It's a wrap!
As Samplegeddon 2019 draws to a close, we want to update our readers on sampling progress statewide.What is Samplegeddon? When the nine-year, six-year, three-year, annual, six-month, and quarterly monitoring compliance schedules all converge, that’s Samplegeddon! Because this happens just once every nine years, the department works diligently throughout Samplegeddon to remind water systems of their monitoring requirements.
Updated Samplegeddon numbers
Based on the figure below, as of December 9, 2019:- Overall, about 85% of three, six, and nine-year sampling requirements had been completed.
- Great news: A majority of systems sampled for nitrite, which is on a nine-year schedule! Only 6% of required samples had not been received.
- Of the 29 systems that were on a reduced three-year sampling schedule for disinfection byproducts, 97% had sampled.
- The chemical group with the most incomplete sampling rate was synthetic organic chemicals. Only 77% of the required samples had been received. With 1,152 sampling schedules in Colorado, that is a significant amount of incomplete sampling!
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| Figure 1: Sampling Requirements for Reduced Schedules (3, 6, and 9 Year) |
Avoid monitoring and reporting violations
To avoid any potential monitoring and reporting violations, please remember to:- Check your system’s monitoring schedule to see if you have any outstanding sampling requirements. Sampling requirements that have been satisfied will be stricken out on the monitoring schedule and given a **Sample Result(s) Received* label (see Figure 2).
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| Figure 2: Public Water System Monitoring Schedule. This figure illustrates sampling requirements that have and have not been met. |
- Use your monitoring schedule to ensure samples will be collected at the appropriate sample point, during the correct collection period, and that there are not separate requirements for specific analytes within a group.
- Have enough sampling bottles on hand to address each requirement as it arises—you may even want a few extra.
- Collect and deliver your samples to a certified laboratory early in your compliance period. Be sure that the chosen laboratory will be able to process your sample results and report them to the department online. All samples are due on the 10th of the month following the monitoring period. Laboratories may be extra busy as deadlines approach, so do what you can to avoid surprises or delays! Submitting samples early helps ensure that samples will be received by the department on time, and it may also ensure adequate time to resample or correct reporting errors if needed.
- Confirm that sample results have been received and accepted by checking your system’s online monitoring schedules. Schedules are updated every Wednesday night to reflect changes.
- Contact your drinking water compliance specialist with any questions or concerns.
- Submit your data early. Remember, the best way to submit drinking water data to the department is through the drinking water portal.
➽ Nicole Graziano, P.E. and Jamie Duvall, B.S., drinking water compliance assurance
