QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM PART I FOR USEPA REGION II FISCAL YEAR 1989 DOCUMENT CONTROL NUMBER MMB-001/89 U. S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION II 26 FEDERAL PLAZA NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10278 OCTOBER 1988 ------- Concurrences (1) Name: Gerard F. McKenna Title: Region II Quality Assurance Officer Signature ~ ~ ~ (c....~--- (2) Name: Barbara Metzger Title: Director, Environmental Services Signature ~~ t~ Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 . Page: 1 of 33 Phone: 201-321-6645 Date c.I/7/8,7 Phone: 201-321-6754 Division Date~ (3) Name: 'Pedro A. Gelabert Title: Director, Caribbean Field Office Signature_~~ ~~ (4) Name: Conrad Simon Title: Directo, r~ and ~aste Management ~/. Signature ~' 4.~ - /- (5) Name: Richard L. Caspe Title: Direct~~ter Ma~ement Division ~/ "/ <-. Signature . (6) Name: Stephen Luftig Title: Direct~mergency ~emedi[l R . ponse Signat ure '-..J -e. [ '- !J . . \f Phone: 809-725-7825 Date~ Phone: 212-264-2301 Division Date fl'~/FJ Phone: 212-264-2513 Date 4/jt!ĢiH) - Phone: 212-264-8672 Division ,I I,A (~I Date~ ------- Concurrences cont'd. (7) Name: Douglas Blazey Ti de: f Regional Signa'ture. (8) Name: Herbert Barrack Title: Assistan~Regional/Administrator, Office~. f .~O;iC'li Manage" -(-/7 '.~6 f " Signature ./ c.IF ... pe,.~~~ f' .' . i { Approval for Regional Implementation Name: William Muszynski Title: Approval for Agency Name: St anley Blacker Title: Director, jJ9aAi~y As~uranc: Mallagement Staff Signature ~ Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 2 of 33 Phone: 212-264-1018 Counsel A A'.. 0 1/\ ~ Date~\ Phone: 212-264-2520 Date .1 ., -/ ,~ . ~! !:u"1 ~ J~~/tT 7 ,,," ,(0" i " "; / Phone: 212-264-2525 Date ~~ Phone: 202-382-5763 Date ~//b/ 17 ------- Section Number 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 Appendix I PART 1 .. SECTION INDEX Title Region II Quality Assurance Policy.............. Major Mission Elements Requiring QA............. Data Quality ObjectivE!S......................... Quality Assurance Project Plans................. Standard Operating Prclcedures................... Regional Audit Program.......................... Assignment of Responsibility.................... Resources for the Q~ F'rogram.................... Annual Planning................................. QA Training..................................... Ac ro nyms ..................................... Regi on II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 3 of 33 Page 4 5 15 17 19 19 23 29 29 30 31 ------- Region 11 QAPP Part 1 Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 4 of 33 Introduction: This Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) has three major parts. Parts I and 11 are intended to document the Region's ongoing policies, procedures and management systems that are in place to implement the Quality Assurance (QA) Program, and manage QA for the Regional Laboratory, respectively. Part III is a combination of the Annual QA Status Report for the preceding year and QA Work Plan for the upcoming year. Parts 1 and 11 are not normally revised annually, but rather only when QA policies, procedures or management are significantly changed. Section 1.0 - Region 11 Quality Assurance Policy USEPA Region II is committed to a Program aimed at improving and assur- ing the quality of all environmental measurements performed by or for the Region. The goal of this Quality Assurance (QA) Program is for all environmental data to be of known quality, with all aspects" of their collection documented, and all documentation verifiable and defensible. Overall responsibility for the QA Program in Region II rests with the Regional Administrator, with responsibility for planning, oversight, and policy recommendation delegated to the Quality Assurance Officer (QAO), in the Monitoring Management Branch (MMB) of the Environmental Services Division (ESD). All personnel involved with environmental measurements, including field, laboratory, project, and data processing personnel, as well" as grant and contract officers, have the responsibility to ensure the quality of the data associated with those measurements. MMB is available to sup- port the QAO by providing manpower, technical expertise, and training to Region II pe~sonnel and to assist them in carrying out their QA responsibi- lities. Program and project managers are responsible for specifying their data quality needs and providing adequate resources to ensure that they will' be satisfied. This is accomplished through the development and implemen- tation of QAPPs for all extramural programs, and QA Project Plans (QAPjPs) for all' projects involving environmental measurements. QAPjPs, developed before measurements begin, describe the acceptable levels of data quality as well as the proposed means for achieving them, and assign responsibility to each stage. Programs and projects are then reviewed through QA audits to ensure conformance with the applicable QAPP or QAPjP. It is Region II policy that the QA associated with ities is to be integrated as much as possible into ities themselves. This unification stretches from and planning through data collection and end use. data collection activ- the measurement activ- resource allocation ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. . 