Following another successful audit by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, Water Authority – Cayman Laboratory‘s ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation was recently renewed.

The Laboratory has maintained its accreditation since 2002, when it became the first laboratory in the Caribbean specialising in water and wastewater analysis to be internationally accredited by the A2LA. The Laboratory carries out quality control testing of the Authority’s potable water supplies and the treated effluent of the wastewater treatment plant. It also provides testing services to Government agencies, the private sector, and the general public.

The A2LA accreditation was approved until November 2019, following which the Authority will undergo another external audit to continue the accreditation.

Laboratory Manager Marcela Martinez-Ebanks explained that the Laboratory undergoes internal audits each year and external audits every two years to maintain its international accreditation.

“The renewal of the accreditation for another two years provides me with a sense of external validation for the hard work that the Lab staff put in every single day,” Ms. Martinez-Ebanks said. “It indicates that the quality of our work can stand up to peer review.”

The Laboratory team works diligently to ensure that the tap water produced by the Authority is safe to drink.

The Laboratory’s accreditation was expanded in 2014 to ensure reliable testing of nutrients in wastewater samples. As of November 2014, the Laboratory‘s accreditation includes nutrient-related parameters (nitrogen and phosphorous) such as TON (Total Oxidized Nitrogen), Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, TN (Total Nitrogen), SRP (Soluble Reactive Phosphorous) and TP (Total Phosphorous) and Silica. The Authority is in the early stages of exploring the possibility of expanding the accreditation further.

“It is anticipated that, if added, these parameters would become part of our scope in 2021,” Ms. Martinez-Ebanks explained.

The Laboratory’s certificate of accreditation (A2LA certificate number 1931.01) may be viewed on the Authority’s website here.

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The Water Authority is the statutory body responsible for the management of water and wastewater in the Cayman Islands. The Administrative Headquarters is located at 13G Red Gate Road, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.