Sampling drinking water

Taking samples of drinking water must be done in accordance with § 15 Abs. 4 of the German law “Trinkwasserverordnung” and be conducted by qualified samplers who have been trained and who are associated with a laboratory with quality management.

The NORDUM Akademie has been conducting training sessions to sampling drinking water for the past 15 years and has helped participants of general open sessions as well and in-house training events to solidify their knowledge and skills in sampling. In our basic course there is also a test they need to take. Many participants return to us after 5 years to refresh their skills in a NORDUM course.

The latest changes to the drinking water ordinance (updated in 2018) are discussed in the theoretical part of the session. The course content meets the requirements of independent groups in Germany and also the stipulations of the Germany Accreditation Center (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle) as set out in the paper of the DAkkS-Dokument 71 SD 4 011. The program is divided into theoretical and practical parts.

Group practice exercises in the practical part

Collecting samples for chemical, chemical-physical, and micro-biological parameters

• Selecting containers to use for taking samples, sample preparation and conservation, techniques of collection of micro-biological and chemical parameters at different taps points – such as checking for Legionella (households), hydrants, or a sampling board to practice on.
• Determining on-site parameters such as temperature, electric conductivity, pH levels, chlorine
• General sensor technology
• Documenting results, quality control

(Five instructors with special knowledge) were particularly helpful in helping the participants understand the comprehensive theoretical content of the seminar. When working on micro-biological testing, especially for Legionella, we use a sampling board. Participants also were very interested in taking samples from hydrants.