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 5 of 33 Section 2.0 - Kajor Mission Elements Requiring QA The purpose of this section is to convey a sense of the seope of Region II's mission in order to put the QA Program in perspective. Each of the Region's major missions is described for each Division down to the branch level. ESD responsibilities are described down to the section level since the majority of environmental data are generated in ESD. 2.1 - ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION - Responsible for setting priorities and assuring that resources are available to collect environmental samples, analyze collected samples and evaluate the resulting data in support of regional and national compliance monitoring programs. Directs and coord- inates the field and laboratory support for the Region. Directs the implementation of the regional QAPP. Directs special studies, investigations and surveys to support regional enforcement actions or define environmental quality problems. Provides advice and assistance to state and local agencies and oversight of state programs in monitoring, analytical testing, quality assurance, for the regional Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FlFRA) . Translates Headquarters policy into compliance-oriented regional programs and a delegated pesticides program. Directs the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) compliance program and oversees the Federal portion of FIFRA. Provides formal liaison between Region II, the International Joint Commis- sion, and the Great Lakes National Program Office. 2.1.1. - TECHNICAL SUPPORT BRANCH - Consists of an Organic Chemistry Section, an Inorganic Chemistry Section, and a Sanitary Chemistry and Microbiology Sec- tion. Responsible for chemical cmd microbiological testing of pollutants in support of CERCLA/SARA, RCRA, CWA, CAA, TSCA, AHERA, FIFRA, MPRSA and SDWA (see Appendix I, Acronyms List for explanation). Produces all analytical results in accordance with the regional QA Program. Provides consultation and assist- ance to state, local, and other laboratories. a. Organic Chemistry Section - RE~sponsible for performing analyses of environ- mental and performance evaluation samples for organic contaminants, including purgeables and non-volatile organic compounds, pesticides, herbicides and PCBs. Has regional expertise in gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromato- graph/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and provides such expertise as witnesses in litigation. All analyses performed are in support of regional, state-delegated or Headquarters programs. Analyses are performed on either the GC or GC/MS in accordance with laborat~ry standard operating procedures, EPA proto- cols and good laboratory practices. ------- Region II QAPP Part I . Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 6 of 33 b. Inorganic Chemistry Section - Responsible for analyzing environmental and performance evaluation samples for inorganic contaminants including trace metals, nutrients and total organic halides. Performs analyses using atomic absorption (AA) units, inductively coupled argon plasma (ICAP) units, spectro- meters, auto analyzers, and TOX analyzers. Provides expert witness support in litigation in these chemistry specialties. Performs all analyses in support of regional, state-delegated, and Headquarters programs. Conducts all anal- yses in conformance with laboratory standard operating procedures, EPA protocols and good laboratory practices. Coordinates with other laboratory sections to assure that all standard operating procedures are in place and current. c. Sanitary Chemistry and Microbiology Section - Responsible for performing anal- lyses of environmental samples for total/fecal coliform, Salmonella, entero- cocci, enteroviruses, mutagenicity (Ames Test), conventional wet chemistry (e.g., alkalinity, BOD, solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen), cyanides, phenols and other chemical pollutants. Performs analyses using conventional micro- biology equipment and sanitary chemistry equipment such as pH meters, conductivity meters, turbidity meters and specific ion electrode probes. Performs analyses in support of. regional, state-delegated, and Headquarters programs. Conducts all analyses in conformance with laboratory standard operating procedures, EPA protocols and good laboratory practices. Responsible for providing all labora- tory sections with clean gla~sware and purified laboratory water. Coordinates with other laboratory sections to assure timely completion of analyses and issuance of complete laboratory reports through the proper operation of the Official Sample Cont~ol and Repository (OSCAR) system. 