LINCOLN, Neb. — As part of a multi-year program funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and managed by the Water Environment Federation (WEF), Teledyne ISCO was selected as the primary provider of wastewater autosamplers and flow meters to small, rural, and tribal utilities across the United States in 2024. In addition, Teledyne ISCO and its local representatives nationwide will provide product training, reference materials, and support to program participants.
The goal of the program is to provide utilities with the supplies and knowledge needed to perform sample collection for wastewater surveillance efforts, such as programs participating in the National Wastewater Surveillance System. According to WEF, more than 250 flow meters and 450 autosamplers will be distributed to qualifying utilities over the course of the program, which began in 2022.
“We are pleased to provide 235 water samplers and 200 flow meters in 2024, in addition to the hundreds we provided in 2022 and 2023, to this critical effort to capture and study wastewater generated by communities,” said John Trofatter, senior director of business development for Teledyne ISCO’s water platform. “Wastewater surveillance is a major tool in determining the health and welfare of people in towns and cities throughout the world.”
Wastewater surveillance can be used to monitor viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens, high-risk substances, microcontaminants and other anomalies in untreated wastewater. It played a role in tracking COVID-19 during the pandemic and has already been expanded to monitor trends in influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other diseases. In addition, testing untreated wastewater is important for the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a diverse group of human-made chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. PFAS is receiving increasing regulatory attention as a health and environmental concern, and has been linked to cancer, weakened immune systems and fertility problems, among others.
In the program application, WEF says, “Participation in wastewater surveillance to date has skewed toward larger, well-resourced utilities. These resources include but are not limited to continuous in-situ monitors and automatic samplers. WEF and the CDC would like to expand the program to a wider array of wastewater treatment plants serving diverse populations.”
About Teledyne ISCO
Teledyne ISCO is a leading manufacturer of innovative products designed to increase productivity while improving the quality of life on our planet. Our standard and customized products are used in multiple sectors including water and wastewater, pharmaceutical, academic research, oil exploration, and chemical process control. For further information on Teledyne ISCO visit www.teledyneisco.com.
About the Water Environment Federation
The Water Environment Federation is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 30,000 individual members and 75 affiliated member associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, WEF's mission is to inspire the water community in pursuit of human and environmental well-being. For more information on the autosampler and flow meter program visit https://bit.ly/autosamplers.
