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Sampling and Analysis Plan - Guidance and Template v.4 - General Projects - 04/2014

This Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) guidance and template is intended to assist organizations in documenting the procedural and analytical requirements for one-time, or time-limited, projects involving the collection of water, soil, sediment, or other samples taken to characterize areas of potential environmental contamination.

If employed, to be compliant with the QAPP Standard, a QAPP may be formatted to include a combination of a Programmatic QAPP (PQAPP) and a Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP). In this format, the PQAPP describes the information and requirements that are common to multiple sites or projects and the SAP describes any site-specific information. These documents are companions that, when combined, meet the QAPP Standard requirements and must always be paired together.

It is recommended that the PQAPP include a SAP Template to assure that all required information is included in combination of documents. The SAP must include a reference to the PQAPP, including the approval date or version number. In completing the checklist, each element should indicate whether the element is addressed in the PQAPP, SAP, or both. The process for annual reviews, implementation, and revision is identical to the requirements found in the QAPP Standard.

A Microsoft word version of the file is available below:

  • Sampling and Analysis Plan - Guidance and Template v.4 - General Projects (doc) (477 KB, May 2014)
  • Sampling and Analysis Plan Guidance and Template version 4, General Projects (pdf) (685.5 KB, May 2014)

Managing the Quality of Environmental Information

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Last updated on May 15, 2025
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