‘Tis the Season… To Watch Short Holding Times!

ANNUAL HOLIDAY CLOSURE: 
Please note that Maine Environmental Lab will be closed December 24 through January 1.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SAMPLERS (in the month of December):
     BOD, CBOD (24 hour hold time and 5 day incubation): Please sample early in the month.
          *If you need to sample a BOD after December 18th, you MUST call ahead to see if accommodations can be made.
     Nitrate, Nitrite, Ortho P (aqueous = 48 hour hold time): Please call at least a few days in advance to schedule.
     VOC by method 624 (72 hour holding time and sub-contracted): Please call at least a few days in advance to schedule.
     TSS, TDS, TS, TVS, LOI, SVOC, PCB, Herb, Pest, TPH (any 7 day hold times): Please call ahead to schedule if sampling after Dec. 18th

MEL thanks you in advance for helping to make sure the holidays are not filled with holding time disasters! 🙂

COVID-19 UPDATE

YES, WE ARE OPEN AND WELCOME YOUR SAMPLES!

Please take note of the following changes in MEL protocol due to our COVID-19 social-distancing efforts:

• We have increased our regular cleaning and disinfection of the office and lab spaces
• Please DO NOT ENTER THE BUILDING without prior permission. In fact, the door is now locked– but we’re OPEN!
• RECEPTION IS NOW OUTSIDE THE BUILDING, AT OUR ENTRANCE DOOR. Please call us upstairs at 846-6569 or buzz the walkie-talkie to let us know that you are here– we will come down to meet you. Alternatively, bang on the door and call up the stairs. For those of you who have dragged coolers up our stairs for 30 years, this will come as a welcome improvement in service!

Thank you for your patience and understanding!

In the News: MEL Selected by Maine Healthy Beaches for 2020 Enterococci Testing

Willard Beach, Portland, Maine.

We are delighted to announce that we will be performing enterococci testing up and down the coast of Maine for the Maine Healthy Beaches program for the second year in a row  

Maine Healthy Beaches (MHB) is a cooperative effort between the Maine DEP and local and State Parks to monitor ocean water quality during the summer season. Enterococci is a bacteria that survives in salt water and indicates the presence of  unhealthy fecal bacteria from sources like sewage overflows and even dog poop and baby diapers.  When beach sample water tests high for enterococci, MHB immediately posts notices alerting beachgoers of contamination.

OUR MISSION

Maine Environmental Laboratory performs analyses on samples of all kinds: drinking water, waste water, soil, ash, sludge, manure, wood chips, paint chips, shop rags, railroad ties, food slurry, dredge spoils, dirty oil, construction debris, mystery matrix… You name it, we’ve tested it.  We are a multi-purpose, full-service one-stop shop: if we can’t do it ourselves, we will find a lab who can do it for you, and handle the bottles,  shipping and reporting for you.

Our clients are industries and small organizations with regulated discharge permits, municipalities, engineering firms, the State of Maine, energy companies, and a whole lot of folks who want to ensure their well water is safe to drink.

Please contact us to discuss your special needs; we welcome custom projects and can scale to fit your needs.

Our most common analyses are listed below.