U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification Program
Advanced Monitoring Systems (AMS) Center
Water Stakeholder Committee Teleconference
Thursday, September 14, 2006
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern
Teleconference Meeting Minutes
AGENDA
Welcome, Agenda, and Meeting Objectives
Stakeholder Homework Question:
Sustainability, what does it mean to you?
Program Updates
• ETV Program Funding & Future Directions
• AMS Center Completed and Ongoing Verifications
Test/QA Plan Discussion - Sensicore Multi-parameter Water Sensor
Discussion of Evolving Technology Categories
• Ballast Water Monitors
• Chemical Oxygen Demand Techniques
• Groundwater Sampler
• Estrogen ELISA Test Kits
• Nutrient Monitoring Technologies - Environmental Applications
• Multi-Parameter Water Quality Probes (Round 3)
• Microcystins ELISA Test Kits
• Temperature-Data Logging Technologies
Hot Topics - What's on the horizon?
Next Meeting and Action Items
Adjourn
Rachel Sell,
Battelle
Rachel Sell/
Stakeholders
Amy Dindal,
Battelle
Ryan James,
Battelle
Amy Dindal
Ryan James
Rachel Sell
Rachel Sell
ETV Advanced Monitoring Systems Center Water Stakeholders Teleconference - Sept. 14, 2006
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ATTENDEES
Stakeholder Committee Members:
Marty Link, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
Alan Mearns, Hazardous Materials Response Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
Vito Minei, Division of Environmental Quality Suffolk County Department of Health Services
Lisa Olsen, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Rick Sakaji, California Department of Health Services
Peter Tennant, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO)
ETV AMS Center Staff:
Amy Dindal, Battelle
Ryan James, Battelle
Bob Fuerst, EPA/RTP
Rachel Sell, Battelle
Welcome, Agenda, and Meeting Objectives
Rachel Sell, Battelle AMS Center Stakeholder Committee Coordinator, welcomed the committee
stakeholders to the third AMS Center Water Stakeholder Committee teleconference of 2006. She
then proceeded with an overview of the agenda and took roll call of those stakeholders
participating in the teleconference.
Stakeholder Homework Question
Ms. Sell introduced a new topic on the agenda, a "homework question", which was sent out via
email prior to the teleconference. Stakeholders were asked to consider the topic of sustainability
and answer the questions: 1) what does sustainability mean to you or your organization, 2) how
can we make sustainability a part of ETV testing? Ms. Sell stated that sustainability is not only a
part of EPA's philosophy, but part of industry's as well.
Bob Fuerst, EPA Project Officer for the AMS Center, noted that EPA lists a formal definition on
their website and that sustainability seems like a balancing act of the growing economy and the
protection of human health and the environment, while not overlooking the next generation.
All stakeholders provided input on what sustainability meant to them. Alan Mearns said that it is
part of NOAA's strategic plan. Marty Link said that sustainability is working with resources you
have, while not taking away from the future and cited an example of water irrigation resources.
Lisa Olsen said that it is difficult for government agencies because of the funding cycles in
government. Amy Dindal, Battelle AMS Center, said that vendors currently report to ETV how
they are achieving sustainability, but asked if there was a way to include sustainable type metrics
into verification tests (e.g., report the volume of hazardous waste). In response, the stakeholders
indicated that other examples of sustainability criteria might include a description of servicing
intervals and types of power supplies used by the technology.
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Vito Minei noted that sustainability is an overarching theme in Long Island as they are trying to
incorporate smart growth and reduce suburban sprawl. They are utilizing groundwater and
surface water models to determine how to preserve drinking water and sustain recreational life.
In terms of equipment, he said his organization expects equipment to be replaced rather than
anticipate using it for 10 years. He hopes that remote sensing will start to take hold even more, to
prevent site visits and maintenance to the equipment at field or remote sites. They have had to
burn a lot of fuel on boats while traveling to service equipment. Alan Mearns noted a similar
experience within NOAA.
Mr. Minei summarized what he thought he was hearing from other stakeholders:
1) replace staff dependent equipment with remote sensing or telemetry that reports back to a
central location or as Ms. Olsen explained "self-servicing or self-cleaning equipment";
2) agencies to stay current with emerging topics (e.g., data recorders that run on solar power
versus heavy metal-filled batteries); and
3) despite government funding cycles, agencies to maintain budget to stay current.
Program Updates
Ms. Dindal provided an update on the ETV Program and AMS Center. Ms. Dindal and Mr.
Fuerst attended an ETV team meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio in early September. Ms. Dindal said
that during the meeting, Sally Gutierrez, Director of EPA's National Risk Management Research
Laboratory (NRMRL), within the Office of Research and Development (ORD), said that
technology is one of the centerpieces of ORD's multi-year strategy and views the ETV Program
as a core competency within the technology area. The multi-year plan is located at
http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/releasepubcommt.html.
Regarding the AMS Center, Ms. Dindal summarized recent water, water security, and air
verifications that have either completed or are in-progress. So far in FY06, verification reports
have been completed for 18 technologies. Several verification reports will be completed in
FY07. The beach monitoring verification has been cancelled for Fall 2006 due to several of the
vendors withdrawing from the verification. Ms. Dindal thanked Mr. Minei and his organization
for their time and in-kind support. The AMS Center will generate a beach monitoring generic
protocol and will have the contents of a test/QA plan ready if testing moves forward in the
future.
Finally, Ms. Dindal noted that 15 verifications have been completed for rapid toxicity testing of
water, but none in soil. EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) is
interested in this type of testing. Development of a generic protocol for a soil rapid toxicity
technology verification will begin soon.
