NAWQA Intranet Field Technical Support

Groundwater Sample Collection and Submission Protocols

This webpage is not being updated as of 10/1/2026. Please refer to the Field Technical Support SharePoint site.

Sample Collection

Account numbers for Sample Submission Forms and Late Sample Instructions (updated 2/24/2025)
ASR records and shipping flowchart includes information about coding time offsets, labs, shipping and links to web version of protocols and forms. (updated 05/05/2022)

NWQL

Policy Note: It is imperative for samples that are supposed to be chilled not to arrive at NWQL warm. However, in the case of unexpected circumstances, it is the policy for NAWQA groundwater samples that NWQL will login and analyze warm samples and flag the results with a data qualifier. NWQL will still notify you when samples arrive warm; however, the samples will be automatically logged in and analyzed. This is different from the NWQL standard policy of notifying the WSC before login of warm samples. To help ensure samples do not arrive warm at the lab, please avoid shipping chilled samples on Friday for Saturday delivery and include sufficient ice in case the cooler gets delayed in shipment.

Instructions for completing ASRs for NWQL (FY25) (updated 2/24/2025)
Trace Elements Lab Spike (S2710 and S2719)-- Special instructions for sample submission. (added 12/14/2017)
Dissolved Organic Carbon (LC2630) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 9/11/2018)
VOCs (S4436) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 5/23/2023)
VOCs (S4437) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 5/23/2023)
Radon (LC1369) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 8/22/2013)
Pharmaceuticals (S2440) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 12/01/2021)
Hormones (S2434) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 2/29/2016)
Pesticides (S2447) sampling and shipping protocols (updated 12/01/2021)
- National Field Manual protocols (v 3.1 April/2014): NFM Chapter 2 version 3.1 | NFM Section 5.2
Hydrocarbons (NG-1) (updated 11/17/2014) (selected networks only)

ALS Environmental -- General Radiochemistry (LC2164, LC1364, S1792, LC1505, and LC2170) sampling and shipping protocols (2/14/2020)

Microbiology (all samples sent to Ohio Microbio Lab guidance for NAWQA samples-- this link leaves the NAWQA web pages)
PFAS sampling -- Powerpoint || recording about collecting samples [Shockwave format] (April 2019) || Sampling and shipping (Update 4/12/2024)
PFAS SOPs
- PFAS collection at monitoring wells (updated 4/12/2024)
Cyanotoxins -- sampling and shipping protocols (added 4/23/2019)
Age Dating Information -- Contact Bryant Jurgens for more information
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  - Carbon-14 Sampling and Shipping Protocol (updated 5/23/2023)
- Reston CFC Lab
  - Sample Submission Form (updated 3/9/2016)
  - CFCs Sampling and Shipping Protocol (updated 4/30/2015)
  - Dissolved Gases Sampling and Shipping Protocol (updated 1/27/2017)
  - Helium-4 Sampling and Shipping Protocol (updated 3/14/2014)
  - SF6 Sampling and Shipping Protocol (updated 4/9/2014)
- Reston Stable Isotope Lab
  - QWData Compatible Sample Submission Form (links to Lab web page)
  - Stable Isotopes Sampling and Shipping Protocol
- Duke University Lab
  - Strontium and Boron Isotopes (metxpas1 only) (added 4/8/2014)
- University of Miami Tritium Lab
  - see Rapi-note 15-11 for sample submission and shipping protocols
- Moffett (Menlo Park) Tritium Lab
  - Sample Submission Form
  - Sampling and Shipping Protocol (updated 2/24/2025)
- Menlo Park Metal and Metalloid Isotope Laboratory
  - Stontium Isotopes (selected networks only) (added 4/25/2014)
  - Boron Isotopes (selected networks only only) (added 4/25/2014)
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)
  NOTE: This is different from the process for Hunt's Lab
  - Sample Submission Form
  - Lamont Noble Gases (complete suite, analysis 2) and (reduced suite, analysis 1 (3He-4He)) Sampling and Shipping Protocols (updated 3/14/2014)
- USGS Denver Noble Gas Lab (Andy Hunt)
  NOTE: This is different from the process for the Lamont Lab
  - Sample Submission Form
  - Hunt Noble Gases and 3He-4He Sampling and Shipping Protocols (updated 6/18/2014)
  - Detailed instructions from Noble Gas Laboratory
  - Noble Gas Laboratory sampling "cheat sheet"

Sample Submission -- Examples of filled out Sample Submission Forms

Groundwater QW Sample Coding Guidance (updated 05/12/2022)
NWQL ASR
- Inorganics (updated 12/12/2023)
- Trace Element Lab Spike (updated 12/12/2023)
- Organics (updated 12/12/2023)
- RadChem ALS Environmental (updated 4/30/2019)
- Woodshole C14 (updated 6/2/2023)
- Radon Only (updated 2/14/2020)
PFAS ASRs (updated 2/28/2024)
Hydrocarbons RTI Labs and Isotech (updated 11/27/2017)
Ohio Microbiology Lab Sample submission form
- Appendix B3_service request form intended for all field crews collecting the NAWQA suite of microbial indicators (updated 10/11/2023)

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Page Contact Information: Carise Barbour
Page Last Modified: Thursday, 15-Oct-2026 13:57:22 EDT

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Groundwater Sample Collection and Submission Protocols

Sample Collection

Sample Submission -- Examples of filled out Sample Submission Forms