Comments from City of…

Comments from City of Hamilton's Hamilton Water Division:
1. OVERALL DOCUMENT COMMENTS
a. Document has been streamlined and organized in a more cohesive way compared to the previous revision. It is much easier to read and find information.
b. Clarify what refrigeration means throughout the document. Does it mean keep samples cool or keep in a mechanical refrigerator. Not sure if all readers will understand the use of the term refrigeration.

2. SECTION SPECIFIC
a. Section 3.4
i. 2nd paragraph final sentence- ‘While the sample is being taken, the exterior of the cap should be held in the sampler’s fingertips.’ Suggest including while the cap is held in the fingertips, keep the open side down facing or pointing away from any unintended sources of contamination. The goal is to minimize potential contamination from unknown sources.

b. Section 3.5.1.
i. Avoid accidental exposure of VOC samples to any type of solvent. For example, avoid filling the vehicle gas tank or being in an area with known high VOCs on a day when VOC sampling will take place.
ii. Suggest the addition of the following - During transportation, do not store VOC bottles with other bottle types that have been solvent rinsed (e.g., NDMA bottles).
iii. Should other samples need to be taken alongside sample bottles that have been rinsed with solvents, VOCs samples should be collected prior to the those being collected in the solvent rinsed bottles.

c. Section 3.6
i. Suggest including - Do not use permanent marker to label VOC vials as markers contain VOCs and can lead to false positives for VOCs. Or labelling should be completed after samples have been collected and vials sealed.