Source Water Monitoring
Water Utilities
Fast Insight into Source Water Quality
Protect drinking water quality with rapid microbiological monitoring of source water. The rqmicro.COUNT solution enables water utilities to detect and quantify E. coli and Intact Cell Counts (ICC) within hours instead of days, providing actionable data that supports risk management, treatment optimization, and regulatory compliance.
Water utilities source water from a variety of natural sources. A few common water sources used include surface water, groundwater, rain water reservoirs, and spring water.
Source water conditions can change rapidly due to rainfall, agricultural runoff, wildlife activity, or seasonal events. With rapid testing, utilities gain timely visibility into microbial contamination and biological load, allowing operators to respond before water quality issues impact treatment processes or consumers.
A Race Against Time
Traditional microbiological testing is too slow for dynamic source water conditions
Conventional culture-based E. coli methods often require 18–48 hours before results become available. During this time, source water quality may already have changed significantly. As a result, operators frequently need to make treatment decisions based on outdated information.
In addition, many utilities lack routine microbial monitoring tools that can provide a comprehensive understanding of biological fluctuations in source water. Without timely microbiological data, it becomes more difficult to identify contamination events, optimize treatment performance, and proactively manage risks.
Common challenges include:
Rapidly Changing Water Quality
Source water quality can change within hours due to rainfall, stormwater runoff, agricultural activities, wildlife, or wastewater discharges. Utilities need microbiological information quickly enough to identify contamination events and adjust treatment processes before water quality deteriorates further.Delayed Results from Traditional Methods
- Conventional culture-based methods for E. coli monitoring typically require 18–48 hours before results are available. By the time operators receive the data, the water that was tested has already moved through the treatment process, limiting the ability to take proactive action.
Limited Visibility into Microbial Load
- Many monitoring programs focus on a small number of indicator organisms and provide only periodic snapshots of water quality. This leaves operators with limited understanding of overall biological dynamics and emerging trends that may affect treatment performance.
Balancing Safety, Compliance, and Operational Efficiency
- Water utilities must continuously ensure safe drinking water while optimizing treatment costs, chemical dosing, and energy consumption. Without timely microbiological data, operators often rely on conservative treatment strategies that can increase operational expenses while providing limited additional insight.
Implementing Source Water Monitoring
Our Approach
Introducing new monitoring technologies often raises concerns about complexity, training requirements, and integration with existing workflows. rqmicro.COUNT is designed to fit seamlessly into routine water quality operations, allowing utilities to quickly establish rapid microbiological monitoring and start generating actionable data with minimal effort. Our structured implementation approach helps ensure a smooth transition from evaluation to operational use.
1
Identify Monitoring Objectives
Define key source water monitoring goals, including contamination event detection, treatment optimization, trend analysis, or regulatory support.
2
Integrate Sampling into Existing Workflows
Establish routine sampling points and frequencies at source water intakes or critical monitoring locations with minimal disruption to existing operations.
3
Deploy rqmicro.COUNT Testing
Perform rapid E. coli and ICC analysis using the rqmicro.COUNT platform and generate quantitative microbiological results within the same working day.
4
Act on Real-Time Insights
Use microbiological data to support operational decisions, optimize treatment performance, respond to contamination events, and strengthen overall water quality management.
Benefits for Your Operation
rqmicro.COUNT transforms microbiological monitoring from a delayed verification tool into a source of actionable operational intelligence. By delivering rapid, quantitative results for E. coli and Intact Cell Counts (ICC), utilities can make faster decisions, reduce uncertainty, and optimize water treatment performance.
Same-Day Microbiological Intelligence
rqmicro.COUNT delivers quantitative E. coli and Intact Cell Count (ICC) results within hours rather than days. This enables operators to identify microbiological changes early and make informed decisions while events are still developing.
Better Treatment Process Optimization
Access to timely microbial data allows operators to correlate source water quality with treatment performance. This supports more precise process control, helping optimize chemical dosing, filtration performance, and operational efficiency.
Improved Source Water Risk Management
Rapid microbiological monitoring provides earlier detection of contamination events and changing water quality conditions. Utilities can respond faster to emerging risks, reducing uncertainty and strengthening overall water safety management.
