Water Quality > Laboratory Services

LABORATORY SERVICES

FEE SCHEDULE

Download PDF of Fee Schedules

The Environmental Services Department’s Laboratory charges a fee for all analyses. The laboratory will provide approved sample containers at no cost; assist clients with the correct sampling techniques, container type, preservation and hold time requirements.

Click here for Do It Yourself Sampling Information.

Samples are accepted from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday thru Friday. The laboratory is unable to accept samples on Holidays. SARA will be closed for the following holidays:

Please contact SARA at 210-227-1373 before bringing in samples.
The laboratory can accept cash or check only, no credit or debit cards please.

¹ Hold Time - the maximum time samples may be held prior to analysis and still be considered valid or not compromised
² 6 hour transit, 2 hour preparation time

Chain of Custody (CoC) Forms

Download PDF of Drinking Water CoC Form
Download PDF of All Other Analysis CoC Form

A Chain of Custody (CoC) form must be turned in when a sample is submitted to the laboratory. If a CoC form does not accompany the sample, a form will be given to the sample deliverer for completion. The CoC form tells the laboratory what analysis are to be performed, who to send the data to and when the samples were collected, along with other important information to process the sample. If you have problems completing the form, just bring in what you have and our staff will be happy to assist you.
The “Drinking Water CoC Form” is used for samples that maybe used for drinking water purposes. All other samples, including bottled water samples, are to be submitted to the laboratory using the “All Other Analysis CoC Form”.

SARA accepts CoC from other agencies, provided the required information is provided.

Other Testing

With advanced notice and prior arrangements, the SARA Environmental Services Division may develop and implement other Chemical and Bacteriological services upon request. For parameters that the SARA Environmental Services Division does not specialize in, we maintained arrangements with other associated laboratories for analytical testing.

Additional Fees

All samples should be submitted by 2:00 p.m. on weekdays. Samples cannot be accepted on holidays, after hours, or weekends unless advance notice is received by the Laboratory Operations Supervisor (210-302-3674 or 210-302-3669). The SARA Laboratory turnaround time for in-house and sub-contract analysis is 10 to 14 working days depending on the number samples and the type of analysis requested. Normal turn around time for Drinking Water Bacteriological samples is three to five days depending on the results of the analysis. When requested, depending on analysis, analysis hold times, and Laboratory workload, an expedited schedule may be arranged and a "Rush Fee" assessed accordingly:

Same day to 3 days 3x Normal Fee 3 to 6 days 2x Normal Fee

References

1. Standard Methods For the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th Edition, 1992
2. Standard Methods For the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 20th Edition, 1998
3. Standard Methods For the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 21th Edition, 2005
4. TCEQ, Surface Water Quality Monitoring Procedures, Volume 1 & 2
5. EPA 815-B97-001, March 1997, Manual for the Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water, Criteria and Procedures Quality Assurance, 4th Ed.
6. EPA Analytical Methods may be viewed at National Environmental Method Index located at http://www.nemi.gov

Pricing

The Environmental Services Division reserves the right to correct misprints or change pricing in this fee schedule. For high volume clients or special projects, pricing may vary from the above. The Environmental Services Division will always make every effort to provide our customers data that is of known and documented quality.

DO-IT-YOURSELF WATER SAMPLING INFORMATION

To Collect a Bacteria Sample

1. Use only an approved sample container provided by the San Antonio River Authority Laboratory. Keep the containers in a clean place before sampling.
2. When and where to sample
   1. Avoid sampling on days that are windy or raining.
   2. Select a faucet, preferably outside (the closest to the water source).
   3. If an inside faucet is used, make sure to remove the screen.
   4. Clean the faucet thoroughly before sampling.
   5. Before sampling, wash your hands.
3. Open the sample faucet to full flow for three minutes to completely clear the line.
4. Reduce water flow to a steady, sprayless stream (do not allow water to splash). Allow water to flow for an additional minute before sampling.
5. Collecting a sample
   Do not rinse the sample container.
   1. Do not touch the inside of the sample container; it is very easy to contaminate the sample container.
   2. Unscrew the top from the container, breaking the seal, without touching the inside of the container top.
   3. Do not remove the sodium thiosulfate tablet from the container.  It is used to dechlorinate the sample. 
   4. Place the top in a clean, dry area so that the inside of the top is not contacted by anything.   
   5. The sample container must have an air space, so fill the container to just above the 100 ml fill line, without splashing.
6. Screw the top back on the container without touching the inside of the top.   
7. If more than one sample is brought in at one time, mark on the bottle to distinguish the samples.
8. Complete the Drinking Water Sample Identification Sheet, provided by SARA.
9. Place the sample in ice and transport it to SARA.
10. The sample should be submitted to the laboratory within 24 hours of sample collection, so that SARA staff can analyze it within the sample’s hold time.
11. Results will be sent to you after the completion of the test.