How to collect a water sample
Collect the sample the way the laboratory tells you — not the way a blog or a kit box suggests. Water Testing Finder is a directory; we are not the lab and we do not issue bottles.
Call the lab first. Ask for its current instructions, the right containers, hold times, and whether you should use a kitchen tap, a hose bib, or an outside spigot.
Before you touch a faucet
- Order bottles from the lab. Sterile bottles for bacteria are not interchangeable with metals bottles.
- Read the chain of custody. It lists hold time, preservatives, and whether the sample must stay on ice.
- Follow the script. First-draw lead, flushed samples, and well samples each have different steps.
- Label everything. Date, time, location, and your name exactly as the form requires.
- Deliver on time. Mail-in only works if the lab receives the sample inside the hold window.
What we do not do
We do not mail you bottles, interpret your results, or override the lab's method. If two labs give different instructions, follow the lab that will analyze your sample.
Find a certified lab: EPA certified laboratory contacts. County health / Extension may collect well samples locally.