M. J. Reider Associates, Inc.

M. J. Reider Associates, Inc. is an independent analytical laboratory based in Reading, Pennsylvania. The company operates from a facility at 107 Angelica St, on the south side of the city, and serves clients throughout Berks County and the surrounding region of southeastern Pennsylvania. Its work centers on laboratory analysis of environmental and industrial samples, with water testing and soil and materials analysis among the services most frequently requested by its clients.

Laboratories of this kind occupy a specific niche in the local economy. They are not medical or clinical facilities, and they are not consulting engineering firms. Instead, they function as neutral third parties that receive physical samples, run defined analytical methods on them, and issue written results that can be used for regulatory compliance, property transactions, process control, permitting, or simple peace of mind. M. J. Reider Associates fills that role for a client base that includes municipalities, contractors, engineering and environmental consultants, manufacturers, property owners, landlords, and individual homeowners.

Water Analysis

Water testing is one of the core activities at the laboratory. Requests in this category typically fall into several broad groups. Private well owners across Berks County and the nearby counties rely on laboratory analysis because private wells are not regulated the way public water systems are, meaning the responsibility for monitoring quality rests entirely with the property owner. Common tests for residential wells include total coliform and E. coli bacteria, nitrates and nitrites, pH, hardness, iron, manganese, turbidity, total dissolved solids, and lead. In parts of Pennsylvania where older housing stock and agricultural land use are both present, these parameters are often the first things a buyer, seller, or lender wants documented.

A second group of water clients consists of operations that test on a recurring schedule. Small public water systems, mobile home parks, campgrounds, schools, restaurants, breweries, food processors, and similar facilities may be required to submit samples at set intervals under state or federal rules. For these clients, predictable sample handling and dependable reporting timelines matter as much as the analysis itself, because a missed or late sample can create a compliance problem regardless of what the numbers say.

A third category involves wastewater and discharge monitoring. Industrial users, treatment plants, and permitted dischargers often need parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia, phosphorus, oil and grease, and metals measured on samples collected from their outfalls or pretreatment systems. Results from this work feed directly into permit reporting.

Soil and Materials Testing

Alongside water work, the laboratory handles soil and material analysis. This side of the business supports construction, development, environmental assessment, and real estate due diligence. Soil samples may be submitted to evaluate contamination at a site, to characterize material that is being excavated and moved, to support a brownfield or cleanup project, or to determine whether soil meets criteria for reuse or disposal at a particular facility. Depending on the project, analysis can involve metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, pH, and other parameters selected to match the regulatory standard that applies.

Material analysis covers a broader range of submitted solids and products. Clients in manufacturing and industry sometimes need composition data, contaminant screening, or verification that a batch of material matches a specification. Contractors and property managers may submit building-related materials for hazard screening before renovation or demolition work begins. Because the requirements vary so widely from one project to the next, work of this type usually starts with a conversation about what decision the results will be used to support, and which method or standard the receiving agency or client expects.

Reports and Documentation

The end product of any analytical laboratory is the report, and for regulated work the format and completeness of that document carry real weight. Reports generally identify the sample, the date and time of collection, the date of receipt and analysis, the method used, the result, the reporting limit, and any qualifiers that apply. Chain of custody documentation accompanies samples that are being analyzed for regulatory or legal purposes, establishing an unbroken record of who handled the sample and when. Clients submitting results to a township, a county health office, a state agency, a lender, or a title company generally need this level of documentation rather than an informal summary of numbers.

Location, Access, and Service Area

The laboratory is located at 107 Angelica St in Reading, within the city limits and convenient to the main routes that run through Berks County, including US 422, Route 12, and Route 61. Its position in Reading places it within a reasonable drive for clients across Berks County and in neighboring Lancaster, Lebanon, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Chester counties.

The property has a wheelchair accessible entrance and a wheelchair accessible parking lot, which makes sample drop off practical for visitors with mobility needs.

Practical Information for First Time Clients

• Call ahead before collecting a sample. Many tests require specific containers, preservatives, and volumes, and bacteriological samples in particular must be collected in sterile bottles supplied by the laboratory.
• Ask about holding times. Certain analyses, including coliform bacteria, must reach the laboratory within a limited window after collection, which affects when in the week a sample should be drawn.
• Bring the requirements with you. If a township, lender, buyer, or agency has specified a list of parameters, sharing that list at drop off helps ensure the correct analyses are performed the first time.
• Confirm turnaround expectations at intake. Different methods have different run times, and knowing the schedule in advance helps when a closing date or reporting deadline is involved.
• Keep copies of reports. Historical results are useful for tracking trends in a well or a monitored system over multiple years.

Contact

M. J. Reider Associates, Inc. can be reached by telephone at +1 610-374-5129. The laboratory is located at 107 Angelica St, Reading, PA 19611, United States. Prospective clients with questions about which tests apply to their situation, container pickup, or sample scheduling are advised to contact the laboratory directly before collecting material.