Water & Wastewater Testing
Accredited analysis, defensible results
Water, wastewater and effluent analysed to accredited methods, with results reported against the limits your discharge conditions set.
Discharge limits leave no room for interpretation
A discharge condition names a parameter and a number. Either the result is under it or it is not, which makes water testing the least ambiguous of all environmental obligations, and the one where sampling error does the most damage.
Most disputed results trace back to how the sample was taken rather than how it was analysed. Sampling point, timing, preservation and holding time all affect the number, and all of them are examined if a result is challenged.
What the testing covers
Effluent and discharge monitoring
Sampling and analysis at the discharge point against the limits in your consent, with flow recorded where the condition is load-based rather than concentration-based.
Process and cooling water
Analysis of water used in the process, where quality affects both operations and the character of what is eventually discharged.
Groundwater monitoring
Borehole sampling and analysis where a permit requires it, typically around storage areas, landfills or historically contaminated ground.
Potable and amenity water
Testing of drinking and amenity supplies against health-based standards, including microbiological parameters.
Interpretation and reporting
Results set against the applicable limits, with trends highlighted before they become exceedances.
How the work runs
Scope
Determinands, sampling points and frequency are confirmed against your consent.
Sample
Samples are drawn correctly, preserved and transported under chain of custody.
Analyse
Analysis is carried out to the referenced method under accreditation.
Report
Results are compared against limits and issued for your periodic report.
A discharge limit is a number. The only question is whether your evidence is defensible.
Have your conditions reviewedWhat you get out of it
Sampling technique matched
Grab, composite or flow-proportional is chosen against your consent, since the wrong one invalidates the result.
Preservation at the point
Samples are preserved where they are taken, because holding time is part of the method.
Accredited analysis
Determinands are analysed under accreditation, which is what makes the result admissible.
Trends flagged early
A drift toward a limit is visible in the data long before it becomes an exceedance.
Who needs water testing
Manufacturing
Any facility discharging process effluent to sewer, to ground or to surface water carries testing obligations, and the parameter list follows the process rather than the volume.
Discuss your siteFood & beverage
High organic loads mean COD, BOD and suspended solids dominate the consent, and seasonal production swings are a frequent cause of exceedance.
Discuss your sitePower & desalination
Thermal discharge, brine and cooling water each carry separate conditions, and receiving-water monitoring is commonly required alongside.
Discuss your siteWaste facilities
Leachate and site drainage are monitored continuously at landfills and treatment sites, with groundwater boreholes typically forming part of the programme.
Discuss your siteConstruction
Dewatering and site runoff need testing before discharge, and this is routinely overlooked until a discharge has already taken place.
Discuss your siteCommercial premises
Larger kitchens, laundries and workshops discharge to sewer under conditions that specify oils, greases and suspended solids.
Discuss your siteCommon questions
What is the difference between COD and BOD?
Can we take our own samples and send them to you?
How quickly do samples need to reach the laboratory?
What if a result exceeds our discharge limit?
Do we need groundwater monitoring?
Not sure what your permit requires?
Send us the conditions and we will tell you exactly which parameters, methods and frequencies apply. No charge for the review.