Tracer Studies

By maximizing available contact time, a public water system can minimize its chlorine disinfection dosage, reduce chemical costs, and provide greater flexibility in meeting the disinfection inactivation requirements of the Surface Water Treatment Rule. A tracer study conducted by SEA, by either the pulse or step input methods, uses safe, conservative tracer materials and achieves a high rate of tracer recovery (>90%) to ensure valid results. The results of a well designed and executed tracer study performance by SEA provides a public water system a technically defensible short-circuiting factor as well as recommendations for increasing contact time if necessary.