The
Snap Sampler--a passive groundwater sampling
system that saves money and improves data quality.
We're
updating our website to help you find
the information you need.
There
are new data
comparisons and links and downloads
of third-party testing.
2008
pricing includes the new
350 ml Snap Sample Bottles, plus the
NEW electric
trigger!
Our
"Pilot to Purchase Program" (P3)
allows you to try the Snap Sampler at low cost.
We
hope these updates help you understand why we
consider the Snap Sampler to have the best
balance of cost and data quality
among active and passive
groundwater samplers available today.
Now,
a passive sampler that seals
IN SITU...
improving both data quality and field
repeatability
The
US Army Corps-led Environmental Security Technology
Certification Program (ESTCP) project is now
generating great data sets that illustrate how the Snap
Sampler compares to traditional and low flow purge sampling.
Some of our users and
their consultants include: The
US Army
The US Navy
The US Air Force
The US EPA
The US Department of Energy
The California Department of
Toxic Substances Control
The Missouri Department of
Natural Resources
The Water Replenishment
District of Southern California
Alberta Department of
Environment
The University of Waterloo
The British Geological
Survey
Eastman Kodak
ExxonMobil
Shell
United Technologies
Corporation
Olin Corporation
Arcadis-BBL
CH2M Hill
Connestoga Rovers Associates
ERM
GES
MACTEC
Montgomery Watson
Secor
TNA
TriHydro
Veolia
THE
LATEST SNAP SAMPLER NEWS:
The
**New** ITRC Passive Sampler Document is Out!
The Interstate Technology and Regulatory
Council, a state-regulator-led organization, has
completed the:
More
news is included below after the technology
description...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SNAP
SAMPLING IS A "SNAP"
Why
is passive, no-purge, sampling with the Snap Sampler
such a "Snap?"
Passive
sampling relies on natural flow-through in the well and
"passive" re-equilibration between the well
and aquifer before collecting samples. No water is
pumped from the well, so you don't need pumping
equipment or heavy waste containers. Sampling
takes 5-15 minutes per well and you have virtually no
preparatory logistics for equipment--you really
don't even need a truck. That's why sampling
with the Snap is a Snap.
The Snap Sampler takes "passive" a
step further by sealing the sample in situ--eliminating the
pour step at the well head. As a result, Snap
Samples are truer to the condition of the sample while
it is still in the well. You don't add artifacts
from pouring under variable weather conditions, seasons,
or the technique of the field sampler.
Is
it OK to sample without purging?
Academic research, EPA, and ASTM guidance indicates
flow-through in the well screen is normal and usual*.
In most circumstances truly "stagnant" water
is present only in blank well casing above the
screen. The sceen interval inside the well normally contains free
flowing formation water.
*ASTM,
2002, Standard Practice for Low-Flow Purging and
Sampling and Devices Used fro Ground-Water Quality
Investigations, ASTM designation D-6771-02.
*Powell
and Puls, 1993, Passive Sampling of Groundwater
Monitoring Wells Without Purging: Multilevel Well
Chemistry and Tracer Disappearance. Journal
of Contaminant Hydrology 12: 51-77.
*Puls and Barcelona, 1996, Low-Flow (Minimal Drawdown)
Ground-Water Sampling Procedures, USEPA Ground Water
Issue Paper, EPA/540/S-95/504.
*Robin and Gillham, 1987, Field Evaluation of Well
Purging Procedures, Ground
Water Monitoring Review, v. 7, no. 4, p.
85-93.
The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC)
has been providing guidance and information on passive
technologies for several years. The web site ds.ITRCWEB.org
contains plentiful
information on the efficacy of passive
technologies. Numerous studies show that many
passive methods are comparable to purge methods.
So, yes, using the right techniques, you cansample effectively without purging.
Other pages on this web site illustrate the utility of
the Snap Sampler, its cost-effectiveness, and how to
contact us to conduct a trial at a specific site.
Cost
comparison information is available, as well as
information on new developments with the Snap Sampler,
including the 125 ml Snap Sampler and NEW 350 ml Snap
Sampler for your non-VOC needs.
Please take some time to learn from this website about
available information and tools, such as the Site Data
Comparisons, Frequently Asked Questions, downloadable
Cost Calculator, downloadable Standard Operating
Procedure, links to other sites of interest.
We hope this information is helpful, and thanks for
coming by! We
welcome feedback on the product and the site, please
go to the "Contacts" page to send us a note
or you can always call us at 585-385-0023
(8am-6pm Eastern).
Parsons' 2005
McClellan Air Force Base Study:
the Snap Sampler returned the best R2
correlations with low flow and volume purging of all the
sampling methods tested.
Parsons described
the Snap Sampler data as "...more
consistently representative of the actual VOC
concentrations in the well at the time of sample
collection."
the
"Comparison"
pages include more detail on the study, and the Parsons
report can be downloaded in its entirety
Find
out how the Snap Sampler works and how it could help you
improve your monitoring program cost and consistency!
