Water Testing in Cancún and the Riviera Maya

Fats, oils and grease (especially in restaurants and hotels), BOD₅ and total suspended solids. In industry, heavy metals such as chromium and lead are also common problems. A proper pretreatment program can resolve these exceedances. See NOM-002 →

It depends on the discharge conditions set by the municipal water utility. Quarterly testing is the recommended minimum. For high-volume dischargers or those with a history of non-compliance, testing may be monthly or even every two weeks. Schedule sampling →

NOM-001-SEMARNAT regulates wastewater discharges to national receiving waters and land (rivers, lakes, the sea, soil), while NOM-002-SEMARNAT applies to discharges to the urban or municipal sewer system. The limits differ because water discharged to the sewer is treated afterwards at the municipal treatment plant.

Under NOM-127-SSA1-2021, Mexico’s drinking water standard, free chlorine residual must be between 0.2 and 1.5 mg/L at any point in the distribution system. Lower values do not ensure effective disinfection; higher values can be harmful and give the water an unpleasant taste. See NOM-127 →

Yes. Sampling follows chain of custody, and the tests are run in EMA-accredited laboratories with the methods of the official Mexican standards.

The price depends on the type of test, the number of sampling points, how often you sample and where your site is. Hotels can contract packages with scheduled monthly sampling. Tell us what you need to test and we send a written quote at no cost, with the price, the sampling date and the turnaround time.

It depends on the test: basic physicochemical, 24 to 48 hours; pools (NOM-245) and ice, 3–5 days; drinking and service water (NOM-127), 5–7 days; Legionella, 10–14 days because of the culture time; wastewater discharges (NOM-001 and NOM-002), 15–25 days.

Yes. A technician comes to your facility in Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen or the Riviera Maya as far south as Tulum, and collects the sample under a chain-of-custody protocol to protect the integrity of the results. You can also send us the sample following the instructions we give you for each type of test.

Yes. Water testing is quoted and contracted separately, with no need for a treatment program or for buying chemicals from us. You receive the digital report with the interpretation and recommendations, and you decide what to do with it.

Under NOM-245-SSA1, monthly microbiological testing and weekly basic physicochemical testing are recommended to protect swimmers’ health.

Yes. All testing is done in EMA-accredited laboratories. The report supports your COFEPRIS, Distintivo H, hotel brand audit and CONAGUA filings.

Parameters such as pH, conductivity, hardness, alkalinity, turbidity, color, total dissolved solids, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, and metals such as iron and manganese, among others, depending on the applicable standard.

Yes. CONAGUA can reject results if the laboratory is not EMA-accredited, if the samples did not follow the correct chain of custody, or if the reports are uploaded to SIRALAB (CONAGUA’s online system for laboratory results) late or in the wrong format. We use only EMA-accredited laboratories and follow chain of custody, so our reports are prepared to meet these requirements.

A standard bacteriological test detects total and fecal coliforms as indicators of general contamination. Legionella testing looks specifically for Legionella pneumophila in cooling towers and hot water systems, and needs specialized culture techniques with an incubation time of 7 to 14 days.

NOM-001-SEMARNAT-2021, Mexico’s wastewater discharge standard, sets the maximum permissible limits for contaminants in wastewater discharges. The updated standard adds stricter parameters such as true color and acute toxicity, and lower limits for heavy metals. Non-compliance can lead to significant fines and facility shutdown.

Hardness is measured in mg/L as CaCO₃ and reflects the concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium. It is determined by EDTA titration with Eriochrome Black T as the indicator. Hard water (over 200 mg/L) forms scale in boilers, cooling towers and reverse osmosis membranes, cutting thermal efficiency by up to 12% for every millimeter of scale.

ORP measures the water’s ability to oxidize or reduce contaminants, in millivolts (mV). In pools, an ORP of 650–750 mV indicates effective disinfection. In cooling towers, it confirms that oxidizing biocides are working. It complements free chlorine residual as a measure of the water’s actual disinfection capacity.

Chloramines form when free chlorine reacts with organic nitrogen (sweat, urine, cosmetics). They cause the typical “chlorine” smell in pools and can irritate the eyes and airways. NOM-245-SSA1-2010 requires keeping combined chlorine (chloramines) below the permissible limits through adequate fresh-water replacement and periodic shock chlorination.