Results of these analyses assist in the monitoring of water against the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, process control of wastewater treatment plants, industrial waste discharges to sewer and environmental surveys.

Testing is NATA accredited and subject to continuous quality improvement under our ISO 9001 certified quality management system.

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Conductivity and pH

These simple, but important parameters are measured regularly using pH and conductivity meters. Conductivity provides a rapid estimation of the total dissolved solids or salinity, which is important in assessing the suitability of water for various uses. pH is a measure of whether a water is acidic, alkaline or neutral. Adjustment of pH is important for the control of corrosion and the optimisation of the disinfection process.
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Major Ions

The major ions present in water are tested. These include Cations: Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na) and Potassium (K) and Anions: Bicarbonate (HCO3-), Sulphate (SO4-), Fluoride (F-), Chloride (Cl-), Nitrate (NO3), Silica (SiO2), Bromide (Br-) and Iodide (I-). They are analysed using a range of equipment that include fully automated plasma emission spectrometers, computer controlled automatic flow analysers, automatic titration equipment and an ion chromatograph. The concentration of these ions has a significant effect on water quality and can influence important characteristics such as taste, hardness and corrosive tendency.
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Measerument of Organic Parameters

The measurement of organic matter in both water and wastewater using parameters such as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC).
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Metals

Over thirty metal analyses are available for testing including Arsenic (As), Aluminium (Al), Boron (B), Barium (Ba), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Mercury (Hg), Nickel (Ni), Selenium (Se) and Zinc (Zn). A plasma-mass spectrometer is used for the analysis of these and other metals, supplemented by the use of plasma emission spectrometers and automated atomic absorption spectrometers. The determination of metals in water is important for a number of reasons; for example the metals may be toxic to the environment or they may cause bad tastes or excessive colour.
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Nutrients - Phosphorous and Nitrogen

Nitrogen and Phosphorous are both essential nutrients for the growth of plants – including algae. Determining the various forms of Nitrogen and Phosphorous present in water assists in process control and can be used to assess the potential impacts of algae. Algae can cause undesirable tastes and odours in water. Nutrients are analysed using automatic flow analysers. Besides analytical work, an advisory service is available to assist in resolving problems associated with water and wastewater testing.
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