The Rapidly Changing Field of Beach Water Quality Monitoring
Stephen B. Weisberg
Southern California Coastal Water
Research Project Authority
Blue Tech & Blue Economy Summit
November 7, 2013
IT’S AN EXCITING TIME TO BE A BIOLOGIST
• Molecular biology is mushrooming– We only first discovered the structure of DNA in 1953– Sequencing is now something routinely done by graduate
students
• Use of DNA-based measurement tools has revolutionized many fields
– Medical– Homeland security– CSI and all its offshoots
• Just beginning to affect the environmental field– Faster, better, cheaper– Opportunities abound
Beachgoers feel protected Reality
The Problem
Results in 24-96 hrs
The Solution
Results in 2 hrs
BEACH WATER MONITORING
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SPEED
• Accuracy– Culture based methods are
non-specific– This leads to false positives
• Host Specificity– We currently target indicators
that grow well in culture– Other less-cultivable organisms
are more specific to the human intestinal tract
– Opportunity to measure the taxa most appropriate to the problem
Enterococcus faecalisEnterococcus faeciumEnterococcus aviumEnterococcus casseliflavusEnterococcus gallinarumEnterococcus hiraeEnterococcus mundtiiUnidentified Enterococcusnon-Enterococcus
CHALLENGES IN TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
• They are not technical– “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good”– The need was there
• Its not technology transfer– We had to simplify a few steps, but they got it quickly– Had the practitioners part of the process early on
• We encountered three main problems– Sampling challenges– Creating a support infrastructure– Hidden costs
TIMING WAS THE BIGGEST ISSUE
• Sampling typically begins at 7AM and lasts three hours
• Sample processing takes almost two hours – If everything is ready to go when samples arrive
• Calculations and data verification adds an hour
• One more hour to notify the health department and for them to act on it
– An additional hour for people to go place out the signs
• It’s now 3:00 and the swimmers are coming out of the water
– Signs need to be up by noon to make this worthwhile
SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
• Who does the training?– Right now it is us– We are a research entity
• Who certifies that your lab is performing adequately?– Right now it is us– We are a research entity
• Where do you buy your standards?– Right now, we are supplying them to the local labs– We are a research entity
HIDDEN COSTS
• Start up cost is not the impediment– Capital expenses are easier to justify than per unit cost
• Per unit cost is not an impediment – Will likely be comparable once suppliers create big lots
• First impediment is the confidence building cost– Health departments want an extended period using both methods
• Biggest impediment will be the push for more monitoring
– A rapid method doesn’t help if you only do it one day a week– Labs are struggling just to maintain existing programs
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
• Now that there is no culturing step, we can automate the process
• We have already developed a pier mounted prototype
– Telemetered to the web - check conditions before you leave home
– It will be deployed in San Diego (Ocean Beach pier) for three months in January
• The logical extension is a mooring mounted application
– We have that in prototype as well
HOW ABOUT AFTER THAT?
• Our next challenge is the suitcase model– Something that is so simple, a lifeguard can pour the water in and the
answer spits out an hour later– Will solve the sample transport time
• Addresses another need: Field portability allows us to track down spills
– Its not just about the warnings, it’s also about fixing the problem
• We will have that working in three years!– The biggest technical challenge is how to address field calibration– We think we have a solution
• Human health monitoring– Seafood safety– Harmful algal blooms
• Environmental quality assessment– Genetic barcoding to assess presence of natural biological
communities– Microarrays to measure sublethal effects
• Species management– Detection of invasive species in ballast water – Endangered species monitoring in foods, such as fish roe and fillets
WHAT ARE THE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES?
• Molecular opportunities abound
• The only things lacking are investment and industry participation
• Its economics of payback at this point, not technical limitations
THE FUTURE IS NOW
PRESENT APPROACH TO MONITORING FOR HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS
Ship-based water collection
Manually count species
Place sample on a slide
• Labor-intensive• Results can take
weeks
MOLECULAR APPROACH FOR DETECTION OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS
Moored Pumping Array
Automated assimilation into nowcast models
In-Situ Microarray Detection
Continuous data available on the web
Real Time Telemetry of
Data to Shore