If you searched for a water testing lab near me from the South Bay, the closest match is KETOS Environmental Lab Services (KELP), a laboratory at 520 Mercury Dr in Sunnyvale, California. The lab runs EPA-certified laboratory methods on tap, well, and PFAS samples: choose a panel online, collect the sample yourself with the kit KELP mails you, and send it back with a prepaid return label already included.
Where Is the KETOS Water Testing Lab in Sunnyvale?
KETOS Environmental Lab Services sits at 520 Mercury Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94085, listed on Google as a water testing service. The lab serves Sunnyvale and the surrounding South Bay, including San Jose, Santa Clara, Mountain View, and Cupertino.
Most samples arrive by kit, which is how the lab serves the whole South Bay; if you live nearby, you can also bring your sample to the lab in person during the hours listed on the Google Business Profile. KELP is part of KETOS, a water intelligence company that also builds SHIELD, continuous water-quality monitoring hardware used by utilities and industrial sites. KELP handles the single-sample side of that business.
What Does the Sunnyvale KETOS Lab Actually Test For?
The lab runs three kinds of panels: metals and water chemistry, well-specific panels, and PFAS, each on a named EPA method.
- Metals, including lead, arsenic, copper, aluminum, cadmium, and mercury, analyzed by EPA 200.8 (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and SM 3113B.
- Anions and water chemistry, including fluoride, nitrates, nitrite, bromides, phosphates, sulfate, and chloride, analyzed by EPA 300.1.
- PFAS, the per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds sometimes called forever chemicals, analyzed by EPA 537.1 and 533 for drinking water and EPA 1633 for broader matrices, the methods EPA approves for PFAS drinking water compliance analysis.
Named methods matter because they set the detection limit. The federal drinking water limit for PFOA and PFOS is 4 parts per trillion (4 ppt), set by EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS, announced April 10, 2024. A 2023 USGS study that sampled 716 taps nationwide, split between private wells and public supply, found PFAS in at least 45% of them. Seeing four parts per trillion takes an instrument built for trace analysis; a panel that only reports in parts per million cannot resolve it.
Concerned about contaminants in your water?
Get water testing from KETOS KELP using EPA-certified methodology, results you can trust, backed by real data.
Order a Water Test →Mail-In Kit or Walk-In: Which Should You Use?
Both work: order a mail-in kit, or bring the sample to the lab yourself.
A mail-in kit ships with a prepaid return label and suits anyone who would rather skip the drive. A walk-in suits South Bay households that want the sample logged the same day: the lab accepts samples in person at 520 Mercury Dr during the hours on the Google Business Profile. Call (408) 357-4745 first to confirm the right container for your panel, since PFAS samples need specific bottles.
You collect the sample at a time that works for your household, whether that is early morning before the tap has run for anything else or the evening after a well pump cycles, and the only trip involved is to a mailbox or shipping point you already pass. What determines whether trace-level results hold up is how the kit is built: the bottle material used for PFAS sampling and the hold times printed on the instructions matter more than how close the lab is.
How Does Your Water Sample Reach the Lab?
Your order becomes a kit built for that panel: collect the sample and mail it back to KELP. The lab logs it against your order, runs the analysis, and delivers results digitally within 5 to 7 business days of receiving it.
Each kit includes the correct bottles for that panel and written collection instructions covering hold time and container handling, since those details affect whether trace-level results hold up. For the full walk-through of what the lab does with the sample once it arrives, including how it tracks the sample through each step, see what actually happens to your drinking water sample; that page covers the process end to end rather than the Sunnyvale-specific facts on this one.
Which KELP Panel Fits Your Situation?
The right panel depends mainly on whether you are on city water or a well, and whether PFAS is a concern; six common situations and their matching panel are below.
| Situation | Panel | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| City-water home, first test | Essential | Lead, arsenic, copper and more heavy metals; hardness and minerals (calcium, magnesium, chloride) | $199 + shipping |
| Want the fuller mineral and chemistry picture | Complete | Adds aluminum, cadmium, mercury; fluoride, nitrates, bromides, phosphates; 35+ parameters | $249 + shipping |
| Buying or selling on a private well | Real Estate Well Water | 10 metals plus alkalinity, hardness, TDS, fluoride, nitrates, nitrite, sulfate, chloride | $199 + shipping |
| Concerned about PFAS specifically | PFAS Basic | 3 PFAS compounds plus 6 other parameters | $280 |
| Want metals, minerals, and PFAS from one sample | Ultimate (home kit) | Metals, minerals, and PFAS in a single test | $549 |
| Well water plus the broadest PFAS panel | Ultimate (PFAS panel) | 25 PFAS compounds, full metals suite, alkalinity | $699 |
How to Choose the Right Panel Before You Order
The panel that fits depends on your water source, your household, and how much you want covered in one sample rather than two.
- If you have never tested your tap and want a baseline, start with Essential; it covers the metals and minerals most homes ask about first, at $199 plus shipping.
- If your household includes an infant, someone pregnant, or a private well, add nitrate and fluoride coverage, which Complete and the well panels both include.
- If you live near an airport, a former industrial site, or a military installation, or you simply want no blind spots, choose a panel that includes PFAS in the same sample rather than ordering a second kit later.
- If you are closing on a home with a private well, the Real Estate Well Water panel at $199 plus shipping is built for that transaction specifically.
- If timing matters, for a closing date or a lease deadline, order early: the 5 to 7 business day window starts when the lab receives your sample, not when you order the kit.
This page covers what the Sunnyvale lab tests and how a sample physically gets there. It does not cover the broader framework for comparing labs nationally on named methods, detection limits, panel scope, and report quality; see how to choose a water testing lab for that. For what your water is actually likely to contain depending on which part of the South Bay you live in, see water testing in the South Bay: what a Sunnyvale lab tests for. Ready to see what is in your own tap? Order a KETOS KELP water test and get a digital report in 5 to 7 business days.
KETOS Environmental Lab Services
Name: KETOS Environmental Lab Services (KELP)
Address: 520 Mercury Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Phone: (408) 357-4745
Category: Water testing service
Hours: See current hours on the Google Business Profile
Map: Get directions to 520 Mercury Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the KETOS water testing lab located?
KETOS Environmental Lab Services is at 520 Mercury Dr, Sunnyvale, CA 94085, listed on Google as a water testing service. The lab serves Sunnyvale and the surrounding South Bay by mail and accepts walk-in samples during business hours.
Can I drop off my water sample at the lab in person?
Yes. Walk-in drop-off is accepted at 520 Mercury Dr during the hours listed on the Google Business Profile. Order the panel online first, or call (408) 357-4745 to confirm the container your panel needs. The mail-in kit, with its prepaid return label, remains the option for anyone who would rather not make the drive.
What does the KETOS lab test for?
The lab runs named EPA methods for metals (EPA 200.8, SM 3113B), anions and water chemistry (EPA 300.1), and PFAS (EPA 537.1, 533, and 1633), across panels built for tap water, well water, and PFAS specifically.
How long does it take to get results from the Sunnyvale lab?
Results are delivered digitally within 5 to 7 business days of the lab receiving your sample, with a prepaid return label included in every kit.
Sources: EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFAS, announced April 10, 2024 (epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas); EPA PFAS drinking water laboratory methods page (epa.gov/pfas/epa-pfas-drinking-water-laboratory-methods); USGS 2023 nationwide tap water PFAS study (usgs.gov, July 5, 2023); KELP product pages and prices from the verified facts register, checked 2026-09-16/17. All fetched 2026-09-17.
