Staying Involved in the Environmental Community:
Babcock Labs attends multiple conferences over the past few months

The end of summer marks the beginning of quite a few conferences in the industry. Within the past two months, Babcock staff members have participated in several including those held by the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA), the National Environmental Monitoring Conference (NEMC) and The NELAC Institute (TNI), and the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA).

“We want to hear about the latest developments in the NELAC regulations and to learn about upcoming environmental monitoring technology,” said Laboratory Director of Operations Susie Thomas in reference to Babcock’s attendance at the NEMC and TNI Environmental Measurement Symposium this past August. “We are also able to voice our opinion and participate in the process of changing and shaping the TNI regulations that affect us directly. Several of our staff serve on TNI committees which have met over the course of the year via teleconference. These committees hold sessions during the conference to report on their progress, get input, and complete tasks necessary for moving forward.” TNI is the organization that facilitates Babcock Labs’ certification program and its technical and methodological seminars are both valuable and constructive.

These informative conferences allow Babcock Labs to gain insight regarding new methods, as well as new instrumentation and software possibilities that will improve the lab’s operations. “Clients appreciate that Babcock uses state-of-the-art technology and that we can help guide them through the maze of regulations they are expected to follow,” said Laboratory Technical Director Larry Chrystal, who attended the NEMC portion of the conference pertaining to new and/or improved analytical methodologies. “Babcock Labs is always in pursuit of the latest technologies and innovations. It is imperative to stay up to date in any changes of the regulations.”

“By being an intimate part of the NELAC Institute process, we are able to provide high quality results that meet the most current certification requirements. We learn about the most effective technology available for environmental monitoring and this allows us to provide clients with sophisticated technical knowledge regarding the methodologies used to produce their results,” said Thomas.

While staff members attended the Environmental Symposium in Bellevue, Washington, CEO Allison Mackenzie attended the California Association of Sanitation Agencies’ (CASA) 56th annual conference held in San Diego. One of the benefits of attending this annual conference is that it allows Babcock Labs to know what wastewater agencies are hearing about regulations. “One of the main reasons I attended was to participate on the Associates Committee with the engineering companies that provide services to the agencies, such as Veolia, CDM, Black & Veatch, HDR, and Carollo Engineers. It’s all a part of contributing to the industry and understanding the big picture,” said Mackenzie.

Ms. Mackenzie also attended the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Regulatory Summit, where she gave a presentation entitled, “How Low Can We Go? Detection Limits and Their Role in Water Quality Compliance.” The summit allowed for Ms. Mackenzie and Ms. Cyndi Moore, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, to speak with other members of ACWA to further understand trending concerns among water agencies. Babcock Laboratories is an associate member of both CASA and AWCA, and appreciates the opportunity to participate in their programs.

Earlier in July Ms. Mackenzie attended the Water Research Foundation’s Hexavalent Chromium Information Exchange Forum at Metropolitan Water District (MWD). “In the case of the Cr+6 forum, I learned what levels are being considered for the UCMR3 LCMRL and also that a California MCL for Cr+6 would not be set for at least three years because of the regulatory process,” said Mackenzie. Information regarding the UCMR3 list is especially pertinent to current and future challenges the lab’s clients will face.

This week, Ms. Mackenzie is in New Orleans attending the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL) conference, another organization of which Babcock Labs is proud to be a member. The information taken from all of these conferences plays a vital role in Babcock Labs’ ability to assist with all of its clients’ needs and Babcock Labs is proud to have such presence at all of these wonderful and educational seminars. As Ms. Mackenzie puts it, “they are a great opportunity for us to benefit our customers.”