Council celebrates 20 years of NATA accreditation

Townsville City Council’s Townsville Laboratory Services has reached a significant milestone, celebrating 20 years of National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation last month.

The accreditation process is undertaken biannually and cements Townsville Laboratory Services’ reputation as one of the country’s leading laboratories.

Townsville Water and Waste Committee chairperson Russ Cook said Townsville Laboratory Services first gained NATA accreditation in 2002.

“NATA accreditation means results released by the laboratory are globally accepted. This is a badge of honour for one of our essential services, and I’m certain the team at Townsville Laboratory Services is celebrating this achievement which coincides with NATA’s 70th anniversary” Cr Cook said.

“Accreditation means the lab is allowed to provide testing to other councils as well as to residents and private companies. By commercialising our laboratory we’ve been able to fill a gap in the market in North Queensland. There is always a need for water and wastewater testing and we’re proud to be able to offer our services to external companies, residents, regional councils and environmental consultants.

“Our laboratory is also one of about 20 labs across the country that is accredited for the testing of PFAS contamination. We achieved this accreditation in 2019 and continue to run our own PFAS testing and to offer testing to the community.

“The scope of services that Townsville Laboratory Services offers continues to grow as additional needs are presented by Townsville locals and the wider North Queensland population.

“The Townsville Laboratory Services team has been praised in the NATA audit report, which demonstrates how valuable the individuals behind the scenes are in delivering outstanding results and maintaining the Services’ reputation.”

Anyone wanting to contact Townsville Laboratory Services can call 07 4727 8667 or email labenquiries@townsville.qld.gov.au.