Borehole Water Testing
Is your borehole water safe? Test it against the SANS 241 drinking water specification, and learn how to take the sample and read the result.
Last reviewed . Prices are market indications from public pages, not quotes. Turnaround differs by lab, so ask when you book.
SANS 241 was revised in 2025. SANS 241:2025 replaces the 2015 edition, and under it boreholes, tankers and refill stations count as water providers. The limits on this page are from the 2015 edition, which labs still report against widely, so ask your lab which edition its report uses. Infrastructure News, 18 August 2026
Never Assume Borehole Water Is Safe
Borehole water can contain harmful bacteria, nitrate, fluoride, heavy metals and other contaminants that you cannot see, smell or taste. Test before drinking or cooking, especially if children or elderly people will use the water. See Is borehole water safe to drink?
Water Testing Packages and Costs
SANS 241 is the benchmark laboratories test against. We found no rule that audits a private household against it, so treat the test as your own safeguard. Ask the lab whether it is SANAS accredited for the tests you need.
Screening Panel
pH, TDS, conductivity, hardness, iron, manganese. This is not a full SANS 241 test
Best for: Initial screening or garden use
Varies by lab
Chemistry (SANS 241)
Metals, nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, sodium, chloride, sulphate, TDS, conductivity and pH
Best for: Drinking water assessment
R1,450 - R3,000
Microbiology (SANS 241)
E. coli, total coliforms, heterotrophic plate count
Best for: Bacterial safety check
R900 - R1,200
Chemistry plus Microbiology (SANS 241)
The full SANS 241 chemical panel plus the microbiological tests
Best for: A complete drinking water check
R2,200 - R3,000
Common Water Quality Issues and Solutions
| Issue | Symptoms | SANS 241 Limit | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Iron (Fe) | Orange or brown stains, metallic taste | 0.3 mg/L aesthetic; 2.0 mg/L chronic health | Iron removal filter (oxidation plus media filter) |
| High Manganese (Mn) | Black stains, bitter taste | 0.1 mg/L aesthetic; 0.4 mg/L chronic health | Manganese or greensand filter |
| E. coli / Coliforms | No visible signs, lab test only | E. coli not detected in 100 mL; coliforms 10 per 100 mL or less | Find and fix the source, then chlorinate or use UV. UV needs clear water, so remove turbidity and iron first |
| High Nitrate | No visible signs; an acute health risk, especially for infants | 11 mg/L as N or less | Reverse osmosis or ion exchange, chosen from the lab result and re-tested afterwards |
| High Fluoride | No taste or smell; long-term exposure causes fluorosis | 1.5 mg/L or less | RO, or activated alumina or bone char, after a lab test |
| High TDS | Salty or brackish taste | 1,200 mg/L or less | Reverse osmosis system |
| Low pH (Acidic) | Blue-green stains on fixtures, pipe corrosion (low pH dissolves copper) | 5.0 to 9.7 | Calcite neutraliser filter |
Treatment must match the lab result and the water must be re-tested afterwards. See our borehole water filters guide, borehole water page and water quality guide.
Reading Your SANS 241 Results
Acute health
A risk from short-term exposure, such as E. coli, nitrate and nitrite. Do not drink the water until it is treated and re-tested.
Chronic health
A risk from long-term exposure, such as fluoride, arsenic, lead, and iron or manganese above their health limits.
Operational
An indicator of how well the system is working, such as pH, total coliforms and the heterotrophic plate count.
Aesthetic
Taste, colour, odour and staining, such as TDS, and iron or manganese above their aesthetic limits.
A result describes the water on the day it was sampled. If a result fails, find the cause, treat, and re-test. Every limit is listed in our water quality guide.
How to Collect a Water Sample
- 1Use the sterile sample bottles the lab supplies (do not use your own containers) and ask the lab for its instructions, because they differ by test
- 2Decide whether you want to test the raw borehole water or the treated water, and tell the lab. Sample from a clean outlet
- 3Run the pump until the water runs steady and clear (ask the lab how long), then fill the bottle without touching the inside of the bottle or the cap
- 4For the bacteriology (E. coli) bottle, leave a small air gap at the top, do not rinse the bottle and do not touch the inside. Chemical bottles are normally filled to the top
- 5Label the bottle with the date, time and sample point
- 6Keep the samples cool and out of sunlight, refrigerated but not frozen, and deliver them within 24 hours unless the lab says otherwise. Many labs want microbiology samples the same day
Get Your Borehole Water Tested
Send one request and water testing labs and service companies in your area can quote. BoreholeZA lists companies from public information and has not inspected them.
Sources
- SANS 241-1:2015 drinking water limits (SANAS-accredited lab transcription) (limits and categories; check SABS for the current edition)
- SANS 241 packages and prices (H2O Guru) (one lab's package prices)
- Cape Town borehole drilling costs 2026: regional price guide (Waterpoint SA) (SANS 241 panel price range)
- Borehole prices 2026 (Borehole Hub) (water test price range)
- Borehole drilling prices in South Africa (Enviroleg) (water test price range)
- Standard Methods 9060: collection and preservation of samples (UMass copy) (air space in bacteriology bottles; sample holding)