has recently launched a range of oil in water monitoring products in the United States and has supplied a Multisensor 1200 volatile organic compound (VOC) monitor to Glendive Water Treatment Plant in Montana to ensure safe drinking water for around 6,000 people.

Glendive Water Treatment plant’s decision to install the online VOC monitoring equipment came about as a result of an oil spill in January 2015 from the Poplar pipeline into the Yellowstone River. The Poplar pipeline carries approximately 42,000 barrels of crude oil each day from producers in eastern Montana and North Dakota, which form part of The Bakken region. The Bakken region contributes more than one million barrels per day to US oil production, of which approximately 34% is shipped by various pipelines. The Poplar pipeline crosses the Yellowstone River upstream of the Glendive Water Treatment plant.

Modern Water’s VOC monitor, the Multisensor 1200, has significant benefits: it is accurate to low parts per billion concentrations and it has a wide dynamic range which enables it to be used for a variety of applications. The Multisensor 1200 is currently providing continuous data for Glendive Water Treatment plant operators. Whenever VOCs, or other traces of oils are detected, an alarm will sound. If the benzene levels reach 2ppb, less than half of the maximum contamination level permitted by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the monitor triggers an alarm in the main control room and the plant operators will then shutdown the water treatment plant.

Since the monitor was installed it has notified treatment plant staff of one incident where the level of VOCs were higher than normal. This occurred during ice breakup at the end of winter. Due to the monitoring, the situation was handled in a controlled manner and the plant temporarily shut down to preserve clean water in the storage system. An aeration system was put in place and the plant was able to begin treating water again the following day. The City of Glendive said: “We are delighted to have the first Modern Water VOC monitor in the US.”

Neil Townend, Managing Director for Modern Water’s Monitoring Division, said: “We are pleased to have worked with Glendive Water Treatment plant to install our first VOC monitor in the US. The technology is already providing an invaluable source of data that allows the operators to make real time decisions to protect the local population from the contamination caused by the spill. The monitor has a wide variety of applications, which will open up new market opportunities for Modern Water. We expect this to be the first of many installations in the region and the US, as more water treatment plants recognise the threat of oil contamination and the importance of closely monitoring petroleum hydrocarbons in water.”

About Modern Water
Modern Water owns, installs and operates world-leading membrane technology and develops and supplies advanced systems for water monitoring. Its shares trade on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.

Modern Water's patented forward osmosis (FO) technology’s benefits include lower energy consumption and lessen environmental impact in a variety of industries. With a sales presence in almost 60 countries, the Group's Monitoring Division includes a leading real-time continuous toxicity monitor and trace metal analysers for monitoring the quality of drinking water. For more information, visit www.modernwater.com.