Section_J_-_Guide_for_SamplingRedacted_Redacted.pdf

FORT BELVOIR TMDL, INDUSTRIAL, AND PCB SAMPLING CONTRACT

Before leaving for Belvoir:

Check with for status updates

Goal is to be onsite before precipitation begins. We have 3 hours from generation of runoff at each site to collect our samples. The start of runoff at a site depends on the site’s catchment size, impervious surface area, the amount of precipitation, recent precipitation events, and other factors. Please refer to the sampling binder for each site’s catchment characteristics (e.g. impervious surface area) and for the preferred sampling order prior to sampling.

If you do not have a visitor’s pass or a CAC, leave an additional 30 minutes of time to go to Tulley Gate Visitor’s

Center and get a visitor’s pass. Please ensure you request a 90-day pass (no sponsor needed), however on weekends the visitor center will only issue 30-day passes. You will need to know your SSN and present your driver’s license or other government issued identification.

All sampling equipment is housed at the Fairfax Office. If you are traveling from Warrenton, you will need to coordinate an equipment transfer. Please allot time accordingly.

Once on post, samplers will meet in the parking lot in front of the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) building to distribute gear, adjust sampling plan, and receive instructions from team leads.

Address: 9430 Jackson Loop Road

Fort Belvoir, Fort Belvoir VA 22060

Items to Bring:

Personal Items

Rain gear (waterproof boots, rain jacket, rain pants, warm clothing)

Driver’s License

Snacks and water, if applicable

Ft. Belvoir Visitor’s Pass

Sampling Equipment

Ice (put ice bags into a cooler or a bucket; DO NOT leave bags of ice inside vehicles during transport)

Coolers

Sampling binders (includes protocol, mapping, extra COCs, permissions letter, etc.)

pH meter with thermometer (needed at all outfalls)

Specific Conductance meter (needed at outfalls 002, 008, 009, 015, and 032)

DO Meter (needed only for outfall 002)

Sampling material specific to assigned outfalls (materials will be prepared for you) o Bottles for each outfall you will potentially sample, including visual inspection bottle o Rite-in-Rain pens, Rite-in-Rain notebooks o Ziplock bag with COC, gloves, and labels o Filtering equipment for dissolved metals (See Dissolved Metal Sampling Protocol) o Bucket, ping-pong balls, stop watch, folding ruler or measuring device (see Flow Measurement

Methods)

PCB Coolers (1 cooler per 2 outfalls - outfalls SW 001, SW 002 & Warren Rd sites) ** o 9 bottles (1 extra in case of breakage) o Ziplock bag with gloves, sharpie, and labels

**Special note: After sampling PCBs, pack sample bottles into the cooler with empty, disposable, plastic bottles or bubble wrap packed around them to take up empty space. Pack ice around everything once vacant space in the cooler is filled (this keeps sample bottles from breaking during shipment after the ice melts).

Team Lead will call to let them know we are sampling

Team Lead will communicate with DPW (numbers below) to allow for coordination on their end to provide an escort, if necessary, and to confirm that samplers have dispatched. We will also send an email.

o

Please take note of the following: time precipitation started, time runoff started (if applicable), rain conditions, etc. This information will help us refine our understanding of rain conditions and runoff.

Park in an area near the sampling location or as designated on the outfall location map.

Bring the cooler/all sampling equipment to an area accessible from the sampling location.

Use a new pair of gloves for each set of samples you collect.

Fill all sample bottles completely. The TPH-GRP VOC vials cannot have headspace or air bubbles.

Refer to Volatile Collection Protocol below for method reference (you will receive training for this task).

Many bottles contain preservatives. Do not tip these bottles to fill them because the acid or base can spill out.

Do not overfill the bottles, and do not empty them or rinse out the preservative.

Bottles will need to be placed on ice after sampling.

Some sites require dissolved metal sampling. Triple rinse the plastic Dissolved Metals collection bottle

(labeled) with stormwater at the sampling location, then collect a sample in this container to be filtered for dissolved metals. Must be filtered within 15 minutes of collection. Additional training will be given to complete this task. See Dissolved Metal Filtering Protocol notes in the binder.

Complete tasks for the Fort Belvoir Visual Inspection Form for runoff (Refer to Visual Inspection Protocol). You will need to collect a sample and let it sit for approximately one half-hour before assessing it. Use visual inspection bottles for this task.

Complete field parameter form for the outfall – answer all questions on the form (Refer to Visual Inspection

Protocol in the binder). Take pictures of the outfall and runoff.

Measure flow rate of runoff. Refer to Flow Measurement Methods for specific methods.

If sample labels have not been pre-applied, fill out sample labels according to template in sampling binder. Dry off bottle surface before applying label.

After sampling is complete fill out chain of custody form for each outfall visited during the sampling effort, and the sampler signs the chain of custody form.

Person responsible for delivering coolers to signs the chain of custody form. Coordinate delivery of all samples, except PCB samples, to Samples in coolers (on ice) should be delivered to:

Call or meet back up with when sampling is complete.

Scan datasheets and upload pictures to the job folder will do reporting and data storage for the project - he will email a report to her team within 24 hours with status of sampling efforts and sample delivery.

Collect a sample in a visual inspection bottle in order to complete the visual inspection form. Hold sample for approximately one half-hour. Complete the field parameter form.

Fill out all sections of both forms

For channel flow, width etc., capture all runoff. If a channel is braided, find a point where they converge to collect measurements. If you are collecting flow with a bucket, you need to capture all flow at once, i.e. at an outfall that pours off.

Take pictures of the outfall – be sure to get clear pictures of the area. Rain can blur the photograph. No photographs allowed at outfalls in the

Record what time you arrived, what time rain started, what time runoff began, etc. We need all the data we can get to time future sampling events.

