State-of-the-art water laboratory opens

A state-of-the-art $8.3 million laboratory that will future-proof the delivery of water testing services for the Far North has opened in Cairns today.

The Cairns Regional Council Laboratory Services building in Macnamara Street was officially opened by Cairns Mayor Bob Manning and Member for Cairns Michael Healy.

The former water lab, built in 1994, is no longer fit for purpose with the new facility built to exacting international standards for water testing facilities.

Mayor Bob Manning (pictured right with lab staff) said Council had invested $6.5million in the project which will ensure Council can operate efficiently and in doing so provide better service to ratepayers, other local governments and water suppliers, public sector organisations such as hospitals, and private sector customers.

Council currently carries out about 22,000 water tests each month for clients stretching from Mackay through to the Torres Strait.

“The old building was simply not meant to accommodate the volume and variety of testing that we carry out,” Cr Manning said.

“By creating a new, purpose-built facility we can not only be more effective in what we do, but have the space and infrastructure to accommodate new technologies as they arise.

“In the future we can also look at the services that we provide as demand for different types of testing and analysis becomes apparent.”

About 240 jobs were created during the construction phase with 20 people to be employed full time in the new facility.

The new $8.3 million laboratory was made possible with more than $1.5 million from the 2017-19 Local Grants and Subsidies Program (LGGSP).