Johannesburg Water takes media on a tour of their Cydna Laboratory in Houghton

Johannesburg Water invited the media on a tour of its Cydna Laboratory in Houghton on April 21.

The laboratory is a hub for the quality control of water in the city. This is where water quality tests for potable and effluent water are conducted. The purpose of the tour was to provide members of the media with first-hand experience on how the city’s water was treated and processed. Also, how wastewater was purified to make it potable before being sent back to the mainstream system for consumption, ensuring its world-class quality.

The lab support manager Amanda Nkomo explained, “The main functions of the lab is to solely conduct tests and analysis and the support function wing is for procurement and supply chain processes. Another section deals with measurements, where after we’ve taken the samples, we assign them with a unique number in the system throughout its lifecycle until reports are issued onto websites and other necessary platforms.”

Nkomo added Johannesburg Water was mandated to provide clean and safe drinking water that meets the high-quality requirements of the South African National Standard 241 drinking water specification.

Cydna Laboratory is staffed by highly qualified scientists and chemists with experience in a wide range of chemical, physical and microbiological analyses.

Tests include the analysis of:

1) Drinking Water
2) Wastewater and treated wastewater
3) Industrial effluents
4) Surface water
5) Groundwater.

Tests performed at the Cydna Laboratory are as follows:

-> Physical determinants
-> Organic compounds
-> Mineral compounds
-> Microbiological tests
-> Trace elements.

Through these tests and constant monitoring, the water utility can respond quickly to any water quality problems and assure the public that every drop that passes through the water network daily is well within the South African Bureau of Standards for drinking water.