Water Testing

Island EHS consultants are trained to collect water samples, send them to an accredited lab, and report on the findings.

Drinking water (also called “potable water”) quality and safety is vital to health and wellness. Testing includes a full suite of testing for heavy metals (including lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and copper), and tests for coliforms/microbiological contaminants, including E. coli, total coliforms and fecal coliforms. Testing your water for lead is especially important if the building was built before 1975, the year the National Plumbing Code of Canada outlawed lead pipes.

If the quality of your water is a concern, an Island EHS Hygiene Technologist will collect samples from the site and send them for analysis, either in-house at our Victoria BC location or to an accredited third party. Once the analysis is complete, we produce a report with recommendations if there are any issues.

When to get your water tested:

• If your water is discoloured, or looks “foggy”
• If there are any strange odours
• If it tastes different than usual, or has always tasted strange
• If your fixtures are stained
• If you are expecting construction in your neighbourhood
• If you get your water from a well or private reservoir system
• If you are buying or selling a home
• If you are concerned about the effectiveness of your filtration system

Water testing could also be incorporated into an annual safety plan if you have an older building, if employees or the public regularly drink tap water, or if you are on a well system. Restaurants and public institutions such as schools, churches, rec centres and daycares should also have sampling done once per year to ensure water is clean and safe for users.

Lead in Water Testing

We are pleased to now offer lead in water testing in house at our Victoria location. For analysis, we use the EPA method recommended by the Health Canada Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. Our analysis can detect lead well below the regulatory limits for water, and return results as early as the next business day.

We use an ongoing internal and external Quality Control/Quality Assurance program to ensure that the results are correct.

Island EHS can conduct water testing on Vancouver Island, including Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, Comox and Campbell River, as well as the northern and southern Gulf Islands and Powell River. We also offer water sample collection from our Kamloops location, servicing the Interior of BC, as well as Vancouver, Surrey, the lower mainland, and the Fraser Valley. If you have any concerns about the quality of your water, please contact us for more information.