{"id":25932,"date":"2025-06-25T19:30:32","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T19:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/?page_id=25932"},"modified":"2026-03-09T22:10:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T22:10:25","slug":"water-sampling","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Sampling Instructions"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Sidebar” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”20px||41px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_sidebar area=”et_pb_widget_area_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Squiggle – Aligned Left” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_align=”center” background_enable_color=”off” custom_padding=”||||false|false” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_font_size=”36px” header_font_size_tablet=”32px” header_font_size_phone=”24px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Water Sampling Instructions<\/h1>\n

In order to get the most accurate results, water samples need to be collected properly. This guide will go over some basics when collecting water samples. The CSU Soil, Water, and Plant Testing Laboratory (SWPTL) offers water suitability tests for household drinking water, livestock drinking water, and irrigation waters. Water testing protects the health of people, livestock, and crops and identifies contaminated or polluted waters.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_text=”Download a Print Version Here” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” button_url=”https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/140\/2026\/03\/Instructions-to-Collect-Water-Sample-03052026.pdf” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ locked=”off”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#F1F1F1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_padding=”|1%||1%|false|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text quote_border_weight=”4px” quote_border_color=”#F15625″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” quote_text_color=”#414141″ quote_font_size=”18px” header_2_font_size=”36px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Tools<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. \u00a0Clean plastic bottles (12 oz. to 16 oz.). The bottle should be durable and seal tightly. Please do not mail samples in GLASS BOTTLES or PLASTIC BAGS. Water sampling bottles are available at many\u202fColorado State University Extension offices. Also, bottles may be obtained directly from the laboratory by emailing soiltestinglab@colostate.edu<\/a> or calling 970 491-5061. You will be responsible for the shipping cost of the bottles<\/li>\n
  2. Permanent marker<\/li>\n
  3. Cooler (insulating material) and\/or icepacks<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Sample Collection<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    To collect a sample for irrigation, livestock or household drinking water follow these steps:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Label all sample bottles with your name and collection date, time, and site.<\/li>\n
    2. Select a faucet and run the water for five to ten minutes. This flushes out the water that is standing in the plumbing. Samples from lake, streams, and ponds should be taken from below the surface.<\/li>\n
    3. Rinse the bottle three time with water from the faucet by filling it about one third full, screw the cap and shake the bottle few times. Dump all the water and repeat this procedure two more times to completely rinse the bottle.<\/li>\n
    4. After rinsing the bottle tree time, fill the bottle to the top and screw the cap tightly to prevent leakage.<\/li>\n
    5. Refrigerate the sample until you are ready to send (mail) or drop it at the laboratory<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_padding=”|1%||1%|false|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/140\/2025\/07\/Water-Sample-Cleaning.jpg” alt=”Person cleaning out sample collection bottle” title_text=”Water-Sample-Cleaning” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/140\/2025\/07\/Water-Sample-Refrigeration.jpg” alt=”Water coolers, stryofoam and hard plastic, with an ice pack, empty water bottles, a sharpie, and a plastic bag. ” title_text=”Water-Sample-Refrigeration” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_padding=”|1%||1%|false|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

      Prepare Sample for shipping<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. Fill out submission form<\/li>\n
      2. Place bottle(s) in a plastic bag<\/li>\n
      3. Place bottle(s) and submission form in a sturdy box<\/li>\n
      4. Ship samples with insulating material or an icepack. When shipping samples, collect samples
        later in the afternoon and ship them the same day via overnight delivery to allow for samples to
        arrive at the laboratory within 30 hours from collection and within temperature requirements.<\/li>\n
      5. Seal the box with packing tape and mail to the address in the submission form.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Payment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        Payment is expected at the time of sample(s) submission. Purchase orders are accepted for city offices, landscape companies, crop and environmental consultants, schools and universities.<\/p>\n

        With the exception of existing accounts, all other sample submissions must be accompanied with a check or money order made payable to Colorado State University\u202ffor the total amount due.<\/p>\n

        For information about purchase orders or payment, contact the SWPTL at soiltestinglab@colostate.edu or 970 491-5061.<\/p>\n

        Dropping or Mailing Address:<\/h3>\n

        Soil Water and Plant Testing Lab<\/p>\n

        Terra Building T 3-16<\/p>\n

        4780 National Western Drive<\/p>\n

        Denver, CO 80216<\/p>\n

        [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \t\t

        \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tWater Sampling Instructions In order to get the most accurate results, water samples need to be collected properly. This guide will go over some basics when collecting water samples. The CSU Soil, Water, and Plant Testing Laboratory (SWPTL) offers water suitability tests for household drinking water, livestock drinking water, and irrigation waters. Water testing protects […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":0,"parent":23318,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25932","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWater Sampling Instructions - Soil Testing Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Water Sampling Instructions - Soil Testing Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Water Sampling Instructions In order to get the most accurate results, water samples need to be collected properly. This guide will go over some basics when collecting water samples. The CSU Soil, Water, and Plant Testing Laboratory (SWPTL) offers water suitability tests for household drinking water, livestock drinking water, and irrigation waters. Water testing protects […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Soil Testing Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-09T22:10:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\\\/water-sampling\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\\\/water-sampling\\\/\",\"name\":\"Water Sampling Instructions - Soil Testing Lab\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-25T19:30:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-09T22:10:25+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\\\/water-sampling\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\\\/water-sampling\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\\\/water-sampling\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Soil, Water and Plant Testing Laboratory\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Water Sampling Instructions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/\",\"name\":\"Soil Testing Lab\",\"description\":\"Just another College of Agricultural Sciences site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/agsci.colostate.edu\\\/soiltestinglab\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Water Sampling Instructions - Soil Testing Lab","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Water Sampling Instructions - Soil Testing Lab","og_description":"Water Sampling Instructions In order to get the most accurate results, water samples need to be collected properly. This guide will go over some basics when collecting water samples. The CSU Soil, Water, and Plant Testing Laboratory (SWPTL) offers water suitability tests for household drinking water, livestock drinking water, and irrigation waters. Water testing protects […]","og_url":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/","og_site_name":"Soil Testing Lab","article_modified_time":"2026-03-09T22:10:25+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/","url":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/","name":"Water Sampling Instructions - Soil Testing Lab","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-25T19:30:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-09T22:10:25+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/soil-water-plant-testing-laboratory\/water-sampling\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Soil, Water and Plant Testing Laboratory","item":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Water Sampling Instructions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/#website","url":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/","name":"Soil Testing Lab","description":"Just another College of Agricultural Sciences site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25932"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25932\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26053,"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25932\/revisions\/26053"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agsci.colostate.edu\/soiltestinglab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}