Pickering residents who turn on the tap rarely think about what happens next — but behind the scenes, a regional laboratory is testing that water to confirm it meets provincial safety standards.
The York-Durham Regional Environmental Laboratory (REL), jointly owned and operated by York and Durham Regions, provides a range of analytical services for municipal drinking water, wastewater and industrial monitoring programs, according to the Region of Durham.
The facility is accredited by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 and licensed by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
A scientific link to the community
Charu Aggarwal, a laboratory technician in the lab's Organics Department, told the Region of Durham that the work goes far beyond feeding samples into machines.
The testing done at the lab serves as an important scientific link between water treatment operations, environmental protection and the communities we serve, says Charu.
For municipal drinking water, the laboratory analyzes samples collected throughout the treatment process and the distribution system. Those results help verify that drinking water meets provincial standards and give municipal water teams information they need to keep systems running properly.
Wastewater testing is equally important, the Region said. Because sewage contains a complex mix of substances from homes, businesses and industries, analyzing samples at different treatment stages lets operators gauge how well pollutants are being removed and whether adjustments are needed.
The lab also handles environmental samples — groundwater, surface water, stormwater and industrial wastewater — to support monitoring programs and pinpoint possible contamination sources.
From cooler to report
Each sample begins its journey with a documentation review by the lab administration team, since chemical and biological characteristics can change after collection if samples aren't handled properly.
Samples are then logged into a laboratory information management system, assigned a unique identifier, and stored in a walk-in fridge until analysis begins within acceptable hold times. Some samples need extraction or preservation first; others go straight into specialized instruments. Quality control checks, data reviews and verification steps run throughout before results are released.
Every step is important because the people using our results need to be able to trust the information we are providing, says Charu.
The REL's staff come from scientific backgrounds including chemistry, microbiology and environmental science. Inorganic chemistry analysts measure nutrients and solids; organic chemistry analysts, including Charu, identify organic compounds at trace concentrations; and microbiology analysts detect micro-organisms that can signal contamination.
I think what might surprise residents is how much testing happens behind the scenes and how sensitive our equipment really is, says Charu.
Some instruments can detect contaminants at concentrations as small as parts per billion — roughly equivalent to finding a single drop of water in a large backyard swimming pool.
Residents can learn more about how Durham treats and distributes drinking water at durham.ca/water, according to the Region of Durham.
