DATA COLLECTION AND

SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
 LECTURE OUTLINE
• Planning of monitoring system
- Information gathering
- Determination of Data needs
• Setting of monitoring stations
- Site requirements
- Sampling facilities
- Recommended locations of sampling stations
• Sampling methodology
- Sampling methods
- Documentation and labeling
- Sample preservation and holding time
 PLANNING OF MONITORING
SYSTEM
• Information Gathering
- Review and inventory of all factors, which
may influence the present and expected
quality of the water body.
- Inventory and Description of potential
future source of water pollution
- Collection of presently available water
quality data.
- Preparations of maps
 PLANNING OF MONITORING
SYSTEM
• Determination of Data Needs
- types/factors of water pollution issues
and land-use.
- evaluate information needed
- locate potential monitoring
 PLANNING OF MONITORING
SYSTEM
• Preliminary surveys
• Monitoring stations records
- Field Data
- Sample label
- Chain of Custody
 SETTING OF MONITORING
STATIONS
• Site requirements
- Representativeness
- Accessibility
- Distance to laboratory
- Safety
- Disturbing influences
 SETTING OF MONITORING
STATIONS
• Sampling facilities
- Bridges
- Boats
- Wading
- Bankside
 SETTING OF MONITORING
STATIONS
• Upstream, midstream and downstream section
of the river;
• Upstream and downstream of tributaries
• Upstream and downstream from outfall of
industrial plants
• In case of tidal rivers or estuary, the station
should be at the extreme tidal limit

• Upstream and downstream of intakes of

municipal, industrial and agricultural water
supply
 SAMPLING METHODOLOGY
• Sampling Techniques
- Grab Sampling
a. Discrete
Sample is taken at specified
sampling station, depth and time
b. Depth-integrated
collected over a pre-determined part of the
entire depth of the water column at
specified sampling station and time
 SAMPLING METHODOLOGY
• Composite Sample
a. Sequential or time composite
Made up of continuous, constant samples,
pumping or mixing pumping or mixing equal water
volumes collected at regular time intervals

b. Flow proportional composite

is made up by continuous pumping at a rate
proportional to the flow, by mixing equal volume of
water collected at time intervals which are inversely
proportional to the flow, or by mixing volumes of
water proportional to the flow collected or at regular
time intervals
SAMPLE PRESERVATION AND
HOLDING TIME
THANK YOU. . . ..
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BUREAU
Pollution Control Division
Water Quality Management Section
FIELD DATA OF WATER QUALITY MONITORING
Name ____________________________________________
Address/Location_____________________________________
Date Sampled ______________ Sampled By: _____________
Type of Sample______________________________________
Date Received___________________________________________

Lab # Station Identification Time pH Temp DO

Remarks:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Sample Label

Source:_______________
Date Collected:_________
Time Collected:_________
Station No. : ___________
Collected By: ___________
 Chain of Custody Form
TO BE FILLED-UP BY CLIENT FOR LABORATORY USED ONLY
Condition of Samples ____sealed ____ambient ____cold
Client Tel No. ____preserved____container intact ____ others _____________

Contact Address : Mode of Delivery

____EMB _____Walk-in ____Others____________

Project Name Category of Sample;

____EMB _____Private ____ Others _______

Sampled by: Analyses Requested:

Sampling Source: Total Number of Samples Field Data

____with
____without

Submitted by: Date /Time Received by: Date/Time

(Signature over Printed Name)

Remarks Remarks
REPRESENTATIVENESS

- The samples taken at the monitoring site must

be representative of the water quality at the
place and the time of sampling. For a sample to
be representative, samples should be taken from
the fully mixed area usually at the mid-section or
confluence of a river. In rivers or streams,
samples should not be taken from a stagnant
zone, e.g., land-water boundaries, shoreline or
banks.
In industrial plants/firms, influent, mixing
points of tanks/ponds, effluent, upstreams,
downstreams.
ACCESSIBILITY

-Accessibility is an important factor in the

determination of a sampling station especially when
the river is not navigable or boats are not available.
Basis information that includes details of location,
physical and flow conditions, quality influences,
water uses and sampling and analytical details
should be available for each monitoring station.
Collection of samples entails the transport of
cumbersome sampling kits, containers and
samples. The sampling stations must therefore be
accessible to vehicular transport or boat to save on
time and effort in taking samples.
In river sampling, a bridge offers a fairly
accessible site.
DISTANCE TO LABORATORY

