Why You NEED Take YOUR OWN Stormwater Samples!

Taking Your Own Stormwater Samples vs Hiring Someone: 5 Reasons You Should Be Doing It Yourself

If your business is covered under an NPDES stormwater permit, you've likely asked this question before: Should we take our own stormwater samples, or pay someone else to do it for us?

Maybe you’re shopping for a consultant right now. Or maybe you're frustrated with the company you’ve been relying on to grab samples, missed storms, inconsistent results, unclear documentation, and you’re wondering if there's a better way.

Here’s the truth: for most industrial facilities, the best person to take your stormwater samples… is you!

In this article, we’re breaking down the top 5 reasons why you should be taking your own stormwater samples, and why relying on an outside lab or environmental consultant might be a riskier move than you think.

Whether you’ve never taken your own samples before or you're thinking of making a change, you’ll walk away from this with a clearer sense of what’s best for your site.

“Can You Catch Our Fish For Us?”

Here at RMA, one of the most frequent questions we get from prospective clients is, “Can your team come out and take our required stormwater samples for us?” This usually comes from someone who’s frustrated. Maybe they’re getting bad lab results and don’t know why. Maybe they’ve always outsourced sampling and never considered doing it themselves. Or maybe they’re dealing with an inspection or violation and don’t know where to turn.

And while we could absolutely say yes and charge for that service, we never do. In fact, we’ve built our entire approach around helping our clients take control of their own compliance, including sampling. There’s a simple reason for that. If we come out and take your samples for you, we’re giving you a quick fix, but not long-term control. It’s like handing someone a fish instead of teaching them how to fish. You’re fed for the day, but next time a storm hits, you’re stuck calling us again.

We’d rather teach your team how to take their own stormwater samples. That might sound intimidating, especially if you don’t think anyone on your staff has the background or training. But the truth is, most facility staff can absolutely learn to do this well with a bit of guidance and the right tools.

And the benefits go far beyond saving a few (or a lot) of dollars every month, quarter, or whenever you have to sample.

Taking your own samples gives you more control, faster response times, better insight into what’s happening on-site, and a stronger compliance posture overall (and it's cheaper by a lot).

The Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Taking Your Own Stormwater Samples

So what exactly are those benefits? Why do we push back when someone wants to pay us to do their sampling? Here are five clear reasons why we believe you should take your own stormwater samples, and why hiring an outside party might be doing your compliance more harm than good.

Reason #1: You’re the One With the Most to Lose

Let’s start with the most important reason of all: It’s your permit, your responsibility, and your risk. When something goes wrong - a failed lab result, a missed storm event, a bad sample - it’s not the consultant who gets fined. It’s not the lab tech who ends up with a Notice of Violation. It’s you. Your business. Your name on the permit. That alone should be enough reason to keep this critical task in your own hands.

Too often, we see companies outsource their sampling to labs or consulting firms, assuming that a professional will show up and handle it the right way. But in reality? Many of these firms send out their lowest-paid field staff, folks who may have little training, minimal context about your site, and zero vested interest in your results. We've seen summer interns, junior staff, and even subcontractors taking client's samples - all to (generally) bad results! And when it’s raining sideways and they’re out grabbing a sample? Are they focused on technique and accuracy, or just trying to get the job done and get back to the truck?

The unfortunate truth is this: bad samples happen all the time. We’ve seen it over and over again. But when those samples come back dirty or invalid, you’re the one who pays the price. Whether it’s extra sampling, corrective actions, or regulatory scrutiny - the consequences fall squarely on your shoulders, not theirs.

That’s why we believe so strongly in putting control back in your hands. When your own team is trained and prepared to take samples, you’re not relying on someone else to protect your compliance. You own it, and that makes all the difference.

Reason #2: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

One of the biggest objections we hear is, “No one on our team knows how to take stormwater samples.” And that might be true... right now. But here’s the good news: stormwater sampling isn’t rocket science.

Yes, your staff will need training. Yes, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. But we’ve trained hundreds of people across all kinds of industries to take accurate, compliant stormwater samples, and most of them had never done it before, either.

The truth is, if you’ve got someone on-site who’s reasonably sharp, pays attention to detail, and is willing to learn, we can teach them how to do this. Not just once, but every time, the right way. You don’t need to be a scientist. You don’t need an environmental degree. What you do need is someone who understands why good sampling matters and has been shown how to avoid the most common mistakes. That’s where we come in.

And here’s the kicker: a lot of those so-called “professionals” you might be paying to take samples for you? They might not even have the level of training we could provide you! They might not be doing it any better. In fact, they might be doing it worse! Just because you’re outsourcing doesn’t mean you’re getting expertise. In many cases, you’re just getting someone who’s less invested in doing it right than your own team would be.

