Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA) and Publications Catalogue

The SCA comprises a series of working groups who provide authoritative guidance on methods of sampling and analysis for determining the quality of environmental matrices.

• SCA Charter (PDF, 13KB)
• SCA Terms of reference (PDF, 12KB)

  Guidance is published as Blue Books within the series Methods for the Examination of Waters and Associated materials.

  Get involved

  If you would like to get involved in the development and drafting of these documents or you have any suggestions for topics that you believe the SCA should consider, please contact the Secretary, Mark Gale. In addition, if you consider that previous SCA documents should be reviewed or revised, please contact the Secretary with an indication of your willingness to participate.

  Original copies of blue books are now no longer available from the Environment Agency.  However, photocopies may be obtained from the British Library Document Supply Service.

  Blue Books

  The latest Blue Books are only available as downloadable PDF documents.

  • Index of SCA Blue Book methods (February 2011) (PDF, 80KB)
    List of blue books available. Please contact us if you wish to receive advance notice of forthcoming SCA publications
    
  • Documents currently under development with SCA
    Listed in this section are draft documents currently under development within the Standing Committee of Analysts (SCA). All drafts are at various stages of development and the text of each draft will change before final publication.

  Blue Book 238 (Replaces Blue Book 212)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2012) - Part 7 – Methods for the enumeration of heterotrophic bacteria (March 2012) (PDF, 514KB)

  Blue Book 237 (Replaces Blue Book 229)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2012) - Part 5 –Methods for the Isolation and enumeration of enterococci (March 2012) (PDF, 532KB)

  Blue Book 236 (Replaces Blue Book 217)

  • Index of Methods for the Examination of Waters and Associated Materials 1976-2011 (PDF, 638KB)

  Blue Book 235 (See also Blue Book 214)

  • The determination of cyanide and thiocyanate in soils and similar matrices (2011) (PDF, 472KB)

  Blue Book 234 (Replaces Blue Book 224)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2010) - Part 14 - Methods for the isolation, identification and enumeration of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts (PDF, 1.72MB)

  Blue Book 233 (See Blue Books 41, 156,171, 196 and 197)

  • The determination of taste and odour in drinking waters (2010) (PDF, 1.35MB)

  Blue Book 232 (Replaces Blue Book 177)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2010) - Part 2 - Practices and procedures for sampling (PDF, 930KB)

  Blue Book 231 (Replaces Blue Book 183)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2010) - Part 8 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Aeromonas and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by membrane filtration (PDF, 616KB) 

  Blue Book 230 (Replaces Blue Book 222)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2010) - Part 6 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of sulphite-reducing clostridia and Clostridium perfringens by membrane filtration (PDF, 1.3MB)

  Blue Book 229 (Replaces Blue Books 202 and 180)

  replaced by Blue Book 237

  Blue Book 228

  • The determination of easily liberated sulphide in soils and similar matrices (2010) (PDF, 444KB)

  Blue Book 227

  • The determination of acrylamide in waters using chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (2009) (PDF, 150KB)

  Blue Book 226

  • The determination of metaldehyde in waters using chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (2009) (PDF, 612KB)

  Blue Book 225 (replaces Blue Book 221)

  • The direct toxicity assessment of aqueous environmental samples using the Skeletonema costatum marine water algal growth inhibition test (2009) (PDF, 361KB)

  Blue Book 224 (replaces Blue Book 172)

  replaced by Blue Book 234

  Blue Book 223 (replaces Blue Book 179)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2009) - Part 4 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli (including E. coli O157:H7) (PDF, 1MB)

  Blue Book 222

• replaced by Blue Book 230

  Blue Book 221

• replaced by Blue Book 225

  Blue Book 220

  • The Determination of Steroid Oestrogens in Waters using Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (2008) (PDF, 530KB)

  Blue Book 219

  • The Direct Toxicity Assessment of Aqueous Environmental Samples using the Pseudokirchneriella Subcapitata Freshwater Algal Growth Inhibition Test (2008) (PDF, 280KB)

  Blue Book 218

  • The Chemical Disinfecting Agents in Waters and Effluents (2008) (PDF, 470KB)

  Blue Book 217

  • replaced by Blue Book 236

  Blue Book 216 (see Blue Book 215)

  • An Inter-Laboratory Trial on Chemical Oxygen Demand Determinations (2007) (PDF, 6MB)

  Blue Book 215 (Revises Blue Books 4 and 97, see also Blue Book 216)

  • The Determination of Chemical Oxygen Demand In Waters and Effluents (2007) (PDF, 6MB)

  Blue Book 214 (See also Blue Book 235)

  • The Determination of Cyanide in Waters and Associated Materials (2007) (PDF, 740KB)

  Blue Book 213

  replaced by Blue Book 230

  Blue Book 212 (replaces Blue Book 182)

  replaced by Blue Book 238

  Blue Book 211

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2007) - Part 13 - The isolation and enumeration of aerobic spore-forming bacteria by membrane filtration (PDF, 240KB)

