Four modern ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories make up the entity’s Laboratory Services. They are Chemistry, Microbiology, Hydrobiology and Soil Chemistry Testing, all with a long-established reputation of meeting international standards. Highly-skilled and dedicated scientists, technicians and laboratory support staff, utilising modern analytical techniques enable this facility to provide a worldclass service 365 days a year.

During the finacial year, the laboratory supported core business activities through:

• Providing assurance that the entity produces potable water that complies with drinking water standards;
• Assuring that treated effluent complies with wastewater and effluent discharge limits;
• Assuring, via the above, public health protection from waterborne diseases and water-related health impacts;
• Undertaking research and development and generation of scientific data for new infrastructure developments;
• Supporting water treatment for process selection and optimisation;
• Undertaking catchment and river health monitoring to assess the status of water resources and quality of raw water supply;
• Immediate provision of early warnings and alerts to stakeholders when a breach of quality standards is detected and ensuring that the incident-management protocol is followed to contain and remedy the breach.
• Maintaining analytical results database which allows all uMngeniuThukela Water users access to over 30-years of test results for trend forecasting.

This is critical for construction of dams, water and wastewater treatment works and other capital projects. Water samples from the entire supply system (catchment to consumer) are collected by a team of dedicated well-trained sampling officers daily throughout uMngeni-uThukela Water’s operational area, and are assessed in terms of physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics, as per SANS 241 standard requirements. The sampling activities are also governed and guided by ISO/IEC 9001 certification standard, which they have to conform to.

The analytical results are produced within specified times that form part of Service Level Agreements with end users. Supported by LabWare Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), water quality results are captured, validated, stored and reported timeously. Laboratory Services generates 20 000 to 30 000 analytical results per month from its four accredited laboratories, split as follows: Chemistry, approximately 20 000; Microbiology, 5 000; Hydrobiology, 500 and Soil Chemistry, 100. The laboratories generated about 323 830 test results in this financial year. Direct access to the results is also provided to external users via the Electronic Water Quality Management System (eWQMS), the IRIS Blue Drop System (BDS) and the IRIS Green Drop System (GDS).

In addition to assuring the quality of bulk water produced, Laboratory Services provides water testing and sampling services to municipalities and various private sector clients. This valuable service supports and assists municipalities to improve their IRIS Blue and Green Drop compliance.

As an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, uMngeni-uThukela Water laboratory has to constantly keep up with the requirements of the standard, in order to maintain its accreditation status against the ISO 17025: 2017 Management System. As such, Laboratory Services has successfully retain its ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accreditation status after SANAS completed the re-assessment evaluation on the 18th and 19th May 2023 with the clearance of all six (6) non-conformances recorded for the Laboratory Management System with a minimum 75% of the laboratory’s Chemistry Scope of Accreditation which includes methods and technical signatories. This Certification of Accreditation shall be valid for the next five (5) years considering successful SANAS survelliance assessments every 18 to 24 months, to ensure major efforts and commitments to the standard, thus achieving and enhancing customer and stakeholder quality assurance.

The Microbiology and Hydrobiology laboratory voluntary suspended all the accredited methods of the two (2) laboratorories. The suspension was implemented from the 01st May 2023. These methods were affected due to the facility undergoing planned refurbishment activities which have an impact on the environmental conditions within the laboratory. The refurbiahment is scheduled for a period of six to eight months. The laboratory remains committed to providing ongoing services under these conditions and shall assure continued quality, credibility and reliability of test results produced.

uMngeni-uThukela Water will increase revenue streams by deploying responsive water and related solutions to the market using its intellectual capacity to minimize its heavy reliance on the tariff as a main source of revenue.