This intensive 32-module E-Course features comprehensive instruction on environmental sampling strategies, methods and equipment used for sampling soil, ground water, surface water, sediment and waste.

The first 7 modules of this E-Course set the stage for the remainder of the course by providing discussions on key terminology used throughout the course and fundamental concepts that will be built upon in subsequent E-Course modules. Topics covered include preparation of effective multi-media environmental sampling and analysis plans; strategies implemented for sampling environmental media in three dimensions; field QA/QC practices; field equipment decontamination procedures; sample handling and shipment; and documentation of environmental sampling events to ensure defensible data. Field video segments are included in most of these modules.

Modules 8 through 17 cover topics specific to soil sampling, including the science behind soil sampling; selection and use of a variety of soil sampling equipment and methods (from hand augers and push-tubes to direct-push and sonic drilling); use of US EPA Method 5035B for soil sample collection and preservation; field sample analytical methods (including use of PIDs for headspace screening, and use of immunoassay, analyte-specific field kits, X-Ray fluorescence and field-portable gas chromatographs); and soil sample description and handling in the field. In the field video portions of these modules, students learn how to collect soil samples for site characterization, remedial design or post-closure purposes using direct-push, sonic drilling and hollow-stem auger drilling methods; how to describe and handle soil samples in the field; 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.

Modules 18 through 27 cover topics specific to ground-water sampling, including the science behind ground-water sampling; water-level measurement; selection and operation of purging and sampling devices; how to properly implement a variety of purging and sampling methodologies (including conventional purging and sampling, low-flow purging and sampling and no-purge sampling); how to measure field water-quality indicator parameters; and sample collection and pre-treatment (filtration and preservation) procedures. The field video portions of these modules focus on the field practices and procedures used to effectively prepare for and implement ground-water sampling events, including well inspections prior to and housekeeping during sampling; water-level measurement; methods for conventional sampling, low-flow purging and sampling, and no-purge sampling; field water-quality indicator measurement; and sample collection, filtration and preservation.

Modules 28 through 32 cover the topics of surface water, sediment and waste sampling, including developing an understanding of aquatic systems and the connections between surface water and sediment; sampling strategies, methods and equipment used for surface water; sampling strategies, methods and equipment used for sediment; and sampling strategies, methods and equipment used for a variety of waste scenarios, including drums and other containers, stockpiles and waste piles, surface impoundments and lagoons, landfill leachate and other waste sources. In the video portions of these modules, students learn how to prepare for a sampling event and how to collect samples of surface water and sediment using a variety of available sampling equipment.

Modules Included in This E-Course