AWWA IMTECH54033

The use of Web-based applications has become pervasive in business. TheWashington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is the 7th largest water utilityin the United States and it is striving to be 1st in service to its customers.The WSSC Laboratory Services Group (LSG) is responsible for providing analyticalsupport for WSSC's two water and six wastewater treatment plants, the SafeDrinking Water Act and Clean Water Act monitoring requirements, and otherprograms as needed. The LSG uses a Laboratory Information Management System(LIMS) for scheduling, tracking, verifying, reporting and archiving sample data.Because of the regulatory nature of much of the data contained in the LIMSdatabase, it is necessary for the LIMS to be compliant with Good AutomatedLaboratory Practices (GALP); therefore, access to the LIMS database is limited toauthorized laboratory personnel. The LIMS software is oriented toward thecollection of water sample results, but is not effective at reporting thoseresults. A web- based system, known as LIMS DuWeb, was developed to solve thislimitation. The LIMS DuWeb system is a Web-enabled Access database that extractsdata from the LIMS and places it in a more convenient format for use bynon-laboratory personnel. The LIMS DuWeb is a multi-tiered architecture thatoperates across a network of clients. A search page allows users to download andreview up-to-the minute sample results, as well as, historical data. LIMS DuWebis web-based, and has become popular in the organization because it is so easy touse and available on any network computer. LIMS DuWeb can deliver real-timeinformation such as sample information, analytical results, and reports via theweb, providing 24 x 7 access to business-critical data.