2.1.2 - PESTICIDES AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES BRANCH - This Branch consists of the Pesticides and Asbestos Section and the Toxic Substances Section Section. Responsible for the implementation of the FIFRA, TSCA, Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act (ASHAA), Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) and Section on 313 of the. Emergency Planning and Comm~ity Right-To-Know Act (Title III of SARA). The FIFRA program has been delegated to all Region II States and . is basically an oversight program providing both technical and financial assistance. The TSCA program is an enforcement effort with major emphasis on polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) c.hemicals. The Asbestos Acts address friable asbestos in primary and secondary schools. Section 313 of the Title III program establishes an inventory of toxic chemical emissions from certain facilities. a. Pesticides and Asbestos Sectio,n - Provides technical and program assistance to state and local agencies c01ncerned with the use of pesticides. Awards grants annually and monitors state programs for conformance with the grant commitments. Conducts import inspections of chemical shipments for compliance with FIFRA regulations and collects samples as necessary to support potential enforcement actions. Assists the Office of Regional Counsel in the preparation of complaints and consent decrees, as well as participating in settlement conferences. Provides lead personnel for conducting Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Data Audit Inspections at private sector laboratories using Headquarters experts to determine adherence ------- Region 11 QAPP Part 1 Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 7 of 33 to laboratory procedures and to validate data only quarters programs. Acts as focal point to respond state, local agencies, indust17 and the public for the selected TSCA regulations. for FlFRA and TSCA Hea- to requests from the information in FlFRA and Provides supervision and direc:tion for the asbestos-in-schools inspection program using personnel hired under the grant between EPA Headquarters and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The staff consists primarily of retired professionals who conduct inspections, provide techni- cal assistance and recommend Emforcement actions as appropriate for noncom- pliance with these regulation~l. Also provides the technical support neces- sary for settlement conferences. b. Toxic Substances Section - Responsible for surveillance and com- pliance evaluation of industries required to comply with TSCA regulations and for Section 313 of the Title 111 program. The section is primarily concerned with regulations concerning PCBs. Determines technical compliance for industries and other facilities that manufacture, distribute or use chemicals by examining production processes and records, and distribution/disposal records as necessary. Issues complaints_for TSCA violations and for providing the technical support necessary for settlement conferences. Under the Title 111 program, the Section provides assistance to industry in completing Toxic Release Inventory (TRl) forms, for implementing the annual reporting requirement for the TRI form and for advising affected communities on the provisions of the Section 313 regulations. 2.1.3 - MONITORING MANAGEMENT BRANCH - This branch consists of an Air and Water Section and a Toxic and Hazardous Waste Section. Responsible for conducting the Region's quality assurance and data management programs, prepares and maintains the Regional Quality Assurance Program Plan, and establishes -requirements for all Agency monitoring and enforcement programs. Plans, coordinates, provides technical assistance, and evaluates activities with EPA, state, local and other Federal and private laboratory and field operations. Develops quality assurance and data management plans and agreements with state and local agencies; plans and develops quality assurance and data management programs for activitiE~s of a11 Agency programs carried out in the Region. Carries out reviews of data quality objectives, QAPjPs and standard operating procedures. Provides D~nagement and technical systems audits and evaluations of data quality. OpE~rates a proficiency testing program and acts as a focal point for EPA methodology requirements and quality assurance services. In addition, the Monitoring Management Branch maintains an inventory of all monitoring projects in the Region, provides data necessary for the Environmental Status Reports, and reviews all state grantee outputs for monitoring activity. Personnel Ilerforming this function report directly to the Branch Chief. ------- ~~ooII~P Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 8 of 33 a. Air and Water Section - Responsible for providing quality assurance