Comprehensive Biological Insight
By combining E. coli testing with Intact Cell Count monitoring, rqmicro.COUNT provides a broader understanding of microbial conditions in source water. Utilities gain both regulatory-relevant contamination indicators and deeper insight into biological trends that influence treatment operations.
Solutions for This Application
Brief introduction explaining how the products support this application.
rqmicro.COUNT
A cartridge-based flow cytometer that rapidly quantifies total viable bacteria and specific pathogens using the rqmicro Test Kits. The instrument delivers actionable results in as little as 30 minutes. rqmicro.COUNT is designed for both laboratory and on-site use, enabling reliable microbiological monitoring.
Key Benefits
- Decentralized testing
- High-speed single-cell analysis
- Easy to use
Cloud Solution
The rqmicro Cloud Solution is a secure, browser-based platform for storing, analyzing, and sharing microbiological test results. With customizable dashboards, automated alerts, and reporting tools, it supports efficient monitoring, compliance, and data-driven decision-making across multiple sites.
Key Benefits
- Centralized Data Management
- Real-Time Monitoring & Alerts
- Simplified Reporting & Compliance
Test Kits
The rqmicro Test Kits are ready-to-use assay kits designed for rapid microbiological water analysis with rqmicro.COUNT. Available for Intact Cell Count (ICC), Legionella, and E. coli, they combine simple sample preparation with highly sensitive detection to deliver fast, reliable, and actionable results.
Key Benefits
- Rapid Results
- Reliable Detection
- Easy-to-Use Workflow
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about the test method, instrumentation and user requirements.
rqmicro combines three core technologies in a single workflow:
- Microbiological Assays detection and quantification of microorganisms including immunoassays for the selective quantification of target bacteria.
- Microfluidic cartridge technology with integrated immunomagnetic separation (IMS) for automated sample processing.
- Flow Cytometry for rapid detection and quantification of bacteria, including viability assessment.
This integrated approach enables rapid microbiological testing without the need for lengthy cultivation steps.
Single-use cartridges provide several advantages:
- Ensure standardized workflows
- Reduce maintenance requirements
- Minimize the risk of cross-contamination
- Eliminate complex cleaning procedures
- Enable operation by non-specialist users
The cartridge-based design supports both laboratory and field applications.
The rqmicro platform is designed for the detection and quantification of total bioburden and also specific bacteria. Depending on the assay, users can analyze:
- Total viable bacteria (Intact Cell Count)
- Total bacteria (Total Cell Count)
- Legionella (L.p. SG 1, L.p. SG 1-15 and Legionella spp.)
- E. coli (incl. Big 6 and O157)
Traditional culture methods only detect microorganisms that grow on agar plates. Many bacteria can remain viable but fail to form colonies under cultivation conditions.
rqmicro uses cultivation-independent flow cytometry, allowing the detection of viable cells regardless of their ability to grow on culture media. This provides faster results and a more complete picture of microbial contamination.
Flow cytometry is a laser-based analytical method that measures individual cells suspended in a fluid stream.
As cells pass through the laser beam, fluorescent signals are generated and detected by the instrument. Thousands of cells can be analyzed every second, enabling rapid and highly sensitive microbiological testing.
rqmicro uses fluorescence-based flow cytometry together with viability staining. Fluorescent dyes interact differently with live and dead cells based on membrane integrity and physiological status.
The instrument analyzes these fluorescence patterns to distinguish viable cells from non-viable cells, providing rapid live/dead information within the measurement process.
Viability information helps users:
- Assess microbiological risk more accurately
- Evaluate treatment effectiveness
- Detect bacteria that may be missed by culture methods
- Monitor changes in water systems in near real time
This enables faster operational decisions and improved process control.
VBNC stands for Viable But Non-Culturable.
These bacteria are alive and may remain metabolically active, but they do not grow on standard culture media. As a result, conventional cultivation methods can underestimate the true microbial load.
Flow cytometry can detect these cells, allowing a more comprehensive assessment of water quality and microbiological risk.
qmicro.COUNT is designed for routine operation with minimal training.
Users do not need to be flow cytometry experts. The cartridge-based workflow and automated analysis reduce operator dependency and simplify routine testing.
Contact an Expert
Christophe Gutknecht
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