  Blue Book 210 (replaces Blue Book 205)

  • The Direct Toxicity Assessment of Aqueous Environmental Samples using the Marine Copepod Tisbe Battagliai Lethality Test (2007) (PDF, 1MB)

  Blue Book 209 (replaces Blue Book 203)

  • The Direct Toxicity Assessment of Aqueous Environmental Samples Using the Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Embryo-Larval Development Test (2007) (PDF, 1.5MB)

  Blue Book 208

  • The Direct Toxicity Assessment of Aqueous Environmental Samples using the Juvenile Daphnia Magna Immobilisation Test (2007) (PDF, 1.4MB)

  Blue Book 207

  • Determination of the Inhibitory Effect of Chemicals, Industrial and Other Waste Waters on Nitrification by Nitrosomonas Bacteria (2006) (PDF, 310KB)

  Blue Book 206 (replaces Blue Book 194)

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2006) - Part 9 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Salmonella and Shigella by selective enrichment, membrane filtration and multiple tube-most probable number techniques (PDF, 580KB)

  Blue Book 205

  • replaced by Blue Book 210

  Blue Book 204

  • The Determination of Metals in Solid Environmental Samples (ZIP 1.83Mb)

  Blue Book 203

  replaced by Blue Book 209class="downloadable">

  Blue Book 202

  • replaced by Blue Book 229 

  Blue Book 201

  • The Preparation and Pre-treatment of Potentially Contaminated Soils prior to Chemical Analysis (2006) (PDF, 110KB)

  Blue Book 200

  • The Determination of Legionella Bacteria in Waters and other Environmental Samples (2005) - Part 1 - Rationale of surveying and sampling (PDF, 380KB)

  Blue Book 199

  • The Assessment of Aerobic Biodegradability by Measurement of Dissolved and/or Gaseous Inorganic Carbon in Sealed Vessels (2005) (PDF, 300KB)

  Blue Book 198

  • Guidance on the measurement of tritium in environmental samples (2005)

  Blue Book 197

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) - Part 12 - Methods for the isolation and enumeration of micro-organisms associated with taste, odour and related aesthetic problems (PDF, 750KB)

  Blue Book 196

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2004) Part 11 - Taste, odour and related aesthetic problems (PDF, 420KB)

  Blue Book 195 (replaces Blue Book No 191)

  • The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2004) - Part 4 - Methods for the detection, isolation and enumeration of Salmonellae (PDF, 1.1MB)

  Blue Book 194

  • replaced by Blue Book 206

  Blue Book 193

  • A Guide to Practices, Procedures and Methodologies following Oil Spill Contamination Incidents (PDF, 5.4MB)

  Blue Book 192

  • replaced by Blue Book 230

  Blue Book 191

  •  replaced by Blue Book 195

  Blue Book 190

  • The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 3. Methods for the isolation and enumeration of Escherichia coli, including verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (PDF, 820KB)

  Blue Book 189

  • The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 2. Practices and procedures for sampling and sample preparation (PDF, 290KB)

  Blue Book 188

  • The Microbiology of Sewage Sludge (2003) - Part 1. An overview of the treatment and use in agriculture of sewage sludge in relation to its impact on the environment and public health (PDF, 350KB)

  Blue Book 187

  • The Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls by Gas Chromatography using Mass Spectrometric Detection (2003) (PDF, 1.1MB)

  Blue Book 186

  • The Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil by Dichloromethane Extraction using Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric Detection (2003) (PDF, 370KB)

  Blue Book 185

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 10 - Methods for the isolation of Yersinia, Vibrio and Campylobacter by selective enrichment (PDF, 140KB)

  Blue Book No 184

  • replaced by Blue Book 206

  Blue Book 183

  • replaced by Blue Book 231

  Blue Book 182

  • replaced by Blue Book 212

  Blue Book 181

  • replaced by Blue Book 230

  Blue Book 180

  • replaced by Blue Book 229

  Blue Book 179

  • replaced by Blue Book 223

  Blue Book 178

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 3 - Practices and procedures for laboratories (PDF, 330KB)

  Blue Book 177

  • replaced by Blue Book 232

  Blue Book 176

  • The Microbiology of Drinking Water (2002) - Part 1 - Water Quality and Public Health (PDF, 200KB)

  Blue Book 175

  • The Microbiology of Recreational and Environmental Waters (2000) (PDF, 310KB)

  Blue Book 174

  • The Determination of Organochlorine Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Waters and Complex Matrices (2000) (PDF, 730MB)

  Blue Book 173

  • The Determination of Tritium (tritiated water) Activity Concentration by Alkaline Distillation and Liquid Scintillation Counting 1999 (PDF, 40KB)

  Blue Book 172

  • replaced by Blue Book 224class="downloadable">

  Blue Book No 171 (see also Blue Book Nos 196 and 197)

  • The Assessment of Taste, Odour and Related Aesthetic Problems in Drinking Waters 1998 (PDF, 250KB)