Water Quality & Quantity Testing

Bore Water Quality Testing Services

For Homeowners

We can arrange a simple bore water quality test for free*.

We can test levels of the following properties:

• Salt - Sodium Chloride (NaCl) - in PPM(Parts Per Million). ≤150 is great
• TDS - Total Dissolvable Solids/Salts (sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium) - in PPM. ≤250 is great
• pH - Power of Hydrogen (acidity or alkalinity). 6.5 to 7.5 is great
• TDI - Total Dissolvable Iron (Fe) in PPM. ≤0.1 is great
• Conductivity - a measure of the ability of water to pass an electrical current, measured in micro siemens per centimetre. ≤400 is great
• Free Chlorine - FCl in PPM. 0 is great
• ORP - Oxidation Reduction Potential measures a substance's ability to oxidise or reduce another substance.
• Total Hardness - Water hardness is caused by alkaline earths, primarily calcium and magnesium. 0 is great
• Alkalinity - As a backup to pH. Neutral is great.

*We can conduct these tests for free if we are in your area at the time and don't need to make a special trip just for your test. If you can wait, we will drop by and do the tests for free the next time we are going past. Otherwise a nominal fee will apply.

Comprehensive Drinking Water Tests can be carried out by Mackay Regional Council Laboratory on (07) 4961 9042. Visit the MRC Laboratory site for more information.

Bore Water Flow rate / Yield Testing Services

Professional Water Monitoring and Testing Services

We can provide the following testing services for the short and long term.

• Flow rate testing of existing bores/wells from 0.2 litres per second up to 35L/s, constant rate, stepped test or combination
• Automated measuring and recording of flow rates from 10 minutes duration to 72 hours
• Providing analysis and producing reports from the flow rate data with trends
• Automated measuring and recording of water depth and salinity / pH for short term (up to 72 hours) and long term (up to 4 years)
• Alerting and alarms if adjustable limits have been reached (Min and Max: salinity, flow rate, water levels)
• Centralised data logging from multiple sites with near real-time data transfer

For Property Developers

We can provide you with certified flow rate testing results with graphs and trends to assist your development application to the council.

MRC Planning Scheme Policies, Section 1.8.1, Water Reticulation, Bore Supplies,

Bore supplies shall generally satisfy the following requirements:-

• Bore capacity is to be assessed on a minimum six (6) hour pump test and based on drawdown and recovery readings
• Bore capacity shall be assessed at 0.3 litres/second per dwelling unit
• Bores servicing individual lots shall be located on the lot being serviced unless otherwise approved by Council under a development approval.
• Bores shall be fully constructed as part of development works but do not need to be equipped.
• Water Quality is to be in accordance with Section 3 of the DNR (QWRC) Guidelines for Planning and Design of Urban Water Supply Schemes (as amended).

Backyard Bores and Geotech Drilling can bring all the equipment necessary to complete the job. We can come to your bore location and bring:

• one of several styles and models of pumps with variable flow rates from 0.1 L/s to 35L/s
• water level logging equipment
• water flow rate logging equipment
• a laptop to view logged data in realtime
• hoses/poly pipes, connectors and fittings to complete the task
• water quality testing apparatus for free onsite water quality testing.

After we collect the data and complete the onsite test, including bore recharge (as per Australian Standard AS2368–1990), we can analyse the data to produce our certified flow rate test report with trends to assist your submission to the council.

Call us on 1800 193 194 to discuss your needs.