AQM LABORATORIOS

AQM Laboratorios is a Spanish specialist testing laboratory founded in 2003, dedicated to chemical and microbiological analysis of water and soils. Headquartered in Valladolid with regional offices in Cantabria, Huesca, Madrid, and Castilla-La Mancha, the laboratory operates a national network capable of collecting samples across the entire Spanish territory or accepting shipments to its facilities. With over two decades of experience, AQM serves municipalities, industrial operators, water utilities, and private clients, currently guaranteeing the water quality for a population of more than half a million inhabitants.

The laboratory holds formal accreditation from ENAC (Entidad Nacional de Acreditación — Spain's national accreditation body) under UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025, the internationally recognised standard for testing and calibration laboratory competence. It is also certified to ISO 9001 for quality management systems and is listed in SINAC (Sistema de Información Nacional de Agua de Consumo), the national drinking-water information register. Additionally, AQM holds designation as an Authorized Collaborating Entity (Entidad Colaboradora) of the Hydraulic Administration, legally empowering it to support regulatory control and surveillance of discharges and water quality on behalf of public authorities.

AQM's core testing portfolio covers drinking water and pre-potable surface water across multiple analysis tiers: comprehensive water analyses (including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, trihalomethanes, heavy metals, anions and cations), routine control analyses performed at treatment plants and distribution networks, tap-water analyses for municipal compliance, and source or borehole analyses for private individuals, agricultural operations, and food industries. Pre-potable water is classified according to the treatment required for potabilisation. Radioactivity screening is also available when contamination is suspected, covering the parameters specified under applicable legislation. Custom analytical profiles can be built to meet client-specific needs.

For wastewater and industrial discharge clients, AQM provides full characterisation services covering all parameters required for the control of wastewater treatment plants (EDARs — Estaciones Depuradoras de Aguas Residuales), compliance with Public Hydraulic Domain discharge limits, and municipal discharge ordinances. Key parameters include biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, conductivity, total and volatile suspended solids (TSS/VSS), settleable and dissolved solids, toxicity via Vibrio fischeri bioassay, inhibitory substances, sulfates, chlorides, fluorides, free and total cyanide, bromide, total phosphorus, orthophosphates, oils and greases, anionic/cationic/non-ionic detergents, hexavalent chromium, and a comprehensive suite of metals including arsenic, antimony, mercury, selenium, cadmium, zinc, cobalt, copper, tin, iron, manganese, nickel, silver, lead, and uranium. Organic micropollutant panels include total hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC/VOCX), organochlorine, organophosphorus and nitrogenous pesticides, PAHs, PCBs, and total organic and dissolved organic carbon.

Microbiological analyses are a central pillar of AQM's capability, performed on drinking water, treated wastewater, swimming pool water, and Legionella risk systems. Pathogens and indicator organisms routinely quantified include Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Clostridium perfringens, total and faecal coliforms, heterotrophic plate counts at 22 °C and 37 °C, sulphite-reducing Clostridium, moulds and yeasts, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., and Legionella spp. Legionella testing is offered as a specialised service for risk management in cooling towers, hot-water systems, and similar installations.

AQM also provides soil and agricultural sludge analysis. Soil analyses support land-application decisions, while sewage-sludge characterisation is performed in accordance with Royal Decree 1310/1995 as modified by Order AAA/1072/2013, determining pH, dry matter, organic matter, C/N ratio, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, mercury, chromium, Salmonella investigation, and E. coli counts. These analyses allow operators to confirm that sludge is suitable for agricultural application under Spanish environmental law.

For swimming pools, bathing facilities, and packaged (bottled) water, AQM applies the same accredited methodology, covering organoleptic parameters (colour, odour, taste, turbidity) alongside microbiological and chemical panels required by leisure-facility operators and bottled-water producers. Nationwide sample-collection logistics — supported by agreements with courier companies for free sample dispatch — combined with a multi-site regional presence make AQM a practical and reliable testing partner for clients anywhere in Spain requiring accredited water and soil analysis with fast turnaround and personalised reporting.