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1898 A United Kingdom Royal Commission was appointed to investigate methods for sewage treatment and disposal. 1915 The Royal Commission recommended setting up a body to promote and supervise water pollution research. 1927 The Water Pollution Research Board (WPRB) began work in the UK.
 Medmenham 1970s
1952 The National Sanitation Foundation Testing Laboratory (NSFTL) is chartered. In addition, NSF establishes the Council of Public Health Consultants.
1953 The UK water supply organisations pool resources to fund the Water Research Association (WRA), based in Redhill, Surrey UK.
1954 The WPRL moves to a permanent new laboratory in Stevenage.
1961 WRA moves to its headquarters in Medmenham.
 Medmenham 1980s
1991 NSF receives accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for its product certification programs.
1992 WRc sets up the Evaluation and Testing Centre in Oakdale to carry out mechanical testing of water products.
1999 WRc-NSF formed as a joint venture between WRc plc and NSF International encompassing the Laboratories at Medmenham and the Evaluation and Testing Centre in Oakdale.
Reading today |
Medmenham 1960s
1940 The Water Pollution Research Laboratory (WPRL) was set up in the UK. During the Second World War, varied research projects included effluent problems of munitions plants and development of a field kit for RAF life rafts that rendered seawater drinkable.
1944 The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is founded at the School of Public Health, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA.
Slough 1980s
1963 The UK Government to set up the Water Resources Board (WRB).
1970s The WRA, WPRL and WRB were combined into one central research establishment - the Water Research Centre (WRC) with an additional facility in Swindon.
1989 The government owned WRc was privatised.
1990 NSF and NSFTL merge and the name is changed to NSF International.
 Oakdale today 2004 Testing of materials for water contact moved from Medmenham to the Evaluation and Testing Centre in Oakdale, creating a single laboratory for all testing of water fittings.
2005 The Environmental Consultancy part of WRc-NSF is transferred to WRc plc and the Environmental Analysis section sold to Severn Trent Laboratories leaving WRc-NSF to concentrate on its core business of water fittings testing and certification.
2006 The Chemical analysis and
Consultancy Groups move from Medmenham to new laboratories in Reading.
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