INTERAGENCY FIELD MANUAL FOR THE COLLECTION OF WATER-QUALITY DATA

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Introduction
Purpose and Scope
Field Manual Review and Revision
Acknowledgments
Planning for Water-Quality Sampling
Site Selection
Preparing for Water-Quality Sampling
Site Establishment
Field Folders/Field Measurements
Streamflow
Temperature
pH
In-Place Method
Subsample Method
Alkalinity
Dissolved Oxygen
Multiprobe Instrument
Winkler Titration Method
Corrections to Dissolved Oxygen Measurements Made With Dissolved Oxygen Meters
Specific Conductance
Chlorine Residual
Analysis for Chlorine Residual
Fecal Indicator Bacteria
Safety
Water-Quality Sample-Collection Equipment
Equipment Decontamination
Collecting Water-Quality Samples
Sampling Methods
Clean Hands/Dirty Hands Techniques
Metal and Trace Element Sampling
Grab Sampling
Cross-Sectional Sampling
Single Vertical at Centroid of Flow Method
Equal-Discharge Increment Method
Equal-Width Increment Method
Processing Cross-Sectional Samples
Quality-Assurance Plans and Quality-Control Samples
Selected References
Glossary

FIGURES

1. Diagram showing in-place field-measurement procedures
2. Diagram showing subsample field-measurement procedures for conductivity, pH, and alkalinity
3. Diagram showing stream cross section illustrating mid-section method to determine discharge
4. Photograph showing water-quality sampling equipment

TABLES

1. Data-quality objectives associated with data-information objectives for occurrence of constituents
2. Data-quality objectives
3. Summary of grab sampling method and preservation, storage, and handling requirements
4. Summary of cross-sectional depth-integrated sampling method and preservation, storage, and handling requirements

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A Field-folder checklist for water-quality stations
APPENDIX B Equipment list for water-quality sampling
APPENDIX C General guidelines for selecting equipment on the basis of construction material and target analytes(s)
APPENDIX D Sampler designations and characteristics
APPENDIX E Supplies for cleaning field equipment for water-quality sampling activities
APPENDIX F Isokinetic transit rates

CONVERSION FACTORS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND ACRONYMS