Laboratory Certification Program Overview

The Department of Natural Resources certifies and registers laboratories to perform soil, water and waste testing for many of the agency's environmental programs. Certified and registered laboratories must meet all the criteria outlined in Ch. NR 149, Wis. Adm. Code. Certification, registration or acceptance of a laboratory by the State of Wisconsin is not a guarantee of the quality of data generated by that laboratory. Instead, the certification and registration program insures that laboratories have the appropriate systems in place to generate reliable data.

Certification is not available for the following:

Radiochemistry

The Department recognizes laboratories either certifified or approved by the EPA to perform radiochemistry analyses

Asbestos

Microbiology

Certification for coliforms in drinking water and milk is available through the Dept. of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection

Certification is not required for the following:

• pH
• chlorine residual
• conductivity (specific conductance)
• turbidity
• temperature
• flow measurements
• physical properties (of soils/sludges)
• nutrient tests of soils/sludges