Microbiological Examination Of Water

Testing for Micro-Organisms

public pool Staffordshire Scientific Services can test drinking water and swimming pools to detect contamination with micro-organisms. We can also analyse chemicals in swimming pools.

Microbiological examination of drinking waters

e-coli It is very important to ensure that drinking water is not contaminated with micro-organisms. We determine whether there is possible contamination of water with agents that might cause illness or disease by checking whether there are increased levels of faecal coliforms.

We measure the total colony count and levels of total and faecal coliforms present in water for comparison against the appropriate Regulations.

Please ask us if you would like further explanation of your test results.

Regulations

Various Regulations control the microbiological safety of water for human consumption: The Natural Mineral Water, Springwater and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations 1999, The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 and The Private Water Supplies Regulations 1991.

You can download a PDF containing the guidelines for microbiological examination of drinking water below:

Microbiological examination of bathing waters

pool ripples Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Pool Managers are required to ensure the health and safety of employees and others who use their pools.

For the health and safety of members of the public, monitoring of the chemical and bacteriological quality of swimming bath water should be undertaken routinely either at the poolside or by laboratory analysis. A variety of disinfectant chemicals and methods of treatment are used at swimming pools and we offer an analytical service for operational control and problem-solving in the event of complaints from the public or treatment failure.

Typical difficulties include:

Complaints of eye and skin irritations due to over-chlorination
Poor bacteriological quality due to under-chlorination
Cloudy water
Damage to lining of the pool
Corrosion or limescale disposition in plant

Serious illnesses can be caused by poor pool management

In addition to monitoring the effectiveness of the disinfectant systems, the laboratory reports on the poor water balance (Langelier Saturation Index).

Staffordshire Scientific Services can verify the microbiological quality of water, to ensure that it conforms to published standards.

Standards

Various publications give guidance on standards to be applied: the Pool Water Treatment and Advisory Group has published ‘Swimming Pool Water Treatment and Quality Standards’, which defines microbiological criteria for swimming pools and the Public Health Laboratory Service has published guidance on hygiene for spa pools and hydrotherapy pools. A summary of the recommendations from these publications can be downloaded as a PDF below:

In Services:

Our Credentials

Staffordshire Scientific Services is an efficient and reliable scientific service offering testing and analysis, advice and support to customers in the public and private sector.

We have two Public Analysts, twenty well-qualified, experienced staff, based in our Stafford laboratory which is accredited to UKAS Quality Standard ISO/IEC 17025 and is an Official UK Food Enforcement Laboratory.

View UKAS accreditation schedule for Staffordshire.

Getting In Touch

Staffordshire Scientific Services
14 Martin Street
Stafford ST16 2LG

T: 01785 277 825 F: 01785 277 812Email: county.analysts@staffordshire.gov.uk

Staffordshire County Council website