-Monitoring sites, which are located far away

from the laboratory facilities, will cause delay in
the analysis of sample. Significant changes in
water characteristics could take place during the
long transport of samples; however, these
changes could be anticipated by taking
necessary measure/s to preserve the sample.
The time taken to transport the samples to the
laboratory will govern the range of
determinations, which can be carried out for a
particular sampling site.
 SAFETY
- The collection of samples can be
risky, particularly under bad weather
conditions or high flows, and in
considering site due regard must
given to this aspect. If there is no
alternative to the hazardous site, full
precaution must always be taken and
the necessary safety equipment
provided and used
DISTURBING INFLUENCES
- If the sampling station is located a short distance below a
weir the dissolved oxygen content will tend to be high and if it
is above the weir, it will be low. Successive samples at such
points will give comparable results but they will not be
generally representative of the river. Similarly, location below
a stretch or river with an unrepresentative growth of
vegetation will yield samples influenced by photosynthesis
and respiration.
It is desirable to avoid land-water boundaries, e.g. banks or
shorelines for sampling because the water is less likely to be
representative of the main body.
Bridges
Sampling from bridges is usually preferred by sample
collectors because of their accessibility, the exact
identification of the sampling point, the ability to control
the lateral and vertical positions of sampling and the
capability to sample safely under all conditions of flow
and weather. Disadvantages are hazards from road
traffic, difficulties with river traffic particularly as sampling
is normally carried out on the downstream side of the
bridge. Hydraulic conditions may assist in mixing and
can enhance the dissolved oxygen content if there is an
appreciable deficit but this is rarely significant. Bridge
sampling is normally the most expeditious and
economical form of river sampling.
Boats
The physical location of the investigator when collecting a sample
may dictate the equipment to be used. If surface water samples are
required, direct dipping of the sample container into the stream is
desirable. This is possible, however, only from a small boat. Boats
provide a more flexible form of sampling, permitting it to be carried
out at any point along or across the river. It is, however, necessary
to accurately identify the sampling point usually by reference to one
or more landmarks. Care is necessary to ensure that the boat does
not disturb bottom sediments, which may be included in the sample.
There may be hazards from other navigation/s also from high flows
or storm conditions and lifejackets should be available. The time of
travel of a boat between stations is protracted and the fewer
stations, which can be sampled, offset the flexibility of boat travel. A
quicker alternative, is to use a small boat trailed behind a car, or a
boat may be left permanently near the sampling station.
Wading
Where rivers are sufficiently shallow, it is
possible to take samples by wading. They must
be taken upstream of the wader who inevitably
disturbs the bottom. This can result in
representative samples but it can be less
satisfactory for the sampler who should use a
staff and may consider it desirable to wear a
lifeline anchored to the bank.
Wading, however, may cause the re-
suspension of the bottom deposits and bias the
sample. Wading is acceptable if the stream has
a noticeable current (is not impounded), and the
samples are collected while facing upstream.
Bank side
This form of sampling should only be used
when no alternative is possible. The
sample should preferably be taken where
the water is turbulent, or from the outside
bank of a bend where the water is usually
fast and deep. The sampler should always
wear a lifeline firmly attached to land.
 TABLE 1 RECOMMENDED VOLUME, CONTAINER TYPE,
PRESERVATIVE AND HOLDING TIME FOR EFFLUENT ANALYSES
PARAMETER VOL. REQ. CONTAINER/s PRESERVATIVE/s HOLDING
ML. TIME
Acidity 100 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Alkalinity 100 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Arsenic 100 P,G HNO3 to pH < 2 6 Mos.
BOD 1 gal P,G Cool, 4oC 6 Hrs.
Bromide 100 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
COD 500 P,G H2SO4 to pH 2 7 Days
Chloride 500 P,G None 7 Days
Chloride Required 500 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 hours
Color 500 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Coliform, Fecal 100 G, sterile None 6 Hrs.
and Total
Cyanides 500 P,G Cool, 4oC NaOH to pH 24 Hrs./14
12
Dissolved Oxygen 300 G only Determine on site No Holding
Probe 300 G only Fix on site No Holding
Winkler
Fluoride 300 P,G Cool, 4oC 7 Days
PARAMETER VOL. REQ. CONTAINER/s PRESERVATIVE/s HOLDING
ML. TIME
Hardness 1000ml P,G Cool, 4oC 7 Days
Iodine 100 P,G Cool, 4oC 7 Days
MBAS 250 P,G Cool. 4oC 24 Hrs.
Metals 1000 P,G Filter on site 6 Mos.
Dissolved 1000 HNO3 to pH < 2 6 Mos.
Suspended Filter on site 6 Mos.
Total HNO3 to pH < 2
Mercury 1000 P,G Filter 38 Days
Dissolved 1000 P,G HNO3 to pH < 2 (Glass)
Total Filter 13 Days
HNO3 to pH < 2 (Hard Plastic)

Nitrogen 400 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.

Ammonia 500 P,G H2SO4 to pH < 2 24 Hrs.
Kjeldahl Cool, 4oC
Nitrate 100 P,G H2SO4 to pH < 2 24 Hrs.
Nitrite 50 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
H2SO4 to pH < 2
Cool, 4oC
Oil & Grease 1,000 G only Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
H2SO4 to pH < 2
Organic Carbon 25 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
H2SO4 to pH < 2
Organochlorine 250 G, amber Cool, 4oC Extract in 7 days
Pesticides
pH 25 P,G determine on site 6 Hrs.
Phenolics 500 G only Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
H3PO4 ti pH < 4
1.0 g CuSO4 / 1
Phosphorous 500 P,G Filter on site 24 Hrs.
Orthophosphate, 500 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Dissolved 500 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Hydrolyzable 500 P,G H2SO4 to pH < 2 24 Hrs.
Total Cool, 4oC
Total, Filter on site
Dissolved Cool, 4oC
Selenium 50 P, G HNO3 to pH 2 6 Mos.
Silica 50 P only Cool, 4oC 7 Days
Specific 100 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Conductance
Sulfate 50 P,G Cool, 4oC 7 Days
Sulfide 50 P,G 2 ml zinc acetate 24 Hrs.
Sulfite 50 P,G Cool, 4oC 24 Hrs.
Temperature 1,000 P,,G Determine on site No Holding