SUPERSEDED BY NWQL 2002-04 (09/23/02) NATIONAL WATER QUALITY LABORATORY TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM 95-04 December 2, 1994 To: Assistant Chief Hydrologist for PC&TS Regional Hydrologists Chief, Office of Water Quality Assistant Chief, Office of Water Quality Deputy ACH for PC&TS for NAWQA Area Hydrologists District Chiefs Regional Water-Quality Specialists Assistant Regional Hydrologists for NAWQA District Water-Quality Specialists Chiefs, NAWQA Study-Units Chief, Ocala Project Office Chief, Yucca Mountain HIP QA Manager, Yucca Mountain Project Chief, Branch of Quality Assurance Employees, National Water Quality Laboratory From: Peter F. Rogerson, Chief National Water Quality Laboratory Branch of Analytical Services Subject: Shipping Samples to the National Water Quality Laboratory Author: Linda K. Pratt, Chief, Lab Operations (303) 467-8056 (LKPRATT) Revision: Office of Water Quality Technical Memorandum 92.06 INTRODUCTION Over a quarter of a million bottles are sent to the National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) each year for analysis. To ensure the samples arrive safely and to enable analysts to perform the expected analytical procedures, several requirements must be met. The NWQL has a number of guidelines that district personnel are advised to follow when submitting samples o the laboratory. This NWQL Technical Memorandum is intended to answer current questions and eliminate some of the problems associated with sample shipment and submittal. PURPOSE AND SCOPE This memorandum addresses issues related to the shipment and submittal of samples sent to the NWQL and also provides instructions for filling out Analytical Services Request (ASR) forms. This memorandum supersedes Office of Water Quality Memorandum 92.06 and should now be used as the official reference for instructions pertaining to sample shipment and submittal. NOTE: For purposes of this Technical Memorandum, bottles, cartridges, vials, and other types of sample vessels that are used to collect water, sediment, or tissue samples will be collectively referred to as "bottles." PREPARING ANALYTICAL SERVICES REQUEST FORMS (ASR's) FOR SHIPMENT ASR forms are available at the NWQL at no cost to WRD personnel. The most recent version of the ASR was developed in 1992, and that version should be used by all districts not using computer-generated forms. Older versions of the ASR do not provide sufficient sample information and should not be used. NOTE: ASR's must be typed or filled out using a pen with permanent, waterproof ink. Felt tip pens MUST NOT be used. Mandatory Information The mandatory information is indicated by an asterisk on the ASR. The mandatory information follows: station id or unique number phone number project chief state, district/user project account number begin date The Project Chief and Phone Number are essential information in the event of problems or questions. District personnel are encouraged to include as much information about the sample and the bottles as possible on the ASR. It is critical that district personnel identify all highly contaminated or potentially hazardous samples on the ASR so that proper precautions can be taken at the NWQL. Schedules, Field, and Laboratory Codes Schedules and labcodes required to initiate analytical work must be listed on the ASR. The schedules and labcodes must be current and valid and can be verified in the PRIME using the Schedules, Parameters, and Networks (SPN) program. Some schedules and all labcodes are also listed in the NWQL 1994 Services Catalog (Timme, 1994). Do not attempt to request analytical work by writing request information on the bottles. Field codes must be filled out to meet district quality control (QC) requirements and for storage in the National Water Information System (NWIS). Sample Medium, Analysis Status, Analysis Source, Hydro Condition, Sample Type, and Hydro Event are required if analytical results are to be stored in WATSTORE/NWIS. If the required information is not provided, delivery of analytical results may be delayed, or data may be sent to BADQW. Field Values All fields are optional, but filling in the "Shipped by" and "Phone No." fields is strongly suggested so that any problems or questions with the sample can be resolved quickly. Field values for pH and specific conductance are used to complete the QC checks at the NWQL. Include pH and specific conductance values for all inorganic samples to ensure that reporting of analytical results is not delayed because of failed QC caused by missing field values. Bottle Types Complete the bottom part of the ASR with information about the number and type of bottle sent (see table 1 for Sample Type