The reason that many environmental sampling programs are implemented is that you are working at sites where some type(s) of waste(s) or hazardous materials have been used or managed over some period of the site’s operational life. Some of the waste management units we encounter at these sites have been well engineered and managed, and some not. There are many different kinds of waste management units that fall under a wide range of local, state and federal regulatory programs. Consequently, it is important to develop an understanding of how waste materials are released into the environment by these various waste management units, to enable development of the best sampling strategies for characterizing the waste materials in storage (or released to the environment), and for sampling the environmental media impacted by the release. This series of two modules provides a comprehensive look at waste sampling from start to finish. The first module examines how releases of waste materials occur, why waste sampling is important, and special health and safety considerations that need to be addressed for sampling hazardous materials. This module also provides in-depth discussions of how to design an effective sampling strategy and how to select appropriate sampling devices for drums, tanks and other containers (including rolloffs). The second module provides a similar discussion for developing sampling strategies and selecting appropriate sampling devices for landfills and dumps; waste piles and stockpiles; and lagoons, basins, pits and surface impoundments. In addition, artifactual sampling is discussed for situations where building materials may need to be sampled as part of a site investigation or closure. You may opt to take just one of the modules, but it is strongly recommended that you take both modules in the prescribed order if you want comprehensive coverage of the subject.

Module ES-31 (Total Length: 56 minutes) Price: $159.00    Sign In To Your E-School Account to Register

Waste Sampling Strategies and Methods -- Planning a Waste Sampling Program; Sampling Strategies and Devices for Drums, Tanks and Other Containers

• Short-Term Releases vs. Long-Term Releases to the Environment – Why Understanding How a Contaminant Was Released to the Environmental is Critical in Developing a Sampling Plan
• Common Objectives of Waste Sampling
• Special Planning Issues for Waste Sampling
• Special Health & Safety Considerations
• Sampling Device Selection Criteria – Why Perspectives Change for Waste Sampling
• Sampling Device Options for Liquid Samples
• Sampling Device Options for Solid Materials
• Types of Waste Management Units That May Require Sampling
• Drum, Tank, Container and Dumpster/Roll-Off Sampling Strategies and Precautions
• Advantages and Limitations of Drum Sampling Devices for Liquids and Solids

Module ES-32 (Total Length: 40 minutes)   Price: $159  Sign in to Your E-School Account to Register

Waste Sampling Strategies and Methods -- Sampling Strategies and Devices for Dumps and Landfills; Stockpiles and Waste Piles; Lagoons, Basins and Pits; Artifactual Sampling

• Media Typically Impacted by Dumps and Landfills
• Methods for Accessing Leachate for Sampling
• Devices for Sampling Leachate
• Selecting Locations for Leachate Sampling
• Stockpiles vs. Waste Piles – Why it is Important to Understand How the Pile Was Created
• Media Potentially Impacted by Stockpile or Waste Pile Operations
• Sampling Strategies and Devices for Stockpiles and Waste Piles
• Precautions for Working on or Around Stockpiles or Waste Piles
• Understanding How Lagoons, Basins, Pits and Surface Impoundments are Used at Sites and Why Engineering Design Information is Important in Developing a Sampling Strategy
• Media Impacted by Operation of Surface Impoundments
• Sampling Strategies and Devices for Surface Impoundments
• Understanding What is Meant by Artifactual Sampling
• Objectives of Artifactual Sampling
• Sampling Strategies for Surface Contaminants vs. Penetrating Contaminants
• Unique Sampling Methods and Devices Used for Artifactual Sampling

Total CEUs for Module ES-31: 1 CEU

Total CEUs for Module ES-32: 1 CEU

Collection of soil samples for physical and chemical analysis is a critical component of environmental investigations at many sites, ranging from service stations and drycleaners to landfills and Superfund sites. Traditional soil sample collection and handling methods are subject to significant sources of error and bias that commonly result in compromise of physical characteristics of soils, as wells as gross underestimation of chemical concentrations in soil for a wide range of analytes. Given the magnitude of the decisions that are made based on these data, the technical and economic impacts of using traditional sampling methods can be significant.

This 17-module E-Course covers the topic of soil sampling comprehensively. The first 5 modules of the course set the stage for the remainder of the course by covering preparation of effective sampling and analysis plans for soil; common strategies implemented for sampling soil; field equipment decontamination procedures; and implementation of field quality assurance/quality control protocols to ensure both precision and accuracy in soil sampling events. Field video segments are included for the last two modules.

Modules 6, 7 and 8 cover the science behind soil sampling, with a focus on developing an understanding of the physical and chemical properties of soil samples, how samples should be collected and handled to preserve these properties, how traditional sampling methods can result in significant sources of error in field and lab analyses, and how more up-to-date sampling methods provide much higher confidence in sample analytical results. Also addressed are the limitations of conventional site characterization approaches, the economic and technical advantages of using accelerated/expedited site characterization, and how to determine how many soil borings and samples are enough to satisfy site-specific sampling program objectives.

Modules 9 through 17 cover selection and use of a variety of soil sampling equipment (from hand augers and push-tubes to direct-push and sonic drilling, including numerous ASTM standards on soil sample collection methods); use of US EPA Method 5035B for soil sample collection and preservation for volatile organic compounds; field sample analytical methods for soil samples (including use of immunoassay, analyte-specific field kits, X-Ray fluorescence and field-portable gas chromatographs); soil sample description and handling in the field; soil sample handling and shipment; and documentation of soil sampling events to ensure defensibility of data.

In the field video portions of these modules, students learn how to properly clean soil sampling equipment; how to collect quality control samples; how to collect soil samples for site characterization purposes using direct-push, hollow-stem auger and sonic drilling methods; how to describe and handle soil samples in the field; how to properly package soil samples for shipment to the lab; how to use several methods for field analysis of soil samples; and how to correctly use the volumetric sampling methods and chemical preservation methods required by U.S. EPA Method 5035B for collection and preservation of soil samples for VOC analysis.

Students will be able to immediately apply information provided in this course to field projects where VOCs, SVOCs, trace metals and other analytes are of concern and, in doing so, should significantly improve the quality of data generated during soil investigations so sound decisions can be made in a cost-effective manner.

Modules Included in This E-Course