Test/OA Plan Discussion - Sensicore Multi-parameter Water Sensor
Ryan James, Battelle AMS Center Verification Test Coordinator, discussed the test/QA plan for
the Sensicore multi-parameter water sensor. Collaborators for the test include EPA's National
Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and the City of Columbus, Ohio. He reviewed the
experimental plan which includes both field analyses and laboratory testing of water samples.
Dr. Mearns asked if the Sensicore system could be applied to saltwater. Dr. James stated the
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vendor confirmed the technology has not been tested in saltwater yet, and therefore, is not sure if
it can be applied to saltwater. Rick Sakaji suggested comparing the field samples with a
reference method. To address this stakeholder suggestion, reference analyses will be added and
compared to several field samples as part of the testing with the City of Columbus.
Discussion of Evolving Technology Categories
Ms. Dindal provided an update on several evolving technology categories.
Vendor recruitment for the Ballast Water Monitoring verification will be initiated once co-
funding is secured. Dr. Mearns said that he had heard about problems of non-indigenous species
being released during ballast water exchange.
Aqua Diagnostics has a field portable Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Technique that is
currently in the prototype testing stage. They are interested in participating in a verification test
hopefully by Spring 2007. On an earlier teleconference, stakeholder Ken Wood expressed
interest in COD techniques, as COD measurement is routinely conducted at their wastewater
treatment facilities.
Dakota Technologies has expressed interest in testing a new diffusion groundwater sampler for
groundwater monitoring, including volatile organic compounds. Information about this
technology can be found at:
http://www.dakotatechnologies.com/?id= 101 &content=templates/news_detail.tpl. Ms. Dindal
said that other groundwater sampling devices have been tested previously under ETV.
Following up on a question from Dr. Mearns, Ms. Dindal would check to see if the groundwater
sampler could sample for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Stakeholder concurrence for
proceeding with this technology category was received. Ms. Olsen suggested contacting Don
Vroblesky with the USGS in South Carolina as he has done a lot of work in this area and would
be an ideal peer reviewer. (Post-meeting note: Don Vroblesky can be reached at (803) 750-6115,
or at vroblesk@usgs.gov.)
Regarding a verification of Estrogen ELISA test kits, Ms. Dindal noted there is continued
interest but limited co-funding to support a verification test. She also noted that she made the
connection between EPA Region 3 and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin
(ICPRB) per Ms. Olsen's suggestion during the last teleconference. Ms. Dindal said the plan is to
cycle back to EPA Region 3 and other potential collaborators in FY07.
Testing of Nutrient Analyzers has two applications, which include industrial and environmental
monitoring. Industrial monitoring was conducted in 2005 in collaboration with DuPont for two
technologies. Currently, Greenspan and EnviroTech are two vendors interested in the
environmental monitoring application. Potential collaborators and co-funding opportunities for
this technology category are being sought.
Hach has approached the AMS Center with interest in the verification of a multi-parameter
instrument. Previous testing of Multi-Parameter Water Quality Probes was conducted in
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collaboration with NOAA in open water sources. Stakeholder concurrence was received for this
category. The AMS Center will identify interested collaborators.
Dr. James said there is a possible collaboration for verification of Immunoassay Test Kits for
Microcystins; Battelle is currently in discussions with EPA Region 9 as well as EPA NERL. A
lot of interest remains in this area.
Dr. James described a new technology category. Data from Temperature-Data Logging
Technologies are important in bodies of water in which temperature is critical to the fish
population. The USGS is looking to employ a fiber optic sensor technology. The accuracy of the
devices is driving the interest in this area. Stakeholders had no objections in pursuing this
technology category.
Hot Topics
Ms. Sell asked the stakeholders if they were aware of any new opportunities that the ETV/AMS
Center should be exploring, and when making a recommendation, to try to indicate the level of
importance or priority the technology category exhibits.
The stakeholder committee indicated that non-membrane Dissolved Oxygen (DO) Probes were
still a priority area. Ms. Dindal reminded stakeholders that the AMS Center's proposal to New
York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on DO Monitors was not
funded, so co-funding for this test would need to be obtained in order for the test to move
forward. She noted the Hach Hydrolab instrument had a non-membrane DO probe (see
"Discussion of Evolving Technology Categories"). A stakeholder added that YSI also has a
probe technology that could undergo verification.
Mr. Minei said that his organization is getting more and more involved in soil investigations at
agricultural sites. Ms. Dindal noted the upcoming verification for rapid toxicity in soil is a new
verification in the soil area.
Next Meeting and Action Items
Ms. Sell said that one year had passed since the last in-person meeting in Portland, Maine and
that it was time to discuss a venue and date for the next in-person meeting. She recalled
stakeholders at the Portland meeting suggesting having the next meeting in San Francisco, but
because of construction and delays in and out of the city, suggested having the meeting nearby in
Sacramento. Mr. Minei suggested the possibility of having the next meeting in Portland, Oregon.
Ms. Sell noted that Sacramento was ideal because it was close to two of the water stakeholders,
Dr. Sakaji and Ms. Olsen, and was located in EPA Region 9, making it convenient to obtain
speakers and additional attendees, including those interested in test kits for microcystins and
temperature-data logging technologies.
Stakeholders were amenable to the idea of having the meeting in Sacramento. Ms. Sell suggested
sending an email to stakeholders to determine their availability for a meeting in the November -
January timeframe.
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Ms. Sell reviewed the action items brought forth on the call:
1. Ms. Olsen will forward the contact information for Don Vroblesky at USGS for the
groundwater sampler technology category. (Action completed after the teleconference.)
2. Ms. Dindal will check with the vendor to see if the groundwater sampler can sample for
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
3. Ms. Sell will send out an email to stakeholders to determine their availability for the next
in-person meeting.
Ms. Sell thanked all of the stakeholders for attending the meeting and contributing so much to
ETV. The call adjourned at 2:50 pm Eastern.
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