Water and Wastewater Terms Beginning C

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

composite sample

A mixture of individual samples (grab samples) collected over a specific period of time (e.g., 24 hours for a daily composite). The water characteristics in a composite sample represent average conditions in the sampled flow during that time period. Subsamples can be collected at regular time intervals (time-weighted composites), or their volume and timing can be varied to produce flow-weighted composites.