To contact Utilities General Maintenance, please call (727) 464-4000.

A Solid Foundation

The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory is a full-service laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation for the analysis of drinking water, wastewater, environmental surface and ground waters, biosolids, and sediments.

Serving the community for more than 30 years, the Pinellas County Laboratory is comprised of a unique team of highly skilled professionals with backgrounds in chemistry, biology, microbiology, and management.

Certified and inspected by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), and in compliance with the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation (NELAC) standards, all analytical work is performed by following specific methods developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the American Public Health Association, the Water Environment Federation, the American Water Works Association, and the Centers for Disease Control.

Mission Statement

The primary mission of the Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory is to aid in safeguarding the public health by analyzing water samples to:

Ensure that our drinking water is of good quality and safe to drink

Ensure that reuse water and wastewater treatment is sufficient to maintain safe levels of potential contaminants

Ensure that potential contaminants in surface and ground waters are below acceptable levels as determined by EPA and the State of Florida

To accomplish our mission, our laboratory provides the following services:

1. Provide reliable analytical data in a timely manner at a reasonable cost.
2. Provide interpretation of laboratory data, graphical representations of data, correlations with field and operations parameters, and sophisticated statistical analyses.
3. Serve as a technical resource for interpreting and influencing the development of the rules and regulations governing the monitoring and testing of our water supplies and our distribution system.
4. Make recommendations for drinking water, wastewater and reuse water treatment, wellfield protection, and the monitoring of the potable water distribution system and other water-related systems.
5. Answer water quality questions and handle customer comment referrals.
6. Provide training in field analyses and sampling techniques and protocols.
7. Provide water sampling service for customers and for research.
8. Conduct water quality research independently or in conjunction with the Health Department, the AWWA Research Foundation, academic universities, and private companies.
9. Provide the public with information regarding water quality through laboratory tours, special events, and the speaker's bureau.

Pinellas County Utilities' Number One Priority

It is of the utmost importance to the Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory to assure the public health and safety of our water supply. Meeting and exceeding the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act is an ongoing responsibility to provide the highest quality water at the lowest health risk.

The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory is currently certified in the following drinking water categories: primary inorganic contaminants, secondary inorganic contaminants, microbiology, synthetic organic contaminants, and unregulated contaminants (groups I, II, and III). The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory is fully staffed Monday through Friday, and is partially staffed, as needed, on weekends and holidays. An emergency call-out procedure is also in place to permit 24 hour a day access to laboratory personnel. Routine turnaround time on analyses is two weeks, with shorter turnaround times available depending on project requirements.

The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory supports the proper treatment and disposal of wastewater by providing data required for permit compliance, operational requirements, and the monitoring of environmental conditions. The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory is currently certified in the following environmental categories: metals, general chemistry, pesticides, herbicides, PCBs, extractable organics (GC/MS), purgeable organics (GC), and microbiology.

Customer Service

The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory provides full support for groundwater and surface water monitoring programs for the Pinellas County Utilities Solid Waste department. Analytical support is provided to other County departments, such as Environmental Management and Facility Management, as well as other government entities such as the City of Clearwater, Town of Belleair, and Safety Harbor. The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory also serves as a reference laboratory, and as an emergency backup laboratory, for the Pinellas County Health Unit.

In addition to analytical and technical support services, the Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory also provides specialized customer services, including water quality assessment services, project management, research project consultation, training, monitoring of industry innovations and regulatory decisions, identification of unknown substances, and laboratory audits. The Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory's quality assurance program ensures a complete understanding of the quality of data produced by the laboratory and the ability to coordinate Project Data Quality objectives (DQO's) with the appropriate laboratory method.

Research and Testing

Research is an important element to quality control. Increased knowledge of substances in our water supplies, and their health effects, have led to substantial improvements in the treatment and quality of water. Pinellas County personnel are an active part of this research effort. Skilled chemists, using the most modern and sophisticated laboratory equipment, conduct tests daily to identify organisms that may invade the water supply. Alternative sources of water are being thoroughly reviewed for potential impacts on water quality.

At the Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory, the wet chemistry, organic chemistry, metals, and microbiology sections analyze water samples for an extensive list of chemicals and bacteria. Water samples are collected at the wellfield, during the treatment process, throughout the distribution system, and in homes and businesses. Performing over 22,000 analyses per year, the Pinellas County Utilities Laboratory continuously tests all water to ensure compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements.