Problem: The City of San Luis Obispo wastewater treatment laboratory conducts over a dozen daily tests and was using paper bench sheets to enter and analyze data. The results from the physical sheets were then entered into the water information management system, making two-step manual process that provided information to operators in the mid-afternoon.

Solution: The city replaced paper log books and bench sheets with a water information management system (WIMS) from Aquatic Informatics. Lab technicians now use laptops at sampling and analysis stations to enter data. Once a variable or sample result is entered, it automatically populates on other digital bench sheets that have that same variable. Calculations are automated, reducing the time to create reports. Edits to sheets are automatically time-stamped for tracing and tracking. The WIMS enables parameter limits to be set for any variable. A result outside a limit turns the cell a different color, indicating that action is required. 

Result: “Before WIMS we submitted our data to operations by 3 p.m.,” says Tanner Duncan, water quality analyst. “Now they get the results by 9 a.m. That’s a significant time savings.” Having data stored and accessible in one place has significantly improved reaction times as operators receive immediate alerts and can adjust the treatment process sooner. 877-870-2782; www.aquaticinformatics.com