Field Sampling Procedures for EPA's Pacific Southwest (Region 9)

EPA's Pacific Southwest (Region 9) implements and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 tribal nations.

• Surface Water
• Ground Water
  • Ground Water Investigations Guidance
  • Data Analysis
  • Subsurface Characterization and Monitoring Techniques

Surface Water Procedures

• National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data
  Standard methods for the field analysis of water samples.
• California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM)
  A standardized, cost-effective tool for monitoring and assessing the biological health of streams and wetlands.
• Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP)
  California State Water Resources Control Board site with standard operating procedures and methods for conducting bioassessments of Combined Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Algae in freshwater streams and rivers.
• Fish Sampling and Analysis
  Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories Volume 1: Fish Sampling and Analysis (Third Edition) (pdf) (4.21 MB, November 2000, EPA 823-B-00-007)
  Provides guidance on sampling strategies and analysis procedures for programs monitoring contaminants in fish and shellfish.
• Monitoring and Assessing Water Quality - Volunteer Monitoring
  Guidance for monitoring streams, lakes, estuaries and wetlands.
• Water on the Web
  Online primers for lake, stream ecology and watersheds.
• Handbook for Citizen Science Quality Assurance and Documentation
  The Handbook for Citizen Science Quality Assurance and Documentation is for organizations that are starting or growing a participatory/citizen science project.

Ground Water Procedures

Ground Water Investigations Guidance

• Environmental Response Team Standard Operating Procedures
  Provides an assortment of standard operating procedures for ground water and soil gas sampling.
• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Groundwater Monitoring
  This manual describes procedures that the Agency believes are the most appropriate for designing, installing and operating a ground water monitoring system. Although originally intended for use in RCRA detection monitoring, this guidance may be applied to more general ground water monitoring use.
• Groundwater Sampling Guidelines for Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Project Managers
  Sampling guidelines for the proper collection of well-water samples for laboratory chemical analysis
• Use of Airborne, Surface, and Borehole Geophysical Techniques at Contaminated Sites: A Reference Guide (pdf) (2.45 MB, September 1993, EPA/625/R-92/007)
  Serves as a companion to sections 1 and 3 of EPA's Subsurface Field Characterization and Monitoring Techniques: A Desk Reference Guide. This reference guide describes commonly used geophysical methods in relatively nontechnical terms for non-geophysicists involved in investigating and monitoring contaminated sites and provide guidance on where to find more detailed information on specific methods.
  
• EPA Technology Innovation Program Guidance on Passive Samplers
  Characterization and Monitoring technology tools.

Data Analysis

Statistical Methods in Water Resources: Techniques and Methods 4-A3

• Download the free PDF or purchase a hard copy of the document from the U.S. Geological Survey website

Subsurface Characterization and Monitoring Techniques: A Desk Reference Guide

• Volume 1: Solids and Ground Water Appendices A and B
• Volume 2: The Vadose Zone, Field Screening and Analytical Methods Appendices C and D