Laboratory
Testing and Analysis
The LASA Laboratory has provided process data for the treatment facility since 1973. Since 2006, the Laboratory has operated as an accredited laboratory under PA Code Title 25 Chapter 252, Environmental Laboratory Accreditation. The Laboratory Department currently consists of Laboratory, Industrial Pretreatment and Trucked Waste operations.
The laboratory supports facility operations by providing sampling and testing of influent, effluent and process solids. LASA laboratory employees perform most wastewater analyses required to verify compliance with the Authority’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, as well as wastewater analyses to monitor various points of the treatment process to assist operators in process control. In addition, the laboratory tests industrial wastewater and trucked wastes received at the LASA treatment facility.
Methodologies
The Laboratory utilizes methods approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP). Approved methods are listed in 40 CFR Part 136. LASA maintains up-to-date Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each method that is performed.
Technical Capabilities
Microscopic Identification
Instrumentation
LASA is dedicated to maintaining state-of-the-art instrumentation to ensure employee safety and minimum turn around time. Some examples include:
Buchi KjelDigester K-446
Buchi BasicKjel K-365
Buchi K-415 Scrubber
Seal AQ300 Discrete Analyzer
Hach Luminescent Dissolved Oxygen Probes
Olympus CX41 System Microscope
IDEXX Quanti-Tray Sealer PLUS
Reporting and Data Storage
LASA currently uses DEP’s eDMR reporting system to transmit compliance information in a timely manner for required regulatory monthly reporting. LASA uses the Hach Water Information Management Solution (WIMS) for its data storage and in-house reporting needs. This system allows the Authority to enter, store, and retrieve data in an efficient manner.
Organizations & Experience
The LASA Laboratory currently maintains memberships in Pennsylvania Association of Accredited Environmental Laboratories (PaAAEL), the Eastern Pennsylvania Water Pollution Control Operators Association (EPWPCOA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). Staff members possess Bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Chemistry and Microbiology. Two staff members hold Pennsylvania Wastewater Class A Sub-Class 1 Operator Licenses.