Water and Soil Sampling and Chain of Custody Procedure

Purpose. Describes how environmental technicians plan, collect, preserve, document and transport water and soil samples so that results are representative, traceable and acceptable to regulators and clients.

1.Scope

This procedure applies to surface water, groundwater, leachate, stormwater and soil sampling carried out by GreenLoop for its own licences and for clients. Air, dust and noise monitoring are covered by separate procedures. It must be read with the sampling plan for the site and the laboratory's bottle and preservation guide.

2.Planning

Before the run the technician must review the sampling plan, the licence or client requirements, the site safety plan and the weather. The technician must prepare the bottle set, preservatives, labels, chain of custody forms, calibrated field meters, decontamination equipment and an esky with ice bricks, and must lodge a journey plan.

• Sampling plan and site map with monitoring points
• Bottle set matched to the analytes and preservation guide
• Field meters calibrated on the day and recorded
• Chain of custody forms and labels
• Personal protective equipment, life jacket where required and communication device

3.Collecting the sample

Samples must be collected at the exact monitoring point in the plan, using the method for the matrix, from upstream to downstream and from clean to contaminated where sequence matters. Field measurements of pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and turbidity must be recorded before sampling. Groundwater bores must be purged to the volume or stable parameters in the plan. Soil samples must be taken with decontaminated tools at the depth in the plan.

4.Labelling and preservation

Every container must be labelled with the site, sample identifier, date, time, sampler and preservative before it goes into the esky. Preserved bottles must not be rinsed. Samples must be kept between two and eight degrees and must reach the laboratory within the holding time for the analyte.

5.Chain of custody

The chain of custody form must list every sample, the analyses requested, the date and time of collection and the sampler. Every person who takes possession must sign, date and time the form. The technician must keep a copy and must record the samples in the sample and monitoring register on return to base.

6.Quality control

Field duplicates, rinsate blanks and trip blanks must be included at the frequency in the sampling plan and must be recorded on the chain of custody without identifying them to the laboratory. Any departure from the plan must be recorded on the field sheet and reported to the Environmental Monitoring Manager.

7.Reporting

Results must be checked against holding times, quality control criteria and the licence or guideline limits before they are entered in the sample and monitoring register and reported. Any exceedance must be reported to the Safety and Compliance Manager or the client on the day the result is received.