Reason #3: Timing Matters (and Outside Parties Can’t Guarantee It)

Stormwater sampling isn’t just about grabbing water. There are strict technical requirements for when and where samples must be collected. And unless you’re prepared to pay a small fortune, most outside sampling services simply can’t meet those standards.

In most cases, samples must be taken shortly after discharge begins, not just whenever you make it to that outfall. That means knowing when your site’s discharge actually starts, which could be minutes... or hours... after the first drops hit. That kind of accuracy requires one thing: local knowledge. Outside consultants and labs don’t have that. They don’t know how water flows across your site, where your outfalls are, or when discharge typically occurs. And most aren’t going to wait around in the rain to figure it out. And if they do, they're going to charge you for it!

We’ve seen it all - consultants who show up hours late, or even the next day. We’ve seen “samples” pulled from puddles, drainage ditches, or completely the wrong location. That might (incorrectly) check a box on their form, but for your permit, it could mean invalid data, noncompliance, and potential enforcement. And if the firm tells you upfront, “We can’t guarantee we’ll be there at the right time,” that’s not just a disclaimer - it’s a red flag!

When your own team handles sampling, they’re already on-site. They know the layout. They know when an outfall is going to start discharging. They can act quickly, monitor conditions, and take samples within the permitted window. And with the right training, they’ll know exactly how to do it correct each and every time you need that sample taken. Don’t leave timing (and your compliance) up to chance.

Reason #4: Real-Time Judgement Calls Should Be In Your Hands

This one’s a little more subtle, but it’s just as critical. Your permit might only require sampling once per quarter or once per month, depending on your state and sector. But stormwater discharge can happen any time it rains, which means you always need to be ready to make a judgement call. That’s where in-house awareness makes all the difference.

If your trained team member heads out to take a sample and notices something’s off, maybe a sheen on the water, maybe excessive sediment - they’re in the best position to decide what to do next. Should they grab a sample and hope it doesn’t blow your benchmarks? Or should they pause, investigate the issue, improve your Best Management Practices (BMPs), and wait for the next compliant sampling opportunity?

Let’s be clear: we’re not saying you should skip required samples to avoid bad data. What we are saying is that your team has a vested interest in doing this right. A trained internal sampler can spot issues, connect the dots, and take corrective action, all before that water goes to the lab.

Most third-party sampling crews won’t do that. They’re not trained to assess your BMPs. They’re not incentivized to protect your benchmark results. In many cases, they’re just there to get a bottle filled and move on. Your staff, on the other hand, can act like an early warning system. They know what “normal” looks like on your site. And with a bit of training, they’ll be able to spot red flags and help prevent bigger problems down the road.

Reason #5: You Can Take More Samples, Without Breaking the Bank

Most stormwater permits require at least one sample per monitoring period, whether that’s quarterly, monthly, or otherwise. But here’s what a lot of people overlook: you’re (almost always) allowed to take as many samples as you want during that period.

Now, if you’ve hired an outside firm to take your samples, you’ll probably only get one - the bare minimum. Why? Because every additional sample means more cost. More site visits. More invoices. More budget blown. But when you take samples in-house, that equation changes. You control the process. You control the cost. And you gain a powerful compliance advantage.

Let’s say you grab your first sample early in the quarter, and the results aren’t great. Instead of crossing your fingers until the next monitoring period, you can review your BMPs, make improvements, and then collect another sample later in the period to confirm that your fixes worked. That second sample could be the difference between showing progress and showing a problem.

Now, a word of caution here: every sample you take, whether good or bad, must be reported. Throwing out bad results, hiding data, or “sampling until you get a clean one” is illegal and we want nothing to do with that. Neither should you. But if you’re playing it straight and trying to improve your outcomes over time, having the flexibility to take multiple samples can be a huge help. And you’ll only have that flexibility if your team is trained and ready to act. Yet another reason why internal sampling just makes sense.

Ready to Take Control of Your Stormwater Sampling?

If you’ve made it this far, we hope it’s clear: having your own staff trained to take stormwater samples isn’t just possible, it’s the smartest move you can make. You’ll stay compliant. You’ll reduce risk. You’ll cut costs. And most importantly, you’ll be in control of your own results.

At RMA, we’ve helped hundreds of companies train internal staff - from field operators to EHS managers - to become confident, competent stormwater samplers. We can do the same for you. We’ll give you everything you need to sample correctly, consistently, and cost-effectively, in full compliance with your permit.

Ready to get started? Reach out using our contact form, give us a call, or book a time to talk. We’ll walk you through how our stormwater training works, and how you can become the expert your site needs.