Testing times

Severn Trent Laboratories have set out to offer the most comprehensive environmental testing service in the UK. With a raft of new water quality regulation this year, we look at what that means for the company and their customers.

Severn Trent Laboratories (STL) came into being towards the end of the eighties, with the privatisation of Severn Trent Water. As an integral part of the resulting Severn Trent Services, they have spread their wings beyond their original localised base, and now have a network of five laboratories and two service centres across the UK. The laboratories are extensively equipped and have highly trained teams dedicated to their particular field of analysis. The network is supported by a sophisticated logistics department who manage the collection and delivery of samples and sample containers between STL and customer sites.

With water high on the agenda this year, STL are pleased to announce the opening of their newest water testing laboratory in Wakefield. The new site will employ around 100 staff and give the company a vital hub for their operations in the Northeast, especially crucial in delivering STL’s recently signed major testing contract with Yorkshire Water.

Rachel Henton, MD, says: “This will be a real flagship base for us, and will give us three full size laboratories for testing water quality. The new lab is likely to have a strong focus on water analysis, and will work as a hub where samples can be brought and either tested, or moved to whichever of our other facilities may be most appropriate. It’s been a challenge, with some tight deadlines, to get the new facility up and running, but we’ve risen to that and have hit our target for an April opening. The new facility will give us a much better geographical base for picking up samples in an increasingly busy area of activity for us, and give us much greater business resilience in the process.”

With the slowdown in construction and development having led to a slowdown in the soil side of its testing operation, water has proved a vital string to STL’s bow over the last couple of years, and it is determined to keep up with the latest developments to keep ahead of the game. STL are already in the process of developing on-site testing technology for its water customers to sit alongside the technology it already has on the soil side.

This means that when an area of site has been tested and cleared, work can be started immediately while another area of the site is tested, rather than waiting for samples to be shipped to a laboratory, tested, and the results returned. This in turn leads to less downtime on site with all the attendant time and economic benefits.

STL are also in the process of applying for MCERTS accreditation. This new accreditation, which is already in place for soil and air quality monitoring, begins for water in June. All the laboratories that are seeking the accreditation are currently going through the application process so that accreditation can be given to all simultaneously, avoiding any competitive advantage. The accreditation is not compulsory, but Henton is convinced customers will demand it once it comes into play: “It’s quite a step up from the existing legislation,” she says. “But it gives added assurance of the quality of testing. Achieving the accreditation is quite demanding on the laboratory, but we’re convinced customers will want the extra quality and consistency that will come from an MCERTS accredited lab.”

Local authorities in particular will be interested to know that STL are more than prepared for the recent Private Water Supply Regulations, which came into force in England in January. These make authorities responsible for ensuring the quality of water used in private supplies, for example to farmhouses or campsites, based on the volume of water used or number of people using it.

STL offer focused analytical and support services for environmental monitoring purposes. They are proud of their expert position, providing quality, environmental analysis so customers can be reassured from the smallest standpipe to the biggest urban development, results will be accurate, up to date and thoroughly independent.

STL offer analysis for all aspects of the water cycle, the waste process, contaminated land testing, landfill assessment, asbestos monitoring, emissions and effluent measurement and microbiological investigations.