direction, assistance and evaluation of ambient and source monitoring data collection activities related to CWA, SDWA, MPRSA, FlFRA, TSCA, and CAA. Prepares and maintains the Regional QAPP, and establishes requirements for the programs relevant to these acts. Reviews grants, cooperative and interagency agreements, permits, contracts, study plans, protocols, quality assurance project plans, and standard operating procedures to assure that quality assurance requirements are met. Carries out management, technical and performance audits of data collect- ion systems. Provides evaluations of air monitoring sites for conformance with siting criteria, reviews air stationary source testing and monitoring projects, and RCRA Trail Burn Plans to assure that quality assurance requirements are met. Performs certification inspections of drinking water laboratories. ~views and evaluates monitoring data. Investigates special monitoring data probl.!ms and provides training on measurements and QA/QC procedures. Reviews state monitoring programs. b. Toxic and Hazardous Was~e Section - Responsible for providing quality.assur- ance direction, assistance and evaluation of environmental monitoring acti- vities related to CERCLA/SARA, and RCRA. Reviews grants, cooperative and. interagency agreements, conse:~t decree orders, permits, contracts, lFBs, study plans, QAPjPs and standard op~rating procedures to assure that quality assurance requirements are met. Carries out management, technical and performance audits of data. collection systems. Reviews RCRA WAPs to assure that all technical and QA requirements are satisfied. Provides the Depu~y Project Officer function for Region II Contract Laboratory Program contractors. Reviews and validates Contract Laboratory Program data. Performs audits of data quality and investigates special data quality problems. Provides training and assistance in measurements and .QA/QC procedures. 2.1.4 - SURVEILLANCE AND MON~TORING HRANCH - This Branch consists of a Superfund Support Section, an Ambient Monitoring Section and a Source Monitoring Section. Responsible for the collection and evaluation of environmental data in all Agency monitoring and enforcement programs. Conducts investigations and studies of sur- face water, groundwater and air quality at RCRA regulated facilities and industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants. Provides direct field activity and con- tractor management of waste site field investigations and studies in support of Superfund remedial, removal, enforcement and emergency response activities. Pro- vides technical assistance to municipal treatment plants to improve operating pro- cedures. ------- Region II QAPP Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 9 of 33 a. Superfund Support Section - Responsible for the management of the Field In- vestigation Team (FIT) contractor which supports the Superfund remedial, re- moval, enforcement and emergency response actions of the Region. Activities include overall technical direction and oversight for a wide range of highly scientific studies and management tasks. Responsibilities include planning, controlling and evaluating the activity of a large .number of contractor-sup- ported activities. Interfaces FIT activity with the other national contractor programs such as the Contract Laboratory Program (CLP), Remedial Contractor Program (REM), Technical Assistance Team (TAT), and the EnviTonmental Photo- graphic Interpretation Center (EPIC). The Regional Sample Control Center (RSCC) in this section is responsible for coordinating laboratory analysis activity with data validation and report generation. Investigations and studies of air emissions are also conducted by this section. b. Ambient Monitoring Section - Responsible for the implementation and oversight of state activities for the basic water quality monitoring programs. Entails ambient water monitoring, ocean monitoring and shoreline beach surveillance with particular emphasis in the area impacted by the ocean dumping activities. Reviews and evaluates technical aspects of the ocean dumping permit progr~. Works with state and local agencies on all ambient water monitoring activities in Region II. The water media activities also include on-site bioassay sur- veys. Provides expertise upon request to state and local agencies in their implementation of all ambient water quality monitoring activities. Represents the Region on the International Joint Commission's Water Quality Monitoring Task Forces and Workgroups and Great Lakes National Program Office's activi ties concerning water quality monitoring issues impacting Region II. c. Source Monitoring Section - Responsible for performing studies, evaluations and surveys to detect, identify and measure pollutants and toxic substances present in soils, surface waters and groundwaters due to discharges from NPDES permitted industrial plants, municipal sewage treatment facilities and .RCRA regulated facilities. Performs surveys for purposes of NPDES compliance, surveillance, enforcement, operational evaluation, and/or technical assistance to other program elements or state and interstate agencies. The RCRA field activities include hazardous waste permit compliance inspections, corrective action monitoring at RCRA regulated facilities and enforcement support moni- toring. Extensive coordination with program offices in both the Region and state agencies is required. 