Analysis of drinking water

There is probably no need to have long discussions about the fundamental importance of drinking water quality. It is clear that the analysis of drinking water mainly concerns safety.

Any above-limit biological, chemical, physical or radiological factor in water can endanger the health of water consumers or cause organoleptic (perceptible by the senses) water defects.

Microbial pollution can cause diarrheal diseases, high nitrate content in water can cause methemoglobinemia in infants (disruption of oxygen transfer in the body - suffocation), and high salt content (mainly chlorides) can be problematic for people with kidney disease and high blood pressure, etc.

According to Section 4 of Act No. 258/2000 Sb., on the Protection of Public Health, as amended, it is the duty of persons supplying drinking water for public consumption to ensure that the drinking water is analysed by a holder of the appropriate accreditation, including sampling.

You can also take a sample of drinking water for private purposes yourself. In this case, we will be happy to lend you the necessary sample containers free of charge.

The sample must be delivered to the laboratory for processing as soon as possible, preferably immediately after collection. If this is not possible, keep the sample in a refrigerator at a temperature of around 5°C, but no longer than for 24 hours.

WHO are our clients?

• Operators of water mains
• Producers and distributors of drinking water
• Hot water suppliers
• Operators of accommodation and catering facilities
• Natural persons - citizens
• Producers and distributors of packaged water

What do we offer?

We provide comprehensive physico-chemical and microbiological analyses of drinking water, including the determination of pesticide substances and radiological analysis, and also offer accredited water sampling.

We offer analyses required by legislation or analyses performed according to a client’s needs:

• Selective analysis of drinking water according to Decree No. 252/2004 Sb.
  • gives you the assurance you need about water quality from the microbiological and physico-chemical point of view
  • it is used for regular monitoring of water quality
  • it is used for submitting water analyses to public health protection authorities and for final building approvals
  • we ensure the transfer of the analysis results to the National Health Information System PiVo

• Comprehensive analysis of drinking water according to Decree No. 252/2004 Sb.
  • provides detailed information on water quality, including the determination of inorganic and organic pollutants (contaminants) such as heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (products of the incomplete combustion of solid fuels, they are often carcinogenic substances), volatile organic substances (trihalomethanes, tri and tetrachloroethylene), by-products of disinfection (bromates, chlorites, chlorates), etc.
  • it is used mainly for the initial determination of the quality of a new source of drinking water
  • it is used for regular monitoring of water quality in areas that supply public drinking water
  • it is used for submitting water analyses to public health protection authorities and for final building approvals
  • we ensure the transfer of the analysis results to the National Health Information System PiVo

• Analysis of the correlative sample
  • concerns the operators of water treatment plants and the water supply network; it is mandatory from April 2018, and the results are transferred to the PiVo system
  • Comprehensive analysis consists of two samplings (with a maximum interval of seven working days): one sampling on the network and one sampling at the exit from the treatment plant (or before entering the network). When choosing parameters, proceed according to Decree No. 252/2004 Sb.; if the operator of the treatment plant (water producer) and the network is the same, a larger range on the network and a smaller one at the exit from the treatment plant is preferred.

• Analysis of water from a private well
  • will provide information on the quality and the possible use of the well/borehole water for drinking, cooking, irrigation or as utility water. It is carried out within the scope of selective analysis according to Decree No. 252/2004 Sb. or just for the determination of selected indicators. It is advisable to complete the analysis by determining the hardness of the water (due to the encrustation of household appliances and their correct setting or maintenance).
  • Suppose the water from your well does not have the required quality. In that case, we will help you find a solution (identification and elimination of the source of pollution, technical solution and protection of the well, a suitable water treatment plant, etc.).
• Analysis of water for final building approval is carried out within the scope of selective analysis according to Decree No. 252/2004 Sb.
• Analysis of hot water
  • the source for hot water production can be the supplied drinking water or an individual source.
  • threshold limit values apply to medical and accommodation facilities and hot water supplied to showers in swimming pools or natural lidos; special threshold limits for Legionella spp. apply to hospital departments where immunocompromised patients are placed, such as transplant, pre-term, anaesthesia and resuscitation, dialysis, oncology, haemato-oncology and intensive care units.

• Analysis of water from dispensers
• Radiological analysis of drinking water -is carried out according to a special regulation (Decree No. 422/2016 Sb., on radiation protection and the security of a radionuclide source).

• Analysis of raw and produced drinking water
  • the source for the production of drinking water can be underground or surface water,
  • sampling and analyses of raw water samples for the purpose of its inclusion in the category is carried out according to a special regulation (Decree No. 428/2001 Sb., implementing Act No. 274/2001 Sb., on Water Supply and Sewerage Systems for Public Use and amending certain other Acts (Act on Water Supply and Sewerage, as amended)).
  • sampling and analyses of produced (treated) drinking water are governed by Decree No. 252/2004 Sb.

• Analysis of packaged water – according to special regulations
  • bottled natural mineral water, bottled spring water and bottled baby water - according to Decree No. 275/2004 Sb., on the quality and safety requirements for packaged water and on the method of their treatment, as amended

LEGISLATION

• Act on the Protection of Public Health No. 258/2000 Sb., as amended
• The sampling and analysis of drinking water are governed by Decree of the Ministry of Health No. 252/2004 Sb., as amended. This Decree specifies parameters, their threshold limit values, ranges and frequencies of determination.
• The result of the analysis is recorded in the Test Report with a statement of all the results found and a comparison with the hygiene limits given in Decree No. 252/2004 Sb.