Coliform Bacteria Water Testing Labs in Puerto Rico (7 state-certified labs)
Labs on Puerto Rico's official certification list that test drinking water for coliform bacteria, with the ones that take homeowner samples first.
0 named for coliform bacteria itself on the list.
Per the state list or a state web page. Call to confirm.
Located outside Puerto Rico but on its list.
USGS estimate for Puerto Rico.
How many labs test for coliform bacteria in Puerto Rico
7 labs on Puerto Rico's official drinking-water lab list are certified to test for coliform bacteria. Of these, 7 hold a group certification that includes it. The Puerto Rico list does not say which labs take samples from homeowners, so call a lab before you send one.
The list is published by the Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico - División de Salud Ambiental, Sección de Agua Potable (laboratory certification). List version on file: Revisado agosto 2025. Fetched 2026-11-07 (UTC).
Old list. This list is the Puerto Rico Department of Health's 'Laboratorios y parámetros certificados', marked 'Revisado agosto 2025'. Labs may have been added, dropped or changed since then.
Puerto Rico labs certified for coliform bacteria
| Lab | Location | Bacteria certification | Public samples | Cert. expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acualab de Puerto Rico | Humacao, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
| ALCHEM Laboratories | Ponce, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
| Beckton Enviromental Laboratories, Inc. | Ponce, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
| Environmental Quality Laboratories (E.Q. Lab.) | Santurce, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
| Instituto de Laboratorios - Departamento de Salud | Río Piedras, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
| Laboratorio Clínico Analítico, Inc. | Ponce, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
| Quality Water Laboratory | Aguadilla, PR | Certified for a group that includes coliform bacteria: confirm with the lab | Public samples: ask the lab | Not on the list |
How the Puerto Rico list marks public samples (whole list). Not stated in the list. The Sección de Agua Potable's list does not say which labs take samples from private well owners or the public.
Before you send a sample, call the lab to confirm it is currently certified for the exact test and method, that it accepts samples from homeowners, and how to collect and ship them. Status can change between list updates.
Why test for coliform bacteria in Puerto Rico
About a third of the 397 domestic wells tested for bacteria in a national USGS study had total coliform. Read our coliform bacteria explainer.
EPA advises private-well owners to test every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. [1]
Puerto Rico guidance that mentions coliform bacteria:
- The Puerto Rico Department of Health's Drinking Water Section mainly oversees public water systems. Among its duties, it lists handling complaints of possible chemical or bacteriological contamination. [2]
- The Drinking Water Section publishes a list of certified labs and the parameters each is certified for (revised August 2025). It includes the Department of Health's own Instituto de Laboratorios, certified only for bacteriology and some chemicals. [3]
About 4,708 people in Puerto Rico used private wells in 2015, by the USGS estimate of people on domestic self-supplied water. [4] Federal limits are written for public water systems, not private wells, so testing is up to the owner.
For tests that depend on your home (farms nearby, old plumbing, a new baby), use the which-tests checklist. When results arrive, check your numbers against EPA's limits. State guidance, county data and every lab: Puerto Rico.
- U.S. EPA, Protect your home's water
- Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, Programa de Supervisión de Sistemas Públicos de Agua Potable (8 de octubre de 2026)
- Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, Sección de Agua Potable, Laboratorios y parámetros certificados (revisado agosto 2025)
- USGS, Estimated use of water in the United States, county-level data for 2015 (Dieter et al., ver. 2.0, 2018)
- Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, Sección de Agua Potable - Laboratorios y Parámetros Certificados (official list)
Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico, Sección de Agua Potable - Laboratorios y Parámetros Certificados.
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