Sunshine & Cooloola Water Analysis

Proudly a local laboratory supporting the Sunshine and Cooloola Coast community, with experienced, professional,

affordable and timely water analysis, from Maroochydore, to Nambour, Melany, North to Yandina, Peregian Beach to Noosa, Doonan, Cooroibah, Tinbeerwah, Cooroy, Pomona, Kin Kin to Federal and Gympie.

Water analysis includes Thermotolerant Coliforms (E.coli, Total Coliforms, Faecal Coliforms), and chemistry, depending on the water source and intended use.   Sampling at your property is free if on the Sunshine or Cooloola Coast, otherwise or alternatively, postage of a bottle kit, or sample pickup can be arranged.  Report is emailed, usually in 2 days or up to a week during busier times, including December.

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With 20+ years experience working in local council laboratories, the changing landscape of local government mergers, and finally Unitywater, I personally witnessed a need for a more efficient, local water testing service on the Sunshine Coast, especially for those customers on tank and bore water.  I've put together a list of testing suites most suitable for rainwater tanks and bore/ground waters, and compare the analysis with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG), and/or the Water Quality Guidelines for irrigation and livestock.  Refer to the QLD Health Fact Sheets for more info on Guidance on use of Rainwater tanks, and Safe water on rural properties.  If you would like to know the water quality of your own supply then I can help identify any potential water quality issues so you can make a more informed decision as part of your risk management for drinking, domestic or irrigation use.

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Sampling & Analytical Services

Most of our lab water quality testing is for domestic, irrigation, drinking water quality testing on Tank and Bore/Ground water.  Sampling is conducted with reference to AS ISO/IEC 17025 - 2018: General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories'.  Analytical Services' page has a list of analysis testing suites most suitable for rainwater tanks and bore.  Quality Control (QC) checks and analytical methods follow good laboratory practices and procedures. Reports are compared with the current guidelines.  Our point of difference is an interpretation of results, rather than the popular reporting of numbers with little or no comparison with any guidelines and/or real world applications.  

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Infections and Parasites (Microbiology)
Why do municipal drinking water suppliers enumerate E. coli?

Microbial quality of drinking water is commonly measured by testing for Escherichia coli (E. coli), as indicators of faecal contamination and the possible presence of enteric pathogens and other disease causing micro-organisms, including but not limited to; Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio and Yersinia.  The ADWG states that 'E. Coli should not be detected in a 100 mL sample of drinking water, and if detected, immediate action should be taken to identify potential sources of faecal contamination'.  It is impossible to test for every type of potential disease causing organism in a water sample. Instead, drinking water suppliers test for an indicator organism, such as E. coli, to check for possible contamination.  We perform microbial analysis for detecting and enumerating E. coli using the latest Australian Standard (AS 4276.5:2019 ).  

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Chemistry

There are many water testing parameters we can analyse, but analysing for every mineral/element may be cost prohibitive and not necessary for your intended use.  Therefore we can target an informed selection of the most problematic elements depending on the intended use.  

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As previously mentioned, we will compare the analytical results with the ADWG or for Irrigation and livestock use. Heavy metals including Arsenic, Lead, Fluoride, Copper and Aluminium, can be a leaching contaminant from industrial and agricultural activity most applicable to bore/ground water.  Rain water from the roof (tank water) are limited to less potential heavy metal contamination and include Lead, Nickel, Copper and Zinc.  With regards to ground water (bore), Manganese (Mn) deposits black residual staining and reacts strongly with chlorine causing increased staining, as would be the case if topping up a pool.  This is why Mn is closely monitored by municipal drinking water suppliers aiming for <0.01 mg/L.  Pumping Bore water high in Fe and Mn to a holding tank is advisable and allows at least aeration (atmospheric reaction) to precipitate mostly Fe.  Moreover, any pH correction, with perhaps 'Calcite', soda ash or other suitable treatment, can be done most efficiently prior to use.  Alternatively, a very efficient suitable filter is required for direct plumbing, straight out of the ground.