(a) The Department of Agriculture may, upon written request of a municipality, enter into a memorandum of understanding with such municipality to authorize the health department or similar agency of the municipality to collect sea water samples for the purpose of shellfish harvest water classification. The memorandum of understanding shall not limit the geographic area from which the municipality may collect such samples and shall not be construed to prevent the municipality from collecting or processing samples for the purpose of improving shellfish harvest water classification. The Department of Agriculture shall provide the municipality with support, documentation and training regarding record keeping and sample collection and transport. The municipality shall provide training to any employees or agents it designates to take such samples.

(b) Samples collected by a municipality shall be collected and processed in accordance with the National Shellfish Sanitation Program Model Ordinance, as amended from time to time. Such samples shall be processed by a laboratory certified pursuant to said ordinance. The analysis of a sample processed in a laboratory other than a Department of Agriculture laboratory shall be transmitted directly to said department’s Bureau of Aquaculture and to the municipality that submitted the sample.

(c) The municipality may, but shall not be required to, assist the Department of Agriculture in sample collection in post rainfall conditions, spill events or routine sampling requirements. The Department of Agriculture shall accept all sample data analysis from samples collected by municipalities pursuant to this section and said department shall include such data analysis in any data base, report, file, calculation or process used by said department to determine or report water quality classification or reclassification.