Table II

The bacterial rows

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The rows PA is a property, not a resin Which our catalog cannot confirm So for bacterial work, buy sterile The thiosulfate is in the container before you arrive Which is another reason the bottle is bought, not borrowed Do not rinse a bacterial bottle Below 10 degrees, not below 6 And leave a headspace Eight hours decides where you can sample References

Eight hours. The shortest practical holding time in the table, and it plans the whole day.

The rows

Coliform total and fecal and E. coli, fecal streptococci, enterococci and Salmonella: container PA or G, cool to below 10 degrees C with 0.008 percent sodium thiosulfate, 8 hours.

PA is a property, not a resin

"Any plastic that is made of a sterilizable material (polypropylene or other autoclavable plastic)." The container has to be sterile, which is the whole point for a bacterial count.

Which our catalog cannot confirm

We record material and not autoclavability. 13 polypropylene containers here, which is the resin the footnote names as an example, with no sterilization claim attached.

So for bacterial work, buy sterile

Pre-sterilised sample containers are a product with a documented process behind them, and they are not what a packaging catalog sells. Said plainly rather than left to be discovered.

The thiosulfate is in the container before you arrive

0.008 percent sodium thiosulfate neutralises residual chlorine so the sample stops being disinfected on the way to the laboratory. It is normally supplied in the bottle.

Which is another reason the bottle is bought, not borrowed

A container that arrives with a measured reagent in it is a prepared object. Rinsing it, or filling it to overflowing, removes the reagent and the sample is no longer preserved.

Do not rinse a bacterial bottle

The instinct from every other kind of sampling is to rinse the container with the water being sampled. Here it throws away the thiosulfate and risks the sterility.

Below 10 degrees, not below 6

The bacterial rows differ from most of the table, which says 6 or below. Worth noticing rather than applying one number to everything in the cooler.

And leave a headspace

Unlike the volatile parameters, a bacterial sample is usually filled with room to mix. The laboratory shakes it before plating.

Eight hours decides where you can sample

Collection, transport and the start of analysis within one working day. A remote site, a Friday afternoon or a laboratory two hours away can make a bacterial sample impossible rather than merely difficult.

References

40 CFR 136.3, Table II, selected rows. Oil and grease: G, cool to 6 degrees C or below and acidify to pH below 2, 28 days. Phenols: G, 28 days. Phosphorus (elemental): G, 48 hours. Fluoride: P, no preservation required, 28 days. Silica: P or Quartz, 28 days. Boron: P, FP, or Quartz, nitric acid to pH below 2, 6 months. Cryptosporidium and Giardia: LDPE with field filtration, 1 to 10 degrees C, 96 hours. Dissolved oxygen by probe: G, bottle and top, analyze within 15 minutes. Chlorine, total residual: P, G, analyze within 15 minutes. pH: P, FP, G, analyze within 15 minutes. Coliform and E. coli: PA, G, 8 hours. Hardness: P, FP, G, 6 months. Nitrate: P, FP, G, 48 hours. ecfr.gov

40 CFR 136.3, Table II, "Required Containers, Preservation Techniques, and Holding Times", footnote 1: "'P' is for polyethylene; 'FP' is fluoropolymer (polytetrafluoroethylene [PTFE]; Teflon(R)), or other fluoropolymer, unless stated otherwise in this Table II; 'G' is glass; 'PA' is any plastic that is made of a sterilizable material (polypropylene or other autoclavable plastic); 'LDPE' is low density polyethylene." Footnote 2: "Except where noted in this Table II and the method for the parameter, preserve each grab sample within 15 minutes of collection." ecfr.gov

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. The field sampling shelf is 768 rows: 359 containers and 409 closures. 5 mL to 950 mL with a median of 118; 124 containers at 60 mL or under, 211 at 120 or under, 317 at 500 or under, and nothing above a litre. 146 PET, 108 glass, 92 HDPE, 13 PP, no LDPE and no fluoropolymer. 194 jars, 163 bottles, 2 tubes. 103 clear, 82 white, 52 amber, 34 natural. Closures: 346 continuous thread, 27 dome lids, 14 phenolic, 11 liners and sealing discs, 6 specialty.

Written from 40 CFR 136.3 Table II and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Part 136 governs Clean Water Act compliance monitoring; it is used here for everything else as the best available statement of what a container does to a water sample, not as a rule that binds a student with a creek. Nothing on this shelf is sold precleaned or certified for regulated sampling, and no preservation chemistry is given, because that belongs to the laboratory running the analysis.