The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Ángeles Vázquez, accompanied by the territorial delegate of the Xunta in Pontevedra, Pablo Fernández, visited the current premises of the Environmental Laboratory of Galicia at Pazo de Lourizán. She explained that the move to unused spaces within the Xunta's administrative building in the city will strengthen the laboratory's role as a national and international reference in environmental research and climate change mitigation.
The adaptation works for the new facilities, with a budget exceeding 700,000 euros, will begin next week. The project involves the interior refurbishment of a 450 m2 space and its equipping as a laboratory, including a new layout and systems connected via service galleries with specific technical furniture.
The Environmental Laboratory of Galicia, nationally accredited since 2002, conducts chemical and microbiological analyses on natural and marine waters, as well as chemical analyses on wastewater and ambient air samples. Its work is divided into four control programs: continental, coastal, and transitional waters; groundwater; air quality; and reservoirs for human consumption.
Furthermore, the organization collaborates in monitoring cyanobacteria in Galicia-Costa reservoirs, assessing air quality, and supports environmental inspections. It also performs analyses at the request of other Xunta departments, public bodies, and institutions, such as universities, the regional police unit, or Seprona, for studies related to environmental incidents or species registration.
The Environmental Laboratory of Galicia has two headquarters: Pontevedra, specializing in biological analyses and water quality control, and A Coruña, dedicated to chemical analysis and ambient air monitoring.