2.2 - WATER MANAGEMENT DIVISION - Responsible for public water supply, domestic and industrial wastewater treatment control, marine discharge, construction grant funding for domestic wastewater facilities, ocean dumping and groundwater which includes the Underground Injection Control (UIC), Wellhead Protection (WHP) and Sole Source Aquifer (SSA) programs. Reviews state work plans and recommends grant awards for water pollution control, water quality management, and the safe drinking water programs; 2.2.1 - DRINKING/GROUNDWATER PROTECTION BRANCH - Responsible for managing both the Public Water System Supervision- (PWSS) aspects and the UIC aspects of the Safe Drinking Water Act. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 10 of 33 PWSS activities have been delegated to the statesj the Region's role is pri- marily one of oversight. PWSS monitoring-related activities that are conducted by the states consist of development, inspection, and certification of private laboratories for drinking water parametersj management of PWSS self-monitoring data supplied by water purveyorsj and surveillance monitoring of PWSS purveyors. This branch works with MMB in approving and auditing state agency laboratory programs. The states are responsible for certifying and auditing all other labo- ratories within the state which analyze for drinking water parameters. Perform- ance audits are conducted by the mailing of performance evaluation (PE) samples to the water purveyors. The UIC program provides for the protection of current and potential drinking water aquifers from contamination by the injection of fluids into wells, and fostering appropriate management of all other aquifers based on the evaluation of their current and projected uses. Injection wells authorized by rule or permits are issued.for various classes of underground injections and monitoring can be required as part of the permit application, or as a monitoring requirement in the permit, or the ~egulatory agency may conduct surveillance monitoring. A generic QAPjP has been developed for this type of monitoring. 2.2.2 - WATER PER~IIS AND COMPLIANCE BRANCH - Overviews state-delegated NPDES permit and pretreatment programsj tracks compliance with NPDES permit requirementsj oversees the state enforcement programs and inititates Federal enforcement actions as necessary. The purpose of the NPDES programs is to control industrial and municipal discharges through effluent limitations, self-monitoring requirements, reporting requirements, and specific action re- quirements, all of which are included in permits issued to the discharger by the state agency. Permittee self-monitoring data is inputted to the Permits Compliance System (PCS) and is evaluated for follow-up surveillance or enforcement actions. Both state and ESD personnel conduct NPOES surveillance monitoring. This involves both Com- pliance Sampling Inspections (CSIs) and Compliance Biomonitoring Inspections (CBls). QAPjPs have been prepared and approved for routine CSIs and CBIs conducted by ESO. Laboratory performance is evaluated by mailing all major permittees PE samples to be analyzed by the appropriate laboratory (DMR study). Also, NPOES monitoring can be expanded to include indirect industrial dischargers to domestic wastewater facilities with approved stat~ and local pretreatment toxic control programs. In addition to routine and surveillance monitoring, intensive survey monitoring is performed in determining wasteload allocations, which may lead to more stringent effluent limitations, for water-quality limited streams. Monitoring 1s also conducted to support enforcement actions. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 11 of 33 2.2.3 - MARINE AND WETLANDS PROTECTION BRANCH - Responsible for the technical review and evaluation of environmental impacts with regard to the disposal of municipal and industrial wastes, dredged materials, cellar dirt and wooden debris in marine and/or wetland areas in the Region. Monitoring requirements can be included in permits to identify the nature of the disposed waste and/or to moni- tor ambient water quality. Monitoring is also conducted to support enforcement actions and site designations. Estuaries within the Region II boundaries selected for involvement in the National Estuary Program come under the purview of this branch. 2. 2.4 - NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, AND THE CARIBBEAN MUNIC I PAL PROGRAMS BRANCHES - These branches are responsible for managing the Construction Grants Programs, and the management of