Until recently, if a drinking water sample came into the Barnstable County Water Quality Laboratory to be tested on a Friday, the lab had two choices. It could either pass the sample on to a lab off-Cape, or bring two employees in on a Saturday to complete the test and get the results. But now the Barnstable lab has the capacity to run automated tests, thanks to a new IDEXX Tecta system and state certification.
"A Tecta is basically an automated microbiology lab in itself," explained Barnstable County Water Quality Laboratory Director Dan White. "We are certified, and we're the first in the state to get this certification, to use the instrument to test drinking water for total coliform bacteria."
The system runs overnight and detects total coliform and E. coli in drinking water. White said they test for total coliform bacteria because it’s a good indicator of water contamination.
The Barnstable County Water Quality Lab tests drinking water safety for public water suppliers and private well owners throughout the Cape. White says they’ve been using the new system since mid-November, and it’s working well.
"Often we get samples in on a Friday afternoon. Instead of sending them to another laboratory, we use it here. It's not to replace our methods we have been using for total coliform and E. Coli, it's to augment them."
The automated system was purchased with federal COVID funding.
"It's really going to save us some money and time in bringing people in on the weekends or subbing samples out, which is expensive," said White. "So, it's a time saver and a money saver. Kind of win-win."
The system is also capable of measuring bacteria levels in beach water samples, but is awaiting EPA approval.