Make any notes on how your sampling went. Please take a few minutes to let the Team Lead know if you see any opportunities for improving the sampling experience.

Depending on the sampling location, there are two methods for estimating the flow of runoff. If the sampling location is a stream or well-defined channel or swale, the ping pong ball method may be most appropriate. If the sampling location is an outfall, the bucket method may be most appropriate. Start with one and adjust if it is not working. Record the method used in the field assessment sheet.

Ping Pong Ball Method:

- Find a relatively straight section of stream or channel and measure a section of stream/channel to a known length (use the folding ruler in sampling bucket or measuring tape, if available). Clearly mark the start and stop locations. Record the width and depth of the stream/channel.

- Ensure that you are sampling a point where all discharge is flowing together, if applicable.

- Drop the ping pong ball in the center of the stream/channel above the designated start location.

- When ping pong ball crosses the start point, begin timing; stop timing when ball crosses the end point.

o If ball gets stuck, start over.

o If there is a lot of grass, or another blockage, and the ball will not move, you can alternately dislodge a small amount of sediment with your boot and count the time for the flume to move the same distance downstream.

- Record the time on Field Assessment Form.

- Repeat three times.

SPECIFIC SAMPLING PROTOCOL

Visual Inspection Protocol

Flow Measurement Methods

Flow

Start Point

(begin time) Stop Point

(stop time) Drop ball here

Measure this distance

Bucket Method

- Use the white plastic 2-gallon bucket or a bucket of known volume (record the volume on the field assessment sheet or field notebook if not using the 2-gallon bucket) and record the amount of time the runoff takes to fill the bucket.

o Hold the bucket at the mouth of the outfall until bucket has filled to the top o Record the time to fill on the field assessment sheet.

o Repeat three times.

If these methods still don’t work (i.e. you are sampling sheet runoff):

- to discuss recourse.

- Record as much data as you can, including the size of the channel, the time you are collecting the sample, and etc. Take many pictures.

Materials Needed:

Gloves

Plastic sample collection bottle

60 mL syringes

PES Syringe Filters (0.45 micron)

Sample container

Filtering rig (i.e. can crusher)

Put on gloves to collect sample in the plastic collection bottle (this is not the sample container); the collection bottle is labeled.

Triple rinse the plastic collection bottle with stormwater at the sampling location, then collect a sample in this container to be filtered for dissolved metals. Must be filtered within 15 minutes of collection.

Bring the filled collection bottle to the filtering location and get the sample bottle (this is the bottle that you will filter into).

Prop the filtering apparatus upright on and against a stable surface (back of seat in the trunk; back of the cab in bed of truck, against a tree, etc.).

Take the 60 mL syringe and fill it up from the filled collection bottle. After filling the syringe with the sample, put the filter onto the syringe.

Place the syringe into the filtering apparatus. Ensure the flanges of the syringe are on the top of the grove to hold the syringe in place. If filtering apparatus is not available, you will have to hand filter.

Pull the handle of the apparatus down to meet the plunger of the syringe. Prime the filter by allowing a few drops of sample to flow through the filter.

Dissolved Metals Filtering Protocol

Open the sample bottle and hold it below the syringe filter on the filtering apparatus. The sample bottle contains acid, so ensure it is in a stable position prior to filtering. Avoid spilling this bottle.

Filter the sample into the sample container until the filter is full (i.e. feel resistance while sampling). Change filter when you feel resistance or notice a drastic color change on the filter. Avoid bursting filter while sampling by changing filter frequently; use extreme caution.

Turbid samples will likely require more filter changes than clear samples. Be judicious with the filters but ensure you filter the full volume of the sample bottle.

If a filter breaks and ANY unfiltered water gets into the sample the bottle, the sample is contaminated.

Label the sample as contaminated and let the team lead know at the end of the sampling events.

Contaminated samples are sent to the lab for disposal.

When the syringe is empty, remove the filter and fill the syringe again from the collection bottle. Replace the filter (get a new one if needed) and continue to filter.

Filter until the sample bottle is full, unless otherwise instructed by the team lead.

If your sample will be analyzed for Chromium (review COC), ensure you repeat this process a second time with another sample bottle.

Upon completion of filtering, close the filled sample container and place in the cooler. Empty the syringe and collection bottle of excess water. Collect all disposed filters and empty syringe and place into a plastic bag for disposal. Do not reuse these materials at any other sites.

Put on gloves prior to sampling.

If the sample bottle is plastic, you can collect runoff in a TSS bottle or other unpreserved collection bottle. If the sample bottle is glass, you must use a glass collection bottle to fill it. Do not pour from a plastic bottle into a glass bottle. However, a glass bottle may be used to fill a plastic bottle.

VERY carefully pour sample from the cup into the VOC vile. Tilt the receiving vile and pour sample down the side. Pour carefully to avoid overtopping the sample bottle.

The goal is to fill the vile until a small inverse or convex meniscus forms at the top of the vile.

o Be careful to avoid overtopping the vile since it contains acid, which could spill out of the vile.

o You may use the cap of the vile to add small amounts of water once the vile is close to being full.

Once vile is full, with a convex meniscus on top (see graphic below) and no air bubbles, carefully place the cap on the vile. Be sure to check for bubbles or headspace that may have formed during closure of the vile by turning the closed vile upside down and tapping it; look for any air bubbles.

If bubbles and/or a headspace are present, carefully remove the lid and gently pour sample into the vile and re-cap. Repeat this process as necessary until no bubbles/headspace exist.

Volatile Sample Collection

Convex meniscus

- Put on cap and avoid air bubbles or headspace

VOC

Collection

Vile

VOC

Collection

Vile

Concave meniscus

- Bubbles and headspace present; do not cap. Pour in more water until convex meniscus achieved.