Groundwater sampling
- Fact sheet
- August 2015
Water Allocation Plans (WAPs) for the Mallee, Peake, Roby & Sherlock Prescribed Wells Area, and Marne-Saunders and Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resource Areas require all licence holders to provide an annual water sample from each active licensed well. This sample is used to analyse salinity, which helps with monitoring water quality trends over time. Stock and domestic wells do not need to be sampled.
By following the sampling procedure in this factsheet, samples taken from each well will be representative of the local groundwater.
Results
Once the water sample(s) will be tested for salinity, the results will be uploaded and made available for viewing at waterconnect.sa.gov.au
The results will be used when developing the annual water use report for the Prescribed Areas. This report is available on the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board website (details below), or can be supplied upon request.
Procedure
Please follow these steps when taking a water sample from each licensed well:
- Use one sample bottle per active licensed well, as listed on the water licence. We provide sample bottles, and will advise you by letter of the pickup and drop-off location(s)
- Rinse all equipment, including the sample bottle, with the water to be tested before collecting the final sample. It is preferable to rinse the sample bottle three times.
- Purge or bail the bore (or well) according to the process in the bore purging factsheet (link below). It is important to allow time for groundwater to replenish the bore before collecting a sample.
- Carefully label all sampling containers with the following information:
- sampling date
- name of licence (Permit) holder
- Licence (Permit) number
- unit/well or bore number
- meter serial number can be noted in “Remarks”
- notes on any problems encountered during sampling.
5. Return each sample to the advised drop-off location by the date outlined in the letter.
More information
We have developed a range of factsheets about water licensing to assist you with managing your water resources. See the related links below.