Planning an Effective Soil Sampling Program – The Sampling & Analysis Plan

Most environmental projects involve the characterization and investigation of the soil and parent geological material present in the subsurface. However, the soil must be viewed as being interconnected with other environmental media including, in particular, ground water. There is a tendency to view each of these media in an isolated manner, which can lead to difficulties in interpreting sample analytical results later. This module focuses on why it is important to think three dimensionally and look at multiple media when developing a sampling plan for a site, and emphasizes the importance of looking at the big picture when planning either an effective “snapshot” sampling event or a long-term sampling program. Writing an effective site-specific Sampling & Analysis Plan is much more involved than just sitting at your desk and “cutting and pasting” procedures that may have been prepared for a variety of other sites – that approach is often doomed to failure. Having a written site-specific Sampling & Analysis Plan for all field personnel to follow is an essential component of technical and legal defensibility and data validation. Upon completing this module, you will understand why a lot more goes into conducting a soil sampling program than simply grabbing whichever person is available in the office and telling them to go fill a series of sample bottles!

Module SS-01 (Total Length: 56 minutes) Price: $159.00 Sign in to Your E-School Account to Register

Planning an Effective Soil Sampling Program – The Sampling & Analysis Plan

  • Think 3-D! Visualizing Behavior of Contaminants in Environmental Media
  • Typical Components of an Soil Sampling Program
  • Preparation of a Site-Specific Sampling & Analysis Plan (SAP) – Why to Write One, What to Include, and What to Avoid
  • Common Objectives of Soil Sampling Programs – Geological and Contaminant Characterization
  • Dealing with the “Analysis” Portion of the SAP – Both Field and Lab Components
  • Selecting Appropriate Parameters and Analytical Methods
  • Understanding the Difference Between PPM vs. PPB vs. PPT and How that Affects Field Procedures
  • Field QA/QC Terminology
  • Details of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to Include in the SAP

Total CEUs for Module SS-01: 1 CEU