Southern Water is proud to have played a role in Joint Biosecurity Centre’s testing regime since the earliest days of the scheme. Starting at four of our sites last July, samplers now attend 27 wastewater treatment works across Hampshire, Sussex and Kent.
Supplying wholesome drinking water and removing and treating waste throughout the pandemic has been our core mission so we were delighted to contribute to this other project designed to keep customers safe and healthy.”
Notes to Editors:
Samplers attend 27 wastewater treatment works across Hampshire, Kent and Sussex which have been selected by Joint Biodiversity Centre who are a part of the NHS Track and Trace to collect 24 hour composite samples from autosamplers situated onsite. The autosampler collects a sample every 15 mins over a 24 hour period (a total of 96 aliquots) from the crude wastewater sampling point into a central container.
Each sample requires two sites visits, the first visit is to set up and programme the autosampler. The sampler returns the following day to remove the sample from the autosampler, the composite sample is then stirred and transferred into two uniquely labelled bottles and refrigerated.
Samples are transported in a refrigerated vehicle to one of five designated fridges at selected Southern Water sites for collection later the same day by a courier who transports them to the receiving laboratory.