Author
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Russelle, Michael |
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Rugger Jr, Warren |
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Submitted to: Minnesota Water Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2007 Publication Date: 10/23/2007 Citation: Russelle, M.P., Rugger Jr, W.E. 2007. An inexpensive flow-proportional sampler for tipping buckets [abstract]. Minnesota Water Resources Conference, October 23-24, 2007, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. p. 48. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Reliable evaluation of water quality requires accurate assessment of contaminant concentrations, often in conjunction with quantification of flow volume. Short-duration, high-concentration flow events can be missed with occasional grab sampling. Although powered, programmable units that collect samples on a time-, event-, or flow volume-basis are available, they often are not affordable, especially when monitoring several collection sites. We developed a simple, reliable way to collect flow-proportional water samples from tipping buckets, which are used often for flow measurement. The samplers are constructed from readily available materials. It is time-consuming to calibrate and test each collector, but they collect a reasonably constant volume of water per tip. With acid preservation and adequate bag volume, sampling intervals for nitrate can be at least 7 days apart. This new sampler offers a robust, affordable way to collect high-quality samples from subsurface tile drain flows and runoff plots. |
