Watershed Watch Unified Sampling Events:
Everything you ever wanted to know about coordinating a Herbicide Screening Sampling Event:
2. Choosing a lab to do your analysis: Any number of labs can analyze for Herbicides and Pesticides. We have frequently used the Kentucky Geological Survey labs in Lexington, KY. As soon as you have a date selected and funding for the event, set up a contract for services with your lab.
3. Creating your "Authorized Sampling Station List": The project volunteer
support coordinator should know who is expecting to participate in the sampling round.
The Kentucky Watershed Watch Data Base System links volunteer names with sampling stations
registered for the project. Your SITE records have a "STATUS" field where you indicate if
the station is going to be active or not. For a list of known project sampling points for your basin (both active AND inactive), select your basin letter code:
4. Setting up sample drop off points and recruiting sample runners: Once the date is set, we start recruiting drop off locations where samplers can "drop off" their collected samples. The drop off location should have: a contact person, means to chill the samples (cooler or fridge) and let you know the hours of operation they are willing to accept samples. You also need to identify a sample runners who will deliver samples to the lab. Here is a set of instructions for sample runners
5. Distributing Volunteer Sample Materials: The "Supervising Samplers" on your Authorized Site List will now need to receive the materials they need to collect the samples. They include:
Our data base system can generate pre-printed chain of custody records as well as mailing labels and sample container labels for use with this distribution. Contact your data manger or Ken Cooke at 1-800-928-0045 Ext 473 for details on setting this up.
The sample container and chain of custody record can be inserted in a small envelope for shipping. The Small envelope can be inserted in a larger envelope to include the instructions and your cover letter for mailing. US Mail or UPS does fine getting these materials out to the volunteer. Mail the containers at least ten days prior to the sampling event.
6. Collection Times: Once you mail the sample materials to the volunteers, the event is pretty much underway. You may want to call a few volunteers to be sure the
materials reached their destination. It is up to the "Runners" and drop off center contacts to be sure their teams get their samples in in time!
7. Getting samples to the lab: Runners taking samples to the lab should make appointments with lab managers to be sure someone is there to get your samples. Samples have to be analyzed no later than seven days after collection. Samples collected over a weekend should arrive in the lab no later than Tuesday afternoon so that lab technicians have time to perform the analysis.
8. Data Reporting The lab then issues a report via Electronic Mail in Excel format to the project data manager, chair or science advisor and KY Water Watch. (those listed in the contract)
Here is an example of the results received from our 1999 Herbicide sampling event.
9. Results Distributed To The Volunteers: After the Steering Committee has conducted an initial review of the results, we distribute copies to the project volunteers. This is mailed along with background information on the Herbicides that were monitored for:
10. Results Review: If volunteers or project participants have questions about the results, you can have them call our 1-800-928-0045 Ext 473 number, or ask the basin Science Advisors and steering committee members for more information. KY Watershed Watch Herbicide Pesticide sampling results have been used by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, The KY Source Water Protection Program, The Kentucky Division of Water and a number of other state and local organizations. But, the first and best use of the data collected by this project is by the individuals on the stream being tested. Now they have some background on herbicide levels in waters near and dear to them.