Instructions for taking water samples for Bacteriological Testing
- Pick up a sterile sealed container from the SRC Environmental Analytical Laboratories.
- Do not rinse the container. There is a powdered preservative that must stay in the container. To preserve sterile conditions, do not touch rim or inside of container.
- If sampling from a tap, remove the screen and allow the water to run for several minutes to clear the lines.
- The water sample must not come into contact with any non-sterile surfaces or containers.
- Water sample must go directly from the tap into the sterile container.
- Fill the container to the 100 mL line.
- Keep sample refrigerated until shipping.
- Make sure that the samples are at less than 10°C during transit (shipping). Instructions: Freeze ice pack(s) solid, place around the sample, wrap contents in newspaper and place in a cooler for transit (shipping).
- Sample must not be frozen!
- Maximum time that the sample must be received in the lab after sampling:
- Total Coliform/E.coli: potable water = 48 hours wastewater = 30 hours
- Heterotrophic Plate Count = 24 hours
- Fecal Streptoccus and Fecal coliform = 30 hours
- Please return samples ASAP after sampling.
- Please put (TIME CRITICAL) label on the outside of the shipping container when returning the sample to the lab.
- Prepayment is required upon receipt of the samples in the lab. (Mastercard, VISA, cheque or cash are accepted)
Important: Ensure that the ice pack(s), included with the sample during transport, are frozen solid!
Careful collection and handling of water samples is important to ensure sample stability and integrity. For this reason, the laboratory is pleased to offer both written and video resources to aid in the collection of your sample. Please visit our Resources and Videos page for more information.
