Center for Urban Waters building cutaway: how it works - floor 3

Explore floor 3

Click on a blue shaded room in the image above to view more information about how it works.

Room 323: main labRoom 324: instrumentation labRoom 326: metals clean roomRoom 327: metals prep and analysisRoom 329: organics clean roomRoom 330: glass wash/reagent prep

Room 323: main lab

In the University of Washington Tacoma's environmental chemistry labs, air, water, sediment, biota and other environmental samples are processed in preparation for chemical analyses. Pollutants are extracted from each type of sample and the resulting solutions are further purified prior to analysis. Air entering this laboratory is filtered to ensure the clean conditions required to process samples, and fume hoods provide a safe working environment.

In this lab:

  • Equipment used for chemical extraction and evaporation include an Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE®) and a TurboVap® evaporator system.
  • Analytical balances and a chemical refrigerator/freezer are used for the preparation and storage of chemical standards.
  • Several fume hoods provide for safe handling of volatile chemicals.

Room 324: instrumentation lab

Advanced analytical instrumentation for identifying and quantifying chemical pollutants in environmental samples is housed in this laboratory. Extracted and processed environmental samples are analyzed and measured here for a variety of volatile and non-volatile chemicals. Chemical standards are also prepared in this laboratory prior to instrumental analyses.

This laboratory supports University of Washington Tacoma research projects and is used to train graduate and undergraduate students as they develop and employ innovative methods to measure chemical contaminants in the Puget Sound.

In this lab:

  • Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometers (GC/MS) are used to measure volatile and semi-volatile organic pollutants in a range of environmental samples.
  • A liquid chromatograph tandem mass spectrometer (LC/MSMS) measures trace levels of non-volatile organic compounds such as those found in consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides.

Room 326: metals clean room

Clean Room labs, shared by the City of Tacoma and University of Washington Tacoma, are used to test for very low levels of metal and organic pollution.  These labs have special ventilation and air filtration systems to ensure that contaminants often present in the air do not enter the labs and contaminate samples.  These labs allow researchers to study ultra-low levels of contaminants in the environment.

In these labs:

  • Researchers wear special disposable outfits to ensure contaminants are not inadvertently brought into the labs.
  • The metals clean room was constructed with a minimal amount exposed metal items and the organics clean room was constructed without exposed plastics.  Exposed materials could release contaminants (at very low levels) which could contaminate samples.
  • Both clean rooms are equipped with bench top glove boxes providing an additional level of filtration. Researchers place their hands inside the boxes to perform certain sample preparation steps further ensuring that no contamination reaches the samples.

Room 327: metals prep and analysis

staff in metals prep analysis lab

In the Metals Prep and Analysis lab, scientists analyze surface water, groundwater, wastewater, soil, sediment and sludge for more than two dozen potentially toxic elements. While some metals are essential nutrients and are important trace elements necessary for a healthy ecosystems (e.g., calcium, magnesium, and zinc), they may be harmful at high concentrations; other metals (e.g., arsenic, lead, and mercury) are toxic even at low concentrations. Results from this lab are compared to regulatory limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the City of Tacoma. By measuring these metals, contaminant sources can be identified, monitored and assessed to ensure the environment is protected from adverse impact.

In this lab:

  • Samples are subjected to strong acids, heat and pressure in order to dissolve any metals that are present. Dissolved metals samples are analyzed using specialized instrumentation to identify and quantify metals that may be present in the samples.
  • Concentrations of metals in soil and water are evaluated against project objectives and regulatory limits.
  • Identifying specific metals in samples can help trace the origin of pollutants and provide key insight about the health and condition of the environment.

Room 329: organics clean room

Clean Room labs, shared by the City of Tacoma and University of Washington Tacoma, are used to test for very low levels of metal and organic pollution.  These labs have special ventilation and air filtration systems to ensure that contaminants often present in the air do not enter the labs and contaminate samples.  These labs allow researchers to study ultra-low levels of contaminants in the environment.

In these labs:

  • Researchers wear special disposable outfits to ensure contaminants are not inadvertently brought into the labs.
  • The metals clean room was constructed with a minimal amount exposed metal items and the organics clean room was constructed without exposed plastics.  Exposed materials could release contaminants (at very low levels) which could contaminate samples.
  • Both clean rooms are equipped with bench top glove boxes providing an additional level of filtration. Researchers place their hands inside the boxes to perform certain sample preparation steps further ensuring that no contamination reaches the samples.

Room 330: glass wash/reagent prep

Technicians in the Glass Wash/Reagent Preparation section perform support services that aid scientists with the work being conducted at the Center for Urban Waters. In this area, glassware and sample containers are rigorously cleaned to ensure removal of all contaminants. Ultra clean glassware is critical because residual contamination can interfere with sample results, causing false positives and/or uncertainty in the sample results.  Chemical solutions are also prepared in this area for use in the Conventionals Analysis lab.

In this section:

  • A scientific glass wash machine uses a combination of special detergents, acid rinses and highly purified water to remove contaminants from lab glassware and sampling containers.
  • Quality control checks are performed to ensure equipment measuring weight, temperatures, and pH, are properly calibrated and making accurate measurements.