Improved Irrigation Canal Water Sampling System

Project goal: To minimize hazards, increase sampling location accuracy, and decrease cross-contamination when sampling irrigation canal water for microbial analysis. Identifying pathogen vectors in commercial food production and supply chains is critical to maintaining food safety. The designed system is an arm,with an adjustable reach to accommodate different canal widths, mounted on a base that can be positioned over the sampling location, which is scanned by a depth-detection sensor using a dual-beam transducer sonar. Arm and base are fabricated from ASTM A513 Grade B square tubular steel, with a tensile strength of 58 kilopounds per square inch and a flexile strength of 46 kilopounds per square inch. Samples are collected using a 1-liter Nalgene container with a custom closure cap that is 3-D printed in high-density plastic. A bicycle brake was repurposed to build the remote operation assembly, which opens and closes the submerged sample collector.