Water Quality Testing Procedures

• Bill received a new job working for the water utility and was tasked with taking samples of the local drinking water for quality testing.
• He was unsure how to properly collect samples and dropped the lid on the ground, potentially contaminating the sample.
• After the sample was collected, Bill put the sample in a cardboard box and shipped it to the testing facility, where the test failed.
• The local news notifies the public that the town's drinking water has failed to pass its quality test and it's potentially contaminated.
• It's recommended the town avoids cooking with or drinking tap water without boiling it and that everyone takes precautions when showering or brushing their teeth.
• This type of situation can lead to some very real consequences. If the standard operating procedure had been followed, the sample would have been collected correctly and the test would have passed.

Test your knowledge on proper procedures for collecting and shipping drinking water samples for quality testing. Learn how following standard operating procedures can prevent potential contamination and failed tests.