At the Health Department, there are several other offices that operate on the same property. The highway department, animal control, ESDA, and Tazewell County Resource Center all share the compound. However, the facility is not on a city sewer or septic system. Instead, the waste from all the buildings drains directly into a lagoon, which is regulated by the EPA. For some reason, though, we are responsible for sampling the influent "water" every month. Since the guy that usually does this glamorous task is on medical leave, I was somehow charged with doing it. I took two of the other guys down with me. After all, someone had to hold the bottle while I scooped out a "sample" with a 5-foot pole. and it was windy.
The procedure requires a morning, noon, and afternoon sample (1 liter), which all have to be mixed into a composite sample at the end of the day.
This morning it was fairly pleasant (temperature wise) and the water in the 6-foot deep sample well was mostly clear.
By noon, the temperature had dropped a little and we could clearly see what everyone ate for dinner last night floating in the well. disgusting. I let Nick wield the sample stick this time while I made little gagging noises to cheer him on. Just what you want to be doing before lunch.
The afternoon sample was bone-chillingly brutal. Arctic winds on hands covered with latex gloves are a recipe for frostbite. I won't mention the vegetable medley we discovered in the waters below.
Apparently the inspector who does this routinely gets a bonus for doing so. He deserves every penny.
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