Definition). More complete information on sample designations, containers, and treatments is available in Timme, 1994, p. 17-19. It is strongly recommended that polyethylene bottles be used for radiochemical or stable isotope samples whenever possible. TABLE 1. -- Sample Type Definition* FA Polyethylene bottle, filtered, preserved with HNO3 RU Polyethylene bottle, raw, untreated FU Polyethylene bottle, filtered, untreated FAM Glass bottle, filtered, preserved with K2Cr2O7/HNO3 solution RAM Glass bottle, raw, preserved with K2Cr2O7/HNO3 solution RCA Polyethylene bottle, amber, raw, chilled, preserved with H2SO4 RCC Polyethylene bottle, amber, raw, chilled only FCA Polyethylene bottle, amber, filtered, chilled, preserved with H2SO4 FCC Polyethylene bottle, amber, filtered, chilled only FAB Teflon bottle, filtered, preserved with Ultrex HNO3 RA Polyethylene bottle, raw, preserved with HNO3 RAH Polyethylene bottle, raw, preserved with HNO3 S= Glass bottle, narrow neck, for sulfur isotope CN- Polyethylene bottle, filtered, chilled, preserved with NaOH RCB Polyethylene bottle, raw, chilled, untreated TOC Glass bottle, amber, raw, chilled DOC Glass bottle, amber, filtered, chilled SOC Silver filter from carbon filtration, chilled COD Glass bottle, chilled VOA Glass vial, amber, chilled, volatiles CHY Glass filter, wrapped in aluminum, chilled O&G Glass bottle, amber, chilled, oil and grease GCC Glass bottle, amber, chilled, organics OTHER See NWQL catalog for information on other bottle types. NOTE: Bottles and ASR information must match and be complete in each container. DO NOT send bottles without ASR's or ASR's without bottles. * As of January 1, 1995, the FC and RC bottle types on the most current version of the ASR will no longer be valid. After January 1, 1995, valid nutrient bottle types will be FCC, RCC, FCA,and RCA. SHIPPING CONTAINERS 1. Unchilled bottles may be shipped in standard, General Services Administration (GSA) issue, disposable cardboard boxes. The GSA National Stock Numbers (NSN's) for three recommended sizes are as follows: NSN Stock Number Box Dimensions FY-95 Price NSN 8115-00-183-9505 (6 X 4 X 4) in. $ 6.97 per 25 NSN 8115-01-017-6054 (11.25 X 8.75 X 10) in. $15.32 per 25 NSN 8115-00-079-8682 (14 X 14 X 10) in. $13.72 per 15 2. Ship chilled bottles in coolers that are free of leaks. If the cooler has a spout, seal it with silicone or epoxy to prevent leaking. Damaged coolers will not be returned to the district but will be discarded following notification of district personnel. 3. Permanently mark the inside lid of the cooler with the sender's current return address and telephone number in the event that the shipping label is misplaced or ruined. PACKAGING OF SAMPLES 1. Line all containers with two (one bag inside of the other) heavyweight trash bags. Place samples and ice (if required) in the inside bag. Seal each bag with a knot or by folding over the top of each bag and securing it with filament tape. 2. Fasten caps securely. Bottles will not leak when the caps are properly tightened. Do not use tape or parafilm on bottle caps. Tape may contaminate the sample. 3. If multiple sample sets are included in a single container, label each set of bottles and the ASR(s) with a letter or number to assist the NWQL in grouping the samples together. One excellent approach is to place all the bottles from a sample set in a mesh bag to keep them together. 4. Mark bottles sent to the NWQL with a permanent, waterproof marking pen or with a preprinted label that will remain securely attached to the bottle. If preprinted labels are used, take precautions to ensure that the label and the information on it will remain intact and legible throughout the shipping process. 5. All bottles must contain the following information: station-i.d. date of collection time of collection bottle type field-i.d. (if applicable) The information is critical because it serves as a link between the bottle and the ASR. Without the information, bottle mix-ups and loss of data may occur. DO NOT put analytical requests such as schedule number and labcode adds or deletes on the bottle instead of on the ASR. Analytical work for a sample is initiated by the ASR and supplementary information written on the bottles may be lost. 6. Each shipping container should contain at least one ASR and all of the bottles associated with that ASR. Do not send bottles in a container without an ASR. Likewise, ASR's must not be sent without bottles. If a sample set contains bottles that must be shipped in separate containers (for example, chilled and unchilled), then each container must contain an ASR listing the schedule to be used when analyzing the bottles in that container. The ASR's in different containers may refer to the same site or station-i.d., but the schedule and labcode information should apply only to bottles shipped with the ASR. 7. Place ASR's in sealed, water-tight bags. When shipping samples in coolers, the ASR packet should be taped to the inside lid of the cooler. 