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HEALTH OFFICIAL/POOLS & SPAS/BEACHES & LAKES

DIRECTIONS FOR DESCRIBING, COLLECTING AND MAILING THE SAMPLE

I. DESCRIBING THE SAMPLE

Federal regulations and the regulations of the Indiana State Department of Health provide that samples of water shall not be examined unless they

are collected in containers furnished for that purpose and the description blanks are filled out completely.

II. COLLECTING THE SAMPLE

A dechlorinating agent has been added to the bottle. It may appear as a white crystal, a drop of liquid, or a spot of powder two or three millimeters in

diameter. It is sodium thiosulfate. Do not wash or rinse it out. The purpose of the bottles containing thiosulfate is to destroy the chlorine present at

the moment the sample is collected. Sodium thiosulfate prevents the killing action of the chlorine on the bacteria while the sample is being

transported to the laboratory. Water samples which contain chlorine residuals when they reach the laboratory will not be examined.

Remove the screw cap being careful not to touch or otherwise contaminate the inside part of the cap or the neck of the bottle.

Swimming pool and bathing beach samples should be collected by holding the open bottle upside down and plunging it about 18" beneath the

surface, tilting and sweeping the bottle forward until filled. Pour out some of the water until the water level in the bottle is at the 100ml mark on the

container.

For bathing beach water, collect the sample in the actual bathing area--at least 25 feet from shore.

Drinking water samples:

A drinking water sample shall be taken from a tap, such as a faucet, petcock, or small valve. No sample shall be taken from a fire or yard

hydrant or a drinking fountain. Kitchen sinks, threaded hose bibs, softened or treated water lines, and spigots with screens or aerators are poor

sampling points and should be used only if better sampling points are not available. Water from a water softener or filter should be avoided if

possible.

When the sample is to be collected from a tap, allow the water to run freely for at least five (5) minutes to flush out pipes and fixtures. Time by a

watch; do not guess.

Reduce flow of water in tap to a steady stream about the size of a pencil. Fill the bottle exactly to the 100 ml line on the bottle. At this level,

there will be 100 ml of water and about 25 ml of air space.

Screw the cap on the bottle sufficiently tight to prevent leakage.

If more than one water sample is being submitted, place a bottle number in the appropriate space on the description form.

A separate description form must be made out for each sample submitted.

III. MAILING THE SAMPLE

Postal authorities require that the sample be packed and mailed in the following manner:

Refold the description form in half lengthwise and wrap it around the bottle. Place the bottle inside the container.

If the return address label (to the State Department of Health) is not already pasted to the package, moisten the back side of the enclosed

gummed address label and paste it on the package. Make sure the return address appears on it.

In some cases, your water sample container may be imprinted with a business reply mailing label or it may contain a business reply mailing

label that you should affix to the outside of the container. The business reply label is postage prepaid. All you have to do is to place it in any

U.S. mail receptacle.

Mail the sample immediately after collection. Time of collection of the sample should be governed by the time of mail pickup at the mailing station

and the delivery at Indianapolis. The time between the sample collection and the arrival of the sample to the laboratory should not be more than

48 hours, preferably within 30 hours. If the postal service does not give satisfactory service in some area, other means of transporting the samples

(United Parcel Service, Greyhound Bus, etc.) should be investigated and utilized.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING STATE FORM 36740 (R6 / 5-99)

Instructions For Using State Form 36740 - Health Official/pools & Spas/beaches & Lakes Directions For Describing, Collecting And Mailing The Sample

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