To help ensure accuracy of your results, it is important to use the correct containers when taking your samples. Some analyses require plastic bottles and some require glass. For example, when sampling for Oil & Grease you must use a glass container. Oils and greases may stick to the walls of a plastic bottle and this may in turn affect your results. It is also important to know if your analysis requires a sterile container. When taking a sample for bacterial analysis you must use a sterile bottle. Using a container that is not sterile may introduce bacteria into your sample. Please refer to our Sample Containers and Holding Time document or our list of commonly used bottles for more information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact your Project Manager. 

Our website contains a wide range of information that can help make your job easier. Below are topics that you may want to check out:

 

Drinking Water 

Sampling Instructions 

 

For more valuable information, please visit our Laboratory Services and Resources pages.

A:  Here is a list of commonly performed analyses that have short holding times:

pH, chlorine residual: 15 minutes - best if performed on-site, Dissolved oxygen: 8 hours - if fixed on site, Hexavalent Chromium: 24 hours, BOD, Nitrate, Nitrite, Turbidity, MBAS, Orthophosphate, Settleable Solids: 48 hours, Microbiological analyses: (Drinking Water): 30 hours, (Wastewater): 6 hours, (Source water): 8 hours.

ESB is committed to providing our clients with "unparalleled environmental laboratory services." Please take our brief Project Feedback Survey and let us know how we're doing.