Patent ID: 7631705

Claim:
A removable plug and collar system to aid collection of subterranean fluid samples using a hollow stem auger column having a leading screened auger and a drill rod, comprising: a removable collar attached to a top inner surface of the screened auger and having an internal threaded surface; a removable plug that is self-contained to isolate a fluid column above the screened auger from a fluid column within the screened auger, the plug comprising a top member having a cylindrical shape and an outer threaded surface with threads surrounding the outer threaded surface in a first direction, and an internal threaded cavity in a top of the plug that is threaded in a second direction opposite that of the first direction, the plug being secured to the collar by the outer threaded surface of the plug engaging the internal threaded surface of the collar, and a bottom member attached to the top member and having an elongated cylindrical shape, the top member being threaded into the collar and the bottom member extending below a bottom of the collar; and a pump attached to the bottom member of the plug to hold the pump in place within the screened auger, wherein the plug is removed from the collar after drilling and sampling are completed by threading the drill rod into the internal threaded cavity in a direction the same as the second direction.