Ground water sampling is the practice that analyzes a well of a given aquifer location in order to thoroughly test for contaminants. Pesticides and herbicides are an example of these contaminants, as are ammonia and phenols. These are extremely dangerous substances and if they were to ever come into contact with your drinking water, this could result in having to change the location of the well. Most importantly, most of these contaminants pose a severe health risk if ingested. It is therefore of utmost importance to get the sampling done right.
There are different methods in order to secure accurate results and they each require a different set of supplies and materials in order to perform these practices correctly. Plastech Plus offers a variety of supplies for each type of water sampling. Here is a summary of the techniques involved along with the related tools and supplies that are needed.
This technique for sampling makes use of a submersible pump that is lowered into the well and uses a pushing force to drive the water up a tube toward the testing location. This of course requires a pump that can fit down the diameter of the well with a series of tubes or piping that reach out to the testing device.
The bailer sampling technique involves sending a device down into the well which then fills up with water to be tested. When the device is pulled on in order to be brought back up to the surface, a valve is triggered and seals in the water inside the device as it is lured out of the well. A new device should be used for each new test in order to avoid cross contamination. Plastech Plus has a variety of sizes available for bailer sampling. Knowing which one you’ll need and the corresponding valve will depend on the diameter of the well.
Instead of using a pushing force to direct water up a tube, inertial or peristaltic pumping uses a suction or pulling force. There are a number of devices that will enable this type of sampling to be done and will require a system of tubing and valves. In some cases, it may be suitable to use only a hand powered lever pump. However, there are other cases that may require mechanical devices in order to pull more water up over longer distances.
Contaminant Detectors
At one point or another, all of these different methods of ground water sampling come back to a testing point. So it goes without saying that in order to perform an accurate sampling for all of these methods, it’s important that the device itself used for the detection of contaminants be suitable for the task. Depending on the particular contaminant the water is being sampled for, different reading devices will be required. This could include our D.O Meter, Waterra Hs-2, Multimeter, Water Level Meter, Interface Meter, PID or Qrae.
No matter what type of pump or what kind of tubing you need, Plastech Plus has you covered as one of the leaders in ground water sampling supplies. Contact us today for a quote or to answer any questions you may have!