New business offers water, soil testing for the Southeast

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This article was published 26/06/2024 (326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new business has opened in Steinbach offering testing of water and soil for the Southeast. This would allow residents to get their samples tested locally instead of going to Winnipeg.

“We’re trying to provide a local service because everything as we know is in the heart of the city. We love local and we want to support local. This is a very much needed service for the community because as we know everyone has well water,” said president and CEO Shannon Ens.

Southeast Enviro Testing had a soft opening in May, and hosed their grand opening on June 21. The lab does testing on water for potability, hardness, minerals and other testing needs by a homeowner or business.

“For bacteria sampling the soonest it can be done is 18 hours. If I ran a sample now at 2 p.m. it would be ready for eight in the morning tomorrow. That’s the soonest I could do for bacteria testing, but all other tests I could do pretty quick so I could do same day testing,” said Ens.

Soil sampling is also available for minerals, nutrients, and water absorption.

For water samples, Ens charges $50 per sample for bacteria testing, which is the most common test for well water. Southeast Enviro Testing has a suite of packages for water, soil, and drilling. Ens has already had some real estate clients come to her for well water testing.

Ens has been working on starting her business for five years. She has a diploma from Red River College in chemical and biosciences technology and has worked for 13 years in various labs in Winnipeg and has worked for the City of Winnipeg in its water treatment plant.

“I have a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to testing. From the moment a sample is taken to the moment when a report is sent out. All the steps in between I have a lot of experience with,”she said.

Southeast Enviro Testing is the only known rural Manitoba lab that is accredited by the Canadian Association of Laboratory Accreditation to do environmental testing. This means that Ens’ lab can be audited, that it follows certain steps and procedures, and that it is meeting international ISO 17025 standards.

Southeast Enviro Testing is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but always reachable 24/7 for emergencies. It is located at Unit 13 – 90 Brandt St in Steinbach. Ens and her team can be reached at info@southeastenvirotesting.com or by calling 204-228-9235. For more information visit their website at southeastenvirotesting.com.