The Utility
Newport News Waterworks is a regional water provider that has served Virginia’s Hampton Roads Peninsula since 1889, delivering 45–50 million gallons of drinking water daily to more than 410,000 customers across Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, and York County. As one of the 100 largest water utilities in the United States, it maintains rigorous performance standards in filtration, clarification, and disinfection — earning two Gold Awards from the Virginia Department of Health for its Harwood’s Mill and Lee Hall treatment plants, plus the AMWA Sustainable Water Utility Management Award.
The Challenge
The team sought to address ongoing problems with their existing chlorine monitoring equipment at Harwood’s Mill. The incumbent analyzers showed poor stability due to probe fouling, a limited pH operating range near pH 8.0, frequent maintenance demands, and difficulty handling flow variations. The utility needed a more reliable solution that could hold accuracy while reducing the operational burden on staff.
The Solution
Testing began in March at the HMTP Train 1 filter effluent, with the Halogen MP5 installed on a supply tee alongside an existing Hach CL17 for direct comparison. Initial calibration showed excellent correlation between the two technologies. When the CL17 failed at six weeks, the Halogen MP5 seamlessly transitioned to online monitoring and integrated with the plant’s SCADA system — validating accuracy against grab samples, flow tolerance with clear error alerts when minimum flow wasn’t met, and minimal maintenance.
The Results
- check_circleReadings matched grab samples throughout testing — within 0.2 mg/L of the Hach CL17.
- check_circleMaintenance dropped from weekly to monthly checks, with no direct sensor maintenance required.
- check_circleWhen the CL17 failed at six weeks, the MP5 seamlessly took over online SCADA monitoring.
- check_circleClear, expected error alerts on low flow — almost any flow condition will work.
- check_circleOutperformed every other analyzer evaluated on stability, pH range tolerance, flow handling, and maintenance.
- check_circleProjected savings of ~$10,000/year on free chlorine analyzers, up to $30,000/year with full fleet conversion including total chlorine.
“The Halogen outperformed other analyzers we evaluated in every category—stability, pH range tolerance, flow handling, and maintenance requirements. We intend to purchase one to replace the failed CL17 and add another at our wellsite.”
Moving Forward
Based on the successful evaluation, Newport News Waterworks committed to purchasing a Halogen analyzer to replace the failed CL17, adding an additional unit at a wellsite for extended evaluation, and assessing fleet-wide replacement of all free chlorine analyzers. The result demonstrates that the Halogen technology delivers consistent performance across demanding drinking water applications.