Environmental Laboratory
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Environment Laboratory
The County Council Environment Laboratories are located at Lissanalta House, Dooradoyle, Co. Limerick. The laboratory has developed from a one-person laboratory in the late 1970’s to automated chemistry and microbiology laboratories presently employing 10.5 persons. There are a wide variety and high volume of test methods carried out within the laboratories which have a full quality system in place using the ISO 17025 as the guide standard. The laboratories provide support to the Environment and Water Services Sections whilst constantly liaising with the HSE and EPA to ensure the best quality service is provided and any exceedances in drinking water are detected quickly and rectified accordingly.
Our Aim
Our aim, together with the mission statement of Limerick County Council; “to enhance the lives of the people of County Limerick through the efficient delivery of an accessible quality service”, is achieved, by monitoring the water quality and providing environmental protection within the county.
The priorities of the Laboratories are:
- Monitoring of both public water supplies and certain group water schemes to ensure strict compliance with water quality guidelines.
- Urban waste water treatment monitoring
- River catchment monitoring.
- Surface water for abstraction monitoring.
- Bathing waters monitoring.
- Pollution investigation sample analysis.
The legislation and guidance documents which ensure our work is carried out to the highest standard are as follows:
Legislation
- European Communities (Drinking Water) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 S.I. 278 of 2007 and Health (Fluoridation of Water Supplies) Act 1960
- Local Government (Water Pollution Acts 1977 and 1990)
- The European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2006, (S.I. No. 378 of 2006) and Phosphorous Regulations 1988
- EPA Act 1992
- The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations, 1994, 2001 & 2004
- S.I. No. 294/1989 — European Communities (Quality of Surface Water Intended For The Abstraction of Drinking Water) Regulations, 1989
- Water Framework Directive 2000
- Bathing Water Quality Regulations 2008
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