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Inexpensive Apparatus to Rapidly Collect Water Samples from a Linear‐Design, Plug‐Flow Hatchery Raceway
Author(s) -
Bowker James D.,
Carty Daniel G.,
Bowman Molly P.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
north american journal of aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.432
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1548-8454
pISSN - 1522-2055
DOI - 10.1577/a06-060.1
Subject(s) - raceway , environmental science , inflow , volume (thermodynamics) , pulp and paper industry , materials science , environmental engineering , waste management , composite material , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , mechanics , lubrication
In July 2001, we conducted a study to determine whether a target concentration of chloramine‐T (a waterborne chemical) could be achieved and maintained for 60 min in linear‐design, plug‐flow hatchery raceways (devoid of fish) via a “charged” flow‐through treatment methodology. In each of four independent trials, a raceway was charged to achieve the target concentration by turning off the inflow water (creating a static bath) and manually mixing in a premeasured volume of chloramine‐T stock solution. Water inflow was then turned on, and the target concentration was maintained by metering additional chloramine‐T stock solution into the inflow water via a calibrated chicken‐watering system. To help verify chloramine‐T concentrations during treatment, we built an apparatus to rapidly collect many water samples from throughout a raceway. The apparatus comprised three fixed sampling stations, each of which was equipped with 9 water collection devices (i.e., nine 60‐mL plastic syringes fitted with fixed‐length “suction needles” made of rigid polyvinyl chloride pipe threaded with flexible vinyl tubing) and 9–11 plastic bottles for storing the collected samples. During each of the four 60‐min trials, water samples were collected at elapsed times of 0, 30, and 60 min; thus, 12 sampling events were conducted during the study. During each sampling event, three people (working simultaneously but independently) collected a total of 29 water samples (27 for chloramine‐T dose verification and 2 for quality control). The time for one person to collect 9–11 water samples (50–60 mL per sample) from one sampling station averaged 1.5 min (SD = 0.382; n = 36) and ranged from 0.9 to 2.5 min. The apparatus was inexpensive, easy to build and use, and portable; it ultimately helped us verify the spatial and temporal distribution of chloramine‐T in linear‐design, plug‐flow hatchery raceways during 60‐min charged flow‐through treatments.