A real-time, online solution based on luminescent bacteria sensors for municipalities and water utilities

Checklight - part of the Whitewater Technology Group - introduces a revolutionary monitoring system for municipalities and water utilities that, for the first time, automatically detects water contamination - alerting the SCADA system within minutes. CheckLight's state-of- the-art technology, which has been verified by the EPA's ETV program, utilizes non-pathogenic luminous marine bacteria as early-detection sensors. Operating automatically, CheckLight's exceptionally fast, reliable, and cost-effective solution provides real-time, online monitoring, and enables flexible, unlimited expansion through the simple addition of monitoring units. The system will be showcased at Weftec, October 18-22, 2008, in Hall C at Booth 18053.

Composed of numerous monitoring units - located at monitoring stations throughout the water system, and seamlessly integrated with the SCADA system - CheckLight's solution performs continuous automatic monitoring of water quality at various points in the system, sending immediate alerts regarding problematic areas. Enabling comprehensive coverage of large areas, the system is exceptionally sensitive to very low concentrations of a wide range of toxic chemical agents, provides reliable and consistent results, and requires minimum maintenance and on-site visits.

In line with the Whitewater Technology Group's focus, CheckLight targets water utilities and municipalities in the US, Europe, and Asia. The company's products are of particular interest to early adopters for whom water management and rapid detection of water contaminants are high priorities. For densely populated, potentially high-risk cities - such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago - this technology can significantly reduce the threats associated with terror attacks, as well as those posed by equipment malfunctions and natural disasters.

The Technology

CheckLight's technology utilizes natural luminescent bacteria as early-warning biosensors, positioned inside the monitoring stations. If water is contaminated, the bacteria react by reducing emitted light, which immediately generates an automatic contamination alert. The benefit of this technology is that, rather than monitoring and analyzing the changing values of various parameters, bacteria respond directly in real time to a wide range of dangerous contaminants by simply dimming or turning off the light.

CheckLight offers broad-spectrum bio-monitoring solutions for drinking water. The company currently sells a manual kit providing early warning of water contamination. One of the largest customers is the Environmental Protection Ministry of China. In the US, where awareness of CheckLight's products is widespread, the company is recognized by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency); in 2003 and 2006, CheckLight was selected as one of the 8 companies whose technologies were verified for use by the EPA's ETV (Environmental Technology Verification) program.

Competitive Advantages

As with the solutions provided by other members of the Whitewater Technology Group, CheckLight's technology is unrivaled in today's market - both in its superior detection capabilities and its cost-effectiveness. Clearly surpassing currently available chemical monitors, it will likely become a global industry standard.

The major disadvantage of chemical monitoring devices - even those that test multiple parameters - is their inability to detect and analyze the combined effects of subtle changes in multiple contaminants, each of which may be within its own acceptable limits. For example, if two values change, but neither of them is, by itself, sufficient to set off an alert, then, even if the combination of the two will cause contamination of the water, a chemically-based solution will not detect the hazard. On the other hand, CheckLight's system will automatically respond to the threat in real time, setting off an alert triggered by reduced light emission.

The biological monitors currently on the market are based on living entities such as algae, clams, or fish, thereby overcoming some of the difficulties inherent in the chemical monitoring devices. However, these solutions require considerably more maintenance than bacteria, and are therefore, more expensive than CheckLight's solutions, which are the most cost-effective on the market today.