A WATER QUALITY alert system is being developed in Cork that will allow users to rapidly screen for the presence of harmful contaminants, such as E.coli bacteria.

As part of a Europe-wide collaboration, drawing down €6 million in EU funding to create 10 new critical applications, Tyndall National Institute and Environmental Laboratories Services Ltd have developed this one-hour water screening device.

Drinking water

The two Cork-based scientific organisations said there is a clear demand to ensure the “water we consume is, first and foremost, safe and of a sufficient quality”.

The Irish partners said it will be an affordable, easy-to-use, portable device that will be the first of its kind.

“It will deliver results within the hour, which is days faster than current methodologies,” they said.

The portable device’s cost, usability and efficiency will enable quality to be continually monitored – as has been advised by the European Council Committee on Drinking Water – limiting the scope for contamination.

Tyndall CEO, Dr Kieran Drain, said:

Water is a primary natural resource and a vital ingredient of everything we do in life. Recent events, as seen in the media, illustrate the importance we stress on a reliable and safe water supply. The SMARTER-Si project will enable people, for the first time, to test their own water supply and give peace of mind at an affordable price.

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