Aquatic Consulting & Testing, Inc

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Sample Collection

Aquatic Consulting & Testing, Inc. can provide a wide variety of sampling services for drinking water, surface water, sludge, wastewater, and soil. Sampling may be performed to gather physical measurements, measure chemical composition, or determine biological community structure.

Drinking Water: Samples can be collected simply from the tap or new construction risers when an independent sampling and testing source is required. AC&T provides new line disinfection sampling for verification of appropriate initial chlorination dosage and post-flush concentration, and final disinfection (bacteria) concentration. AC&T also has pumps and bailers for collecting monitoring well samples.

Wastewater: AC&T has bailers, dippers, pole samplers, alpha bottles, and Kemerer samplers for collection of wastewater grab samples. For composite sampling, AC&T has Isco programmable samplers. Sludge sampling can be performed using an Ekman or Ponar dredge or Sludge Judge.

Surface waters: In lakes, water samples for chemical and physical analysis are collected using Alpha or Kemerer bottles. Where possible, in-situ analyses are performed using calibrated and remotely operated meters for pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity analysis.

Storm waters: Storm water sampling usually involves use of automatic samplers that are triggered to commence sample collection when water flow is detected. A variety of other sampling devices may be used for grab samples.

Biological sampling: AC&T can provide field monitoring and sample collection for a variety of aquatic organisms.

Adult mosquitoes are collected using carbon-dioxide (EVS) traps. Mosquito larvae are collected by dip net. AC&T staff can provide mosquito identification to species level and can test collected mosquitoes for West Nile Virus, Western Equine Encephalitis, and St. Louis Encephalitis using VecTest® or RAMP® assays. Adult midge flies are collected using New Jersey Light Traps. Midge larvae are collected from lake or pond sediments using an Ekman or Ponar dredge.

Aquatic Weeds and algae are usually collected by manual grab samples. AC&T personnel can determine total population density and/or differential species composition.

Zooplankton found in lakes or ponds are collected using Wisconsin plankton nets to survey the entire water column. Periphyton is manually collected by scraping a known area of a rock surface or is determined by in-situ colonization of Hestor-Dendy Multiple Plate or floating artificial substrate samplers. Benthic invertebrates in lakes are collected by dredge sample, and kick nets or Surber bottom samplers are used for stream surveys.