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Departments > Wastewater Treatment Plant > Wastewater Laboratory

Laboratory

The York W.W.T.P. laboratory is a state of the art facility capable of analyzing a great number of samples with minimum turn around time. This lab, built in 1988, is equipped with AUTOMATED ANALYZERS which accelerate the testing process. More than 62,000 tests are conducted each year by a staff of four college graduates who strive constantly to improve the quality of the results. Twenty percent of all samples analyzed are for QUALITY CONTROL.

The WWTP laboratory received its accreditation under Act 252. Its second audit by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection took place in May 2008.

The BIOLOGICAL NUTRIENT REMOVAL (Secondary Treatment) process at the York plant is delicate and fragile. In most cases, with the help of the automated instrumentation, the lab provides operational personnel with valuable data within hours of sample collection.

Testing done includes:

  • Bran+Luebbe Nitrite-Nitrate analysis
  • Automated Ammonia-N analysis
  • Automated Atomic Absorbtion Spectroscopy
  • Total and ortho-phosphate analysis
  • Biochemical Oxygen Demand analysis
  • Total Nitrogen Kjehldahl analysis
  • Fecal Coliform testing
  • Photo, phase-contrast, and light microscopy
  • Total and Suspended Solids analysis

Test results collected from the various analyses are incorporated into a software program by OPS SYSTEMS. This software also utilizes data from the various W.W.T.P. flow meters and sensors. Then both laboratory and plant data is combined to help operations personnel evaluate the efficiency of the plant operation.

Besides conducting tests on plant samples, the lab also performs tests on samples collected by our Municipal Industrial Pre-Treatment Program (MIPP). These samples are tested for a wide variety of parameters and used to monitor industries for compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

The York W.W.T.P. lab has been featured in numerous publications. It also has been the recipient of several awards and recognitions.

Laboratory Photomicrographs

The following photomicrographs were taken in August 1997 using a Nikon Labophot w/FX -35WA, 35mm. Kodak Gold 1000 ASA Color Print film was used. These photographs were taken by former Operations Manager, John Smith.

This is a photograph of an Oligochaete, probably Aeolosoma sp. under Dark Field.

This is a photograph of a Ciliate, probably Blepharisma sp. using Bright Field.

This is a photograph of an Rotifer, probably Monostyla sp. using Phase Contrast.

This is a photograph of Nocardia sp. using Gram Staining. It was photographed under Bright Field at 100x magnification.

This is a photograph of the anterior end of a "Water Bear" or Hypsibius sp. using Phase Contrast with a green filter. The magnification was 400x.

This is a photograph of a peritrich ciliate, probably Vorticella sp., using Phase Contrast with a blue filter.