Sample Collection

Click below for Sample Collection Tutorial Video

SAMPLE COLLECTION VIDEO

SAMPLE COLLECTION AND RETURN TO DEQ INSTRUCTIONS

Facilities participating in this program will initially conduct 2-step sampling of faucets and water fountains/bubblers as described in EPA’s 3Ts guidance manual. The 2-step protocol provides the information necessary to determine if lead contamination is due to an outlet (e.g. faucet, fixture, or water fountain) or due to interior plumbing. Both samples (a 250-mL first draw sample, and a 250-mL flush sample) will be taken during the sample sampling event. Samples will be taken after an 8 to 18-hour stagnation period. Samples taken by participants with stagnation times outside of that time frame will be rejected by the SELSD.

Initial samples will be taken from the consumption points identified in the inventory completed by the facility. The first draw will be taken directly after the 8 to 18 hour stagnation period and before any other water use occurs in the facility. The flush sample will be taken after the first draw sample, after a 30-second flushing of the sample point has occurred. Once filled, sample containers will be sealed and returned to the SELSD for analysis. Samples will not be preserved in the field due to safety concerns with brining nitric acid into a facility where children are present (samples will be chemically preserved with nitric acid to a pH<2 by the SELSD upon arrival at the lab).

There will be a wide range in the number of samples to be taken from each facility; facilities may have a single or multiple buildings, and there will be a wide range in the number of consumption points that will be tested, including water fountains/bubblers, cafeteria sinks, sinks used for drinking water, and

other consumption points where drinking water is consumed. The program is designed to accommodate variations in the number of sampling points with no difficulty.

Participating facilities will be advised to follow the instructions provided with the sampling kit to ensure accurate results, which will include the following:

· Confirm that the correct label (with the correct unique sample identification number) is on each container;

· Conduct sampling before the facility opens, before any water is used, and after the 8 to 18 hours stagnation period;

· Conduct sampling by locating the fixture closest to the main and working away from it, and by starting on the bottom floor of a multi-floor building and working up (See Sampling Sequence Map Examples Below);

· Don’t remove aerators, flush fixtures, or close shut-off valves prior to sampling.

 

SAMPLING SEQUENCE MAP EXAMPLES