Private & Off-Grid Supply

Drinking water testing for premises that supply their own water

For accommodation and food premises that supply their own water — caravan parks, resorts, cafés, restaurants and food producers on tank, bore or surface supply. Coordinated sampling, NATA-accredited analysis, and a report written against the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

  • NATA-accredited laboratory analysis
  • You sample, or we attend
  • Results benchmarked against the ADWG
  • Built for multi-tank sites

If you supply drinking water — or use it in food — it needs to be managed

Premises that supply drinking water to guests, staff or residents — rather than drawing from a town main — are generally expected to manage that water against the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and many are expected to maintain a quality assurance program. Routine monitoring is the evidence that underpins it.

Food businesses carry a parallel duty: water used to prepare food, make ice or serve to customers must be fit for human consumption under food-safety law. If your café, kitchen or production facility runs on a private supply, that water is in scope — and a single monitoring program can cover both obligations.

We characterise your water against the ADWG and the relevant food-safety criteria and provide the data that supports your records — we don't certify compliance. Confirm your specific obligations with your local council, public health unit or food authority.

Who we work with

Premises on their own water supply

If your drinking water comes from a tank, bore or surface source instead of a reticulated town main, it sits outside the utility's monitoring — which makes it yours to manage.

Accommodation

Caravan & holiday parks

Multiple tanks supplying drinking water to guests, often on rainwater catchment with shared roof and plumbing materials.

Eco-resorts, glamping & retreats

Off-grid stays where the water supply is part of the experience — and part of the duty of care to guests.

Farm-stays, lodges & camps

Tank or bore supply serving guests and visitors, where surrounding land use can influence what ends up in the water.

Food & hospitality

Cafés & restaurants

Water in drinking glasses, ice, coffee and food prep — held to a food-safety standard, not just a household one.

Food production & manufacturing

Where water is an ingredient or used in processing and cleaning, often at rural facilities on bore or tank supply.

Commercial kitchens & venues

Function centres, clubs, breweries and catering kitchens serving the public from a private water source.

How sampling works

Three ways to get your samples to the lab

The analysis is the same either way — the difference is who collects, and how defensible the result needs to be. We'll recommend the right level for what you're using the data for.

Most cost-effective

Option 01

You sample, we coordinate

We supply the bottles, a site-specific sampling plan and chain-of-custody paperwork. Your team collects, and we arrange chilled courier to the laboratory. The best-value option for routine monitoring across many tanks.

Best for ongoing monitoring

Option 02

You deliver

The same coordinated kit and plan — you drop the samples at the laboratory yourself. The lowest-cost route when you're within easy reach of a lab and can deliver inside holding times.

Best for lowest cost near a lab

Option 03

We attend

A technician collects every sample to full chain-of-custody standard. The most defensible option where results need to stand up to a regulator or auditor.

Best for a compliance-grade record

Microbiological samples are time-sensitive — they have to reach the laboratory within a set holding time to stay valid. Whichever option you choose, we design the collection day and logistics around those windows so your results hold up.

What you receive

More than a page of numbers

A site-specific sampling plan

Scoped to your tanks, outlets and supply source — so you test what matters and skip what doesn't.

NATA-accredited analysis

The same laboratory standard used for regulated drinking water supplies.

An interpreted report, not just a certificate

Every point benchmarked against the ADWG in plain English and reviewed by an environmental scientist — the document that supports your records.

Built for multi-point sites

Every tank or outlet reported as its own result, and priced per point so you can see exactly what you're paying for.

Designed around your site

Test a whole site without paying for redundancy

A site with twenty or thirty tanks rarely needs the full panel on every one. Microbiological contamination is local, so we test it where people actually draw water. Chemical characteristics are driven by shared materials — roofs, tanks and fittings — so we test those across a representative set. You meet the requirement without paying for analysis you don't need.

MicrobiologyEvery draw point
Chemistry & metalsRepresentative set
PricingPer point

An illustration of how a plan is structured — your scope is set to your site and source.

The process

From enquiry to report

01

Tell us about your site

How many tanks and outlets, your supply source, and what you need the result for.

02

We scope a plan & quote

A sampling design matched to your site, with a clear per-point price and no surprises.

03

Collected & analysed

Samples collected by your team or ours, then analysed at our NATA-accredited laboratory.

04

You receive your report

An interpreted result against the ADWG, reviewed by an environmental scientist, ready for your records.

Where we work

Built for regional and remote sites

Because samples can be collected by your team and couriered, we're not limited to capital cities. Every plan is designed around the laboratory holding times that keep your results valid — so distance from a lab becomes a logistics question, not a barrier.

Check coverage for your site

Get started

Request a sampling plan for your site

Tell us about your premises and what you need the result for, and we'll scope a plan and a fixed, per-point quote.

Questions

What sites ask us

Do we have to test every tank?
No. We design a plan that tests microbiology where water is drawn and chemistry across a representative set of tanks, so you meet the requirement cost-effectively rather than running the full panel on every store.
Can our own staff collect the samples?
Yes. We supply the bottles, a step-by-step sampling plan and chain-of-custody paperwork, and arrange the courier to the laboratory. Where a result needs to stand up to a regulator or auditor, we can also attend and collect to full chain-of-custody standard.
How is your report different from a lab certificate?
A certificate of analysis is a table of numbers against detection limits. Our report interprets every result against the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines in plain English and is reviewed by an environmental scientist — it's the document that actually supports your records, not just raw data you have to interpret yourself.
Do you offer ongoing monitoring?
Yes. Most private supplies benefit from a routine schedule, and recurring rounds are quicker and more cost-effective once your sampling plan is established.
What do you test for?
A typical private-supply starting point covers E. coli and coliforms, a metals panel, nutrients such as nitrate, and pH — then scoped up or down to suit your site and supply source.
We're a café or food business — does this apply to us?
Yes. If you prepare food, make ice or serve drinking water from a private supply rather than a town main, that water has to be fit for human consumption under food-safety law. We test it against both the drinking water guidelines and the relevant food-safety criteria, so one program covers the duty.
What about our compliance obligations?
Premises supplying drinking water to the public are generally expected to manage it against the ADWG, and many maintain a quality assurance program; food businesses also have to keep their water fit for human consumption. We provide the monitoring data that underpins both. Your specific obligations should be confirmed with your local council, public health unit or food authority.