Portable CLAM Excels at Measuring Water Quality
One critical issue after the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon spill was detecting pollutants suspended in the water column. The spill’s sensitive nature demanded direct, quantifiable measurements of ultra-trace levels of oil and toxins. C.I.Agent Storm•Water Solutions came to the rescue with its Continuous Low-Level Aquatic Monitoring (C.L.A.M. ) System, providing valuable extraction data for 3 months. While thankfully such post-disaster
monitoring is rare, the portable C.L.A.M. essentially brings the water quality laboratory to the field for many other applications.
This state-of-the-art, small submersible extraction sampler uses EPA approved SPE (Solid Phase Extraction) media to sequester oil, gas, pesticides, herbicides and other trace organics from water. With approximately 100 substances now control led by regulation, the C.L.A.M. is the ultimate water monitoring solution. The device can be used on urban water systems, rivers, wells, watersheds, lakes, stormwater and agricultural runoff , as well as marine environments such as marinas and boatyards. Submersible to depths up to 100′ , it weighs just over 1lb. including four AA batteries, and measures 2.5″ x 8″. This compact size makes it easy to change batteries or sampling disks in the field.
A unique design incorporates a low-f low intake pump to guard against clogging, which draws water continuously through the device’s extraction media at a rate of 5-70 ml/minute. Special filtration and extraction disks designed by C.I .Agent Storm•Water Solutions interlock into two-stage assemblies. They can contain a variety of media to integrate non-polar and polar trace organics or even metals and nutrients.
The C.L.A.M. can be left unattended to sample water, and provides an extraction event up to 36 hours long. The disks are simply field-hardened and sent dry to the laboratory for solvent elution and analysis. This saves the cost of expensive cooler shipments of sample bottles and seven-day holding time requirements. The C.L.A.M. provides a pre-extracted quantitative event representing up to 100 litres of water, lowering the laboratories’ detection limits one hundred-fold for precise measurements.
Shipped in a waterproof , part-molded Pelican field case, the C.L.A.M. kit includes the nylon body housing, a micro pump with integrated
microcircuits, a calibration syringe and tubing, two media disks, a battery housing and other related components.