8. All of the bottles for a particular schedule MUST be sent in the same container. If a schedule contains chilled and unchilled bottles, send the entire sample with the chilled bottles. If schedules include bottles that cannot be shipped together, notify the NWQL and the schedule will be corrected. District personnel may also "delete" the labcodes for those bottles not included in the container, and those bottles may be sent separately with ASR's that request only the labcodes needed for those bottles. 9. Ship all glass bottles in foam sleeves, bubble packs, or in a foam box designed for shipping. If glass bottles are sent in a carton, arrange the bottles so that they do not touch each other (use cardboard inserts or foam sleeves). Do not rely on ice to provide cushioning for glass bottles. 10. FAM and RAM bottles may be sent with other inorganic samples, but wrap them in bubble pack or foam sleeves and double-bag them in water-tight bags. Sample bottles requesting chromium or nutrient analyses may be contaminated if they contact FAM or RAM bottles. 11. Do not ship nutrient bottles with any samples that have been acidified. Contamination from the acids used in sample preservation may create false readings for some of the nutrient species. 12. Send samples for volatiles analysis in bubble-packs, sealable bags, or in foam sleeves. 13. Do not use "blue-ice" or other types of commercially available refreezable ices. These packets do not adequately keep bottles chilled, and they introduce the possibility of contamination from an "uncontrolled" source. 14. Do not chill bottles with dry ice or with other substances that have a freezing point below 0 degrees C; this may cause bottles to freeze and can result in ruined samples or broken bottles. 15. Do not mix packing materials, such as styrofoam peanuts, with the ice. 16. Do not pack bottles in vermiculite. Vermiculite contains several contaminants that may adversely affect the quality of data. 17. Include a shipping label with a return address for each container that is to be returned to the district. Labels should include the following information: street address (no P.O. boxes) account number and user code to bill shipping costs 18. Securely tape the outside of the container to prevent leaking and maintain container integrity. 19. When feasible, Log-in will return mesh bags, foam sleeves, and other items that are not ruined during shipping. Log-in will not return cardboard cartons or other disposable shipping materials. SHIPPING SAMPLES TO THE NWQL None of the package-carrier services will deliver leaking coolers or boxes. To ensure that samples are not discarded or set aside by the carrier, take special precautions to ensure that the coolers or boxes are not leaking and, in the case of coolers, that they can remain leak-proof even after the ice has begun to melt. Send time-dependent (chilled) samples to the NWQL by the most expedient means possible. In general, ship all time-dependent samples by a reliable express delivery service such as Federal Express, Government Overnight. Do not ship radon samples in coolers. Ship radon samples using the "Fed-Ex Pak" for government overnight. Never ship radon samples to arrive at the NWQL on a Saturday. Federal Express is one shipping agent that provides reliable overnight delivery of samples. Other agents may be currently (1994) available or may become available in the future and should be considered. Nontime-dependent (unchilled) samples may be sent the most economical way. Both the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) first class mail and United Parcel Service (UPS) offer 4- to 5-day delivery of samples using ground transportation. By following the suggestions set forth in this memorandum, district personnel will greatly reduce the possibility for error or delay in the analysis of their samples. Additional questions about sample shipment and submittal may be directed to the Support Services Unit Chief, Will Lanier (WDLANIER (303) 467- 8065), at the NWQL. REFERENCES CITED Timme, P.J., 1994, National Water Quality Laboratory 1994 Services Catalog: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-304, 103 p. Supersedes: Office of Water Quality Technical Memorandum 92-06 Key Words: Shipping, Packaging, Samples, Bottles Distribution: See above plus the continua USGS.labnews & .waterquality; WRD Secretaries; Field and Project Offices Impact on Database: None