Rapid bactErial Sensing for a healThy wAter enviRonmenT

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The Challenge

Outdoor Recreation and Bathing Water Quality

The Key Problem

The key problem we have identified is the lack of fit-for-purpose technologies that can provide microbiological water quality data in a timeframe that enables rapid decision-making and risk mitigation.

Current methods based on bacteria culture are slow to provide results (18-72 h) which makes same-day sampling and mitigation impossible.

This is a problem for both Local Authorities in Ireland who have to communicate risk to the public in a timely manner but also for users of outdoor recreational & bathing areas who need access to timely data to take informed decisions about the hazards they are exposed to, plan their water-based activities and protect their health.

New tools and sensors are needed to enable:

the provision of microbiological water quality data to stakeholders in a timely manner,

sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems and

decision support in the context of global warming.

Our Mission

In , our mission is to help provide healthy and safe water environments for all.

The Solution

In we have a solution: CS Sentinel is an in-situ sensor for indicator bacteria (E. coli and enterococci) that provides both early warning of pollution events and detection capabilities to satisfy legislative requirements.

CS Sentinel is being developed in collaboration with local authorities in Ireland and the Bathing Water Task Force to ensure it addresses the needs of our key stakeholders.

In DCU Water Institute we are leveraging expertise in sensor development, optical design, analytical chemistry, microbiology and materials development to rapidly prototype, test and validate.