It’s been a busy couple of months here at Multisensor HQ!

We have seen huge interest in our products internationally with sales taking off in Canada, USA, Europe and Asia, plus distribution agreements signed with a number of new partners (look out for official announcements to follow….)

Our MD, Brad Weaterton, will be presenting at the workshop on “Onsite monitoring of surface and groundwater”
Further details about the programme can be found here

We hope to see you there!

- Multisensor Systems Ltd has announced the launch of the MS1200, an on-line VOC Monitor for Hydrocarbon and Oil in Water concentration measurements. The MS1200 uses advanced gas sensing techniques to provide a non contact and reagent free system. The instrument is designed to measure VOC concentrations as low as 5 ppb.

The MS1200 implements a true concentration measurement together with an alarm system with user programmable alarm levels.

Unlike other methods of measuring VOCs the Multisensor product does not require laboratory facilities nor does it employ any chemicals in its implementation. This reduces costs and time in monitoring VOCs at borehole sites, at the input of water treatment works or at environmentally sensitive locations.

The Multisensor MS1200 Monitor works by passing gas, from the headspace above the water, across a sensor array. The data from the sensors is subsequently processed to provide concentration levels and statistics. There is no direct contact with the water being monitored resulting in servicing only being required every 6 months, minimising cost.

The instrument reports concentrations of VOCs using a variety of communications interface options, including wireless, digital wired interfaces such as Profibus and a 4 – 20mA analogue current loop for SCADA systems. Historical data is stored within the monitor and this can be downloaded for further analysis via the wireless interface or by connecting a PC to the USB port. This method is also used for firmware upload and reporting of instrument status.

Consuming a typical 10W and working with power supplies from 90V to 240V AC or 24V DC over a temperature range of 0 – 50C the product provides accuracy of better than +/- 10% using the sample presentation system which is provided.

The MS1200 is available now as a system mounted on a backboard or as individual components.

For years, residents living near Ballona Creek and environmentalists have complained of mysterious sheens of oil and grease in the western Los Angeles County waterway, often blaming industrial dumping, urban runoff or other man-made causes for the pollution.

The tar pits, in Wilshire Boulevard’s Miracle Mile neighborhood, overflow during heavy rains, overwhelming the devices that separate oil from water. Polluted runoff then gets into the storm drain system, spilling into the creek and emptying into the ocean, according to county planners.

The Page Museum and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County have paid regional water regulators $15,000 in fines for releasing polluted water into the storm drains in 2006. And in 2002, the Page Museum paid $3,000 to a coastal cleanup project to settle a stormwater discharge violation.

Since 2009, the county has pumped excess water from the area into the sewer system, where it is treated before being released into the ocean. The measure was designed to be only temporary, and Los Angeles County supervisors voted earlier this month to spend $2 million to build a new system that will clean the water before it is deposited into the sewers.

For further details please see the LA Times website

About 5,000 gallons of oil has spilled into the River Lark in Bury St Edmunds, polluting a 2.5 mile stretch.

The Environment Agency said they were alerted on Monday evening and found red diesel entering the river near the Eastern Way Industrial Estate.

It has affected the waterway downstream to the Suffolk Golf & Country Club.

The Agency said it was carrying out an investigation and would take any appropriate enforcement action.

For full details visit the BBC News Website

5th December 2011

Multisensor Systems Ltd are pleased to announce the appointment of MISCOwater, as our official distributor for the south western states.

MISCOwater will be handling all enquiries relating to California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. The agreement covers the full current range of Multisensor Systems Products, including the highly successful VOC monitor MS1100 and our revolutionary new THM monitor, the MS2000.

For more information on MISCOwater, please visit their website or contact Chris McCampbell P.E. on (+1) 949 458 5555

28th November 2011

Multisensor Systems Ltd are pleased to announce the appointment of WJF Instrumentation of Calgary, as our official distributor for Western Canada.

WJF Instrumentation will be handling all enquiries relating to Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The agreement covers the full current range of Multisensor Systems Products, including the highly successful VOC monitor MS1100 and our revolutionary new THM monitor, the MS2000.

For more information on WJF, please visit their website or contact Sheldon Wrubleskj on (+1) 877 291 5572

A BILSTHORPE firm which polluted two countryside lakes with red diesel has been hit with a £20,000 fine and forced to pay more than £10,000 in costs.

 A farming and vegetable packing business admitted polluting agricultural land around Rainworth Water and Rufford Abbey Country Park Lake with the fuel in November 2009.

The original source of the pollution was from a damaged diesel tank.

Rainwater had accumulated in the outer containment tank and a Strawson Ltd employee pumped the water out of the bund, not knowing that it was contaminated with red diesel.

An Environment Agency officer in charge of the investigation said: “Regulations state that waste water that is contaminated with oil must be disposed of carefully and with all the necessary paperwork.

The company commented that it has always been committed to robust environmental management on all its farms, and is regularly audited in respect of that.

See the full details here

British Water Industry Demonstrates Know-How to North American Market

            LOS ANGELES (October 18, 2011) – The United Kingdom’s deep history and experience in the water sector is showcased this week through the presence of  a delegation of British companies at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC), the largest annual meeting of water sector professionals in North America.

 The British companies – including UK Trade & Investment’s delegation of nine organizations – exemplify the country’s extensive expertise in the water industry, ranging from water resource management and engineering to water purification and treatment technologies and monitoring.

 “The UK’s holistic environmental initiatives and regulatory framework have cultivated an active business environment in Great Britain, spurring water companies to innovate and implement new technologies and approaches that can be applied to global water issues,” said Michael Rosenfeld, UK Trade & Investment, Vice Consul – US Clean Technology Sector. “As the world collectively seeks answers to water scarcity and water quality issues, there is a strong recognition that the UK water sector is an important international partner providing solutions and resources to draw upon and collaborate with.”

 Great Britain – which is home to more than 500 companies and 80,000 employees in the water industry – has proven to be an important partner in supplementing the water sectors in the United States and Canada.

 “The UK’s deep experience in the water and environmental industries is a valuable supplement to the water sector in North America and has greatly enhanced the existing capabilities of Atkins North America for the planning, design and construction of water and wastewater systems,” said Douglas Fredericks, Vice President, Water Infrastructure for UK-based Atkins, a leading international engineering and design consultancy. The company has provided its water engineering services throughout North America, such as the recent upgrade and expansion of the 300 million gallon per day Potomac Water Filtration Plant in Montgomery County, Maryland which services more than one million residents.

 During WEFTEC, Mr. Fredericks will discuss a more economically and environmentally sustainable approach to wastewater treatment on a UK Trade & Investment panel discussion about the water industry’s role in the world’s shift to sustainably-focused economies.

 “Atkins is pleased to join other British companies in Los Angeles this week to share the knowledge and insight gained from our country’s extensive history in water management and environmental and infrastructure enhancement,” said Fredericks.

 The UK is developing new technologies and solutions for the water industry, many of which are implemented throughout North America. For example, Cheshire-based Multisensor Systems – a developer and supplier of online environmental monitoring instruments – has received an enthusiastic response from water treatment and wastewater customers in the Western US and Canada. The company has secured two trials sites in the US for its latest thrihalomethane monitor, an online tool designed to monitor and report the concentrations of carcinogenic substances in drinking water, which will be showcased at WEFTEC.

  “The regulatory environment in North America, combined with the need to drive down cost and energy consumption in its water sector, makes the region an ideal platform for partnership with the UK’s advanced technologies and experience in water management and treatment,” said Brad Weaterton, CEO, Multisensor Systems.

 British companies are also providing services to several notable water quality projects in North America. For example, Atkins worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers to develop and manage the $14 billion storm damage risk reduction program after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Southern Louisiana.

 Arup, a UK-based international design and engineering consultancy, is currently leading the engineering design of a vital new intake tunnel at Nevada’s Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the US and a source of water for millions. The new tunnel will ensure water quality and supply amid declining lake levels caused by increasing drought in the Southwest US.

 “As governments, companies and regulators in North America and the UK continue to address critical issues like water scarcity and conservation, the collaboration of technologies, education and standards will be key to evolving the water sectors of both regions,” added Rosenfeld of UK Trade & Investment.

UK Trade & Investment – alongside its nine UK delegate organizations including Multisensor Systems – are located at booth #5337 West Hall during WEFTEC 2011. For more information contact Michael Rosenfeld, UK Trade & Investment, Vice Consul – USA Clean Technology Sector at (310) 420-0835 or mike.rosenfeld@uktradeinvestusa.com.

UK Trade & Investment will also be interacting from WEFTEC 2011 through its Twitter account @UKTI_cleantech.

                                                                                    About UK Trade & Investment

 UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the British department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s economy – acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business. UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage. For more information on UKTI, visit www.ukti.gov.uk or telephone +44 (0)20 7215 8000. For latest press releases, visit the online newsroom at www.ukti.gov.uk/media.

 You can also keep in touch with developments at UKTI through www.blog.ukti.gov.uk, www.twitter.com/ukti and www.flickr.com/photos/tags/ukti.

An ongoing court case, claiming that toxic hydrocarbon pollutants leaked from the neighboring property onto the Plaintiffs’ property. Plaintiffs, in their lawsuit, have alleged that its soil has been contaminated by oil and other hydrocarbon products as a result of years of leaks emanating from storage tanks maintained by the neighbouring company.

Court documents state that Plaintiffs claim their damages are in excess of $30,000,000 and that remediation may cause the shut down of their business. Plaintiffs are engaged in on-going testing and monitoring of their site to insure that the pollutants are not contaminating the ground water.

see the full article here