2007 Ground Water Summit

Monday, April 30, 2007 : 1:20 p.m.

HydraSleeve, A New No-Purge Ground Water Sampler for all Contaminants

Kent Cordry, GeoInsight Inc.

An inexpensive, disposable sampler has been developed that provides representative ground-water samples for all compounds without well purging.  The HydraSleeve collects a sample of water from a defined interval within the well screen with minimal disturbance and no mixing of the water column.  The sampler is placed in the well prior to sample collection and left in place until the well has returned to passive conditions.  When the sampler is recovered, a groundwater “core” is collected from a user defined vertical and horizontal interval (usually within the well screen).  Once full the sampler closes, preventing the entry of extraneous fluids from other zones.  A single HydraSleeve can be used to obtain a sample from a specified vertical interval within the well screen or several of the samplers can be “stacked” to provide a vertical contaminant profile in both monitoring and production wells.

A recent study at McClellan Air Force Base California, compared results using HydraSleeve and other passive sampling methods to low-flow and traditional volume purging in the same well.  The report concluded the HydraSleeve provided equivalent or more conservative sample concentrations than low-flow or fixed volume purging.   It was also the least expensive and simplest to use.

Because the HydraSleeve collects a sample without purging and with minimal disturbance to the water column it provides an excellent, low turbidity, alternative to purging in slow recharging wells.  Using the HydraSleeve typically reduces field-sampling costs by 50 to 80% compared to traditional fixed volume purge methods. 

Kent Cordry, GeoInsight Inc. Kent Cordry has been active in the ground-water monitoring field for over 25 years. He is president of GeoInsight; a 15 year old company that focuses primarily on the development and production of direct-push equipment. He holds ten patents, including those covering the HydroPunch I, HydroPunch II, and HydraSleeve. In 1996, he received the NGWA’s Technology Award for his contributions to the ground-water industry. Mr. Cordry spent 10 years as an environmental consultant, serving as project manager/senior hydrogeologist, managing site assessments throughout the United States. Prior to working as a consultant, Mr. Cordry served as a division manager for a Midwestern drilling company. He is a Certified Professional Geologist and Certified Drilling Contractor.


The 2007 Ground Water Summit