Prior to 1991, the Health District operated a laboratory that provided, among other testing, bacteriological testing of drinking water samples. In 1991, we discontinued lab operations and contracted with AM Test in Redmond for drinking water analysis. In the late 1990s the contract was awarded to Edge Analytical. We’ve utilized Edge Analytical ever since.
At one point, the drinking water sampling service we provided was a significant revenue generator. However, over the years the demand for this service has drastically declined. The reasons include less demand for staff to collect samples directly, increased public availability of these testing services, and large municipal water systems contracting directly with labs for their testing needs.
Additionally, the District charges the public a fee that includes staff time and expenses—currently $32. Edge Analytical’s fee to the public is $26 for a drinking water bacteriological sample. With the increase in ease for the public and municipalities to drop off samples directly with the lab, paying a premium for us to facilitate this process is becoming less popular.
The District discontinued offering this service on an interim basis in March 2020 when our offices closed to the public for over-the-counter transactions. There has been very little negative feedback from the public. As such, this is an opportune time to consider if we should continue this service. Minimal actions are needed for a discontinuation. There would be some public notifications required, and we would still need an agreement with a lab for analysis of samples collected by District staff. If we continue this program, staff would likely need to utilize the normal contracting process to select a provider. The current agreement with Edge Analytical is meeting our needs; however, it’s time to review it to ensure it meets procurement requirements.
|
Year
|
Total # of water samples
|
# of samples from billed public water systems
(we bill at cost $14 for bact)
|
% of samples from billed public water systems (we bill at cost $14)
|
Approximate revenue generated
|
|
2020 (January-March)
|
140*
|
74
|
52.8%
|
$1188 ($4752 annualized)
|
|
2019
|
805
|
388
|
48.2%
|
$7506
|
|
2018**
|
968
|
481
|
49.7%
|
$7792
|
|
2017
|
1704
|
1207
|
70.8%
|
$7952
|
|
2016
|
1705
|
1200
|
70.4%
|
$8080
|
*For 2020, if we received 140 samples per quarter our estimated total for the year would be 420.
**Total number of samples dropped due to Silver Lake Water System discontinuing sampling via SHD and went directly to Edge Analytical.
Agencies that currently provide water sampling or pick-up drop-off locations
|
Company Name
|
City
|
|
City of Everett – Public Works lab
|
Everett
|
|
Snohomish PUD Water Department
|
Everett
|
|
American Printers
|
Arlington
|
|
Brooks Applied Labs
|
Bothell
|
|
NVL Labs
(Inorganic only, no bact)
|
Mountlake Terrace
|
|
AM Test
|
Kirkland
|
|
Aquatic Research Inc.
(Inorganic only, no bact)
|
Seattle
|