Yarmouth, ME: The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has purchased two FlowCAM® particle imaging and analysis systems from water quality instrumentation manufacturer, Fluid Imaging Technologies (www.fluidimaging.com), to monitor source water for the presence of taste and odor causing algae and cyanobacteria. The FlowCAMs are deployed in water quality laboratories at two NYC DEP reservoirs to support the daily delivery of 1 billion gallons of clean water to more than 9 million consumers. The FlowCAM VS-4 Algae Analysis instrument facilitates detection, identification and enumeration of algal cells in water samples by taking a high-resolution, full color digital image of each individual cell detected, and then assists in species identification using proprietary pattern recognition technology. The FlowCAM saves the images and the corresponding size, shape, color and other data for further review and analysis using the company’s companion VisualSpreadsheet© analysis software. The patented FlowCAM uses a laser to excite the natural fluorescence of algal cells to trigger imaging, allowing for highly efficient sorting of relevant cells.

Purchased for incorporation into the NYC DEP’s water quality assurance program, the FlowCAM greatly enhances the department’s algae monitoring program which has long relied on tedious manual microscopy. The FlowCAM’s automated instrumentation rapidly detects thousands of cells per minute and minimizes human error in counting and identification. The NYC DEP joins the growing number of public water suppliers now using the FlowCAM as part of their water quality assurance programs, including districts serving Boston, Tampa, Hartford, Tulsa, Indianapolis, Colorado Springs and Singapore.