Food & Health Standards (2006) Limited

• Assessing and evaluating drinking water for communities, private, farm and food industry supplies. Public health assessments are made and include supply sources and reticulation systems.
• The design and implementation of water quality monitoring systems.
• Collection of samples for analysis.
• The analysis of drinking water at one of Food and Health Standard’s accredited and Ministry of Health approved Colilert water testing laboratories and associated laboratories.
• Arranging for physical, chemical and micro-biological analysis of water and interpretation of results.
• Working with councils and land-occupiers to identify the cause of failed drinking water results, and to provide practical solutions to remedy the solution.

Food and Health Standards provides environmental monitoring services, which include:

• Monitoring of oxidation ponds, sewage effluent discharge, sludge sites, refuse sites, storm water and trade waste.
• Design and implementation of routine monitoring programmes in accordance with resource consent for local authorities, private organisations and other individuals.
• Collation and reporting of results.

Food and Health Standards (2006) Ltd has considerable experience and expertise in the design, operation and audit of environmental monitoring programmes particularly in the areas of:

• Sewage treatment
• Effluent discharge
• Refuse site leachate
• Drinking water
• Recreational waters
• Marine shellfish – gathering waters

Environmental Monitoring Experience

Food & Health Standards (2006) carries out drinking water monitoring contracts for many local District Councils and numerous private community supply operators, thus ensuring safe and potable water is provided to its consumers.

The microbiological monitoring contracts have involved their design, all aspects associated with the integrity of the sample collection chain, sample collection, sample transfer, interpretation of results, reporting results (by phone, e-mail, fax and computer disk), collation and statistical data formulation of results, trouble-shooting, public health corrective actions, programme review, auditing systems and training.

There are currently some 120 Council-operated community supplies that are routinely monitored by Food and Health Standards. These comprise of surface and ground water sources and distribution zones (including water storage reservoirs and treatment systems, and property reticulation).

Food & Health Standards (2006) Ltd also provides rapid test analysis for supplies administered by five Councils. The Christchurch laboratory has historically been audited by IANZ for compliance with ISO17025 and is included in the National Register of Ministry of Health approved laboratories for microbiological analysis of drinking water.

Administration of routine (weekly and monthly) monitoring programmes for compliance with the respective resource consents for nine oxidation ponds and the Company also undertakes receiving waters associated with three districts.

The monitoring programmes involve site assessments, sample collection, sample transfer and storage, laboratory analysis, interpretation of results and statistical electronic reporting. This service integrates with, and is overseen by the Environmental Health Officers.

WATER TESTING LABORATORY AND WINZ DATABASE

The Company operates an approved water-testing laboratory in Christchurch. Recently it has entered into an agreement with Agriquality New Zealand Limited to undertake enumeration method testing for all water supply samples taken in all districts. This provides a further enhanced service to Councils.

The drinking water monitoring programmes for Local Authorities are closely linked and integrated with the environmental health services for these districts. This includes the assessment of the water supplies and corrective action follow up in respect of transgression (failed results). This procedure is well documented and forms part of the IANZ Third Party Audit of the laboratory.

The WINZ database is installed at Food and Health Standards (2006) Ltd who are the principal users and maintainer of the information for each council. This also links with the Environmental Health Officers’ involvement.