Coliform bacteria—let cold water run for about three to five minutes, remove the seal then capped in a sterile vessel. Fill to the line then replace the cover. Remembering to use a septic technique, transport it to a certified laboratory keeping it zero to six degrees centigrade. Hold time for coliform bacteria is thirty hours.
Sampling procedures for inorganic samples such as nitrogen, metals and physical characteristics like hardness, alkalinity, chloride and pH are as follows: Run cold water tap for three to five minutes, then rinse sample bottle once and fill to the shoulder. Replace the cap securely, transport to your laboratory at zero to six degrees centigrade. The shortest whole time for the above parameters is 48 hours for nitrate and nitrite.
Any portion of the sample used for metals analysis will be preserved at the lab with nitric acid to opiate of less than 2.0. Thermal preservation is recommended for physical characteristics such as hardness, alkalinity and turbidity as well as nitrate and nitrite. Mark the sample container with your required task, the date, and time of sampling as well as sample location and sampler name.
During transport to the lab, try to keep the sample in a dark place to reduce algae growth which can increase the sample turbidity.
When testing for first draw lead, collect the very first drops of water by holding the bottle under the tap prior to turning on the cold water. Do not use cold water for at least six hours before sampling for first draw lead. When sampling for first draw lead, collect one liter of sample.
Sampling for semi-volatile components or SOC, simply run the water from designated site three to five minutes then fill the bottle to the top cover. Transport sample to the laboratory at zero to six degrees centigrade.
To fill up the VOC vial, simply fill it to just over the top of the vial and cover securely. Check to make sure you have no air bubbles by turning upside down and keep that zero to six degrees centigrade and transport it to the lab.
After filling your VOC vial with sample, replace cap and turn upside down to see if there is an air bubble. In this illustration, the sampler still has air in the vial which may cause the sample to be rejected. Simply take the cover up and carefully add some more sample so that it just overfills the top of the vial. This is called a reverse meniscus. We close cap and check for air bubbles as before.
Use the same procedure for all small SOC and VOC vials. Transport to lab at zero to six degrees Celsius.
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