Our Services

The Coffs Harbour Laboratory is a NATA accredited market leader in providing chemical and microbiological analysis of drinking water, effluents, bore water, tank water, pools and environmental waters.

We monitor a wide range of water, wastewater, food and soil samples providing high quality analytical results to local councils, government departments, oyster growers, developers, business and residential clients

The Coffs Harbour Laboratory conducts a range of different services including:

  • Environmental pollution analysis
  • Water quality and algal identification in bores, tanks, springs, rivers, creeks and reservoirs
  • Commercial and private swimming pool water analysis
  • Soil samples from agriculture, building sites, contaminated sites and domestic gardens
  • Acid sulphate soil
  • Surveys of storm water and river ways
  • Oyster Lease Monitoring (Biotoxin and E.coli)
  • Effluent monitoring and sewage process control
  • Pesticide residue detection in food, soil and water
  • Trade waste sampling and testing

Our Analysis

We use the latest equipment to provide rapid, reliable and accurate testing of water, both potable and non-potable, biosolids, sediment, soils and seafood products such as oysters, pipies and fish meat.

 Typical analyses include:

Microbiology  Coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms and E. coli, Enterococci, heterotrophic plate count, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, algae and chlorophyll
Algae  Identification (Including toxic blue green), predominant genera, full counts, chlorophyll, biomass estimation
Water supply Analysis pH, conductivity, alkalinity, colour, turbidity, nutrients, metals, disinfection by-products, taste and odour compounds, hardness, chloride, fluoride and microbiology
Waste Water Analysis pH, conductivity, alkalinity, colour, turbidity, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), TOC, suspended, dissolved and total solids, oil and grease, volatile acids, biosolids, metals, coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms
Pool Analysis pH, alkalinity, chlorine (free/total), E.coli, heterotrophic plate count, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Tank or bore water Analysis Water microbiology, general chemistry, nutrients and metals
Environmental Analysis  pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphate, BOD, faecal coliforms.
Onsite Domestic Sewage Treatment Systems or
Aerated Waste Water Treatment System
 Thermotolerant coliforms, suspended solids, BOD
Soil Analysis  General chemistry, nitrogen, phosphorous, metal, acid sulphate soil, pesticides – THM, BTEX
Food Analysis

(Oyster, pipi, fish meat)

E.coli, Biotoxin, Total Plate Count (TPC)
Dust Monitoring  Volatile suspended solids, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids.
Irrigation Suitability Nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulphate, sodium absorption ration, aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, zinc, pH, TDS and conductivity.
Agricultural Stock Use pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, metal scan, faecal coliforms.

We offer our clients:

  • Personalised customer service. We work with you to conduct the right assessment of tests you need.
  • Highly skilled and experienced staff.
  • Comprehensive range of chemical and biological testing for soil and water.
  • Competitive rates and prices.

Operating for 25 years, our management and staff have a strong commitment to quality assurance, complying with national and international guidelines, and continually strive to provide exceptional customer service.

Quality Assurance

The Coffs Harbour Laboratory recognises the importance of data reliability. It has a comprehensive quality management system in place to ensure that levels of service meet or exceed national and international benchmarks for good lab practice.

The laboratory participates and utilises a number of different quality control measures such as:

  1. Inter-laboratory comparison programs
  2. Proficiency Testing programs

The inter-laboratory and proficiency testing quality control programs are designed to compare various analytical methods of testing used by different laboratories result in the same outcome.

Accreditation

The Coffs Harbour Laboratory gained National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation in 1997 for:

  • Chemical (accreditation number 12359)
  • Microbiological (accreditation number 14565)

A laboratory quality manual is essential for NATA accreditation. This document states how all procedures in the laboratory are performed, the services provided and details of staff. Most clients especially government departments require analysis to be conducted in a NATA registered facility.