Water Quality Laboratory
The NamWater Laboratory in Windhoek offers accurate water quality analysis to customers and the public.
Water Quality Services
The NamWater Laboratory in Windhoek has qualified experts and modern equipment to provide prompt water quality analysis on request. Members of the public are welcome to ask about the quality of the water they use.
Analytical Services
The laboratory analyses drinking water, industrial water, borehole water and wastewater, as well as other samples such as algae (identification and counting), charcoal and soil.
Main Analyses
- Physical determinants
- Organic compounds
- Inorganic compounds
- Metals
- Biological analyses
- Microbiological analyses
A microbiology laboratory in Oshakati serves clients in the north.
Equipment
- Gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC/MS): determines organic compounds such as trihalomethanes and taste and odour compounds, for example geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol.
- Inductively coupled plasma (ICP): analyses a wide range of metals such as iron, manganese, copper, cadmium, zinc, lead, boron, mercury, selenium and aluminium.
- Automatic flow analyser: measures inorganic compounds such as chlorides, sulphates, nitrates, nitrites and silica at the same time.
- UV/VIS spectrophotometer: performs spectrophotometric analyses such as chlorophyll.
A range of other equipment and techniques is used for microbiological and chemical analyses to make sure water is safe to drink.
Quality Assurance
All analytical services are controlled through quality control and quality assurance processes. Methods and systems are checked regularly for accuracy, precision and reproducibility against certified standards and through proficiency schemes, and Analytical Quality Control (AQC) procedures are applied to every method.
Our methods are based on nationally and internationally accepted procedures, including those of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF).
The laboratory takes part in the SABS proficiency testing programme with excellent results and is the proficiency testing provider for the SADC region. Its standards are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and it uses equipment and chemicals made to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) requirements.
Our People
Our laboratories are staffed by highly trained technicians with strong, multi-skilled technical backgrounds and high professional standards. Many are registered Professional Natural Scientists with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions.
Scientific Excellence
We are committed to a quality scientific service. We take each sample through the complexities of analysis and back to the simplicity of an easily understood report, and we communicate directly with our clients. Enquiries about analyses outside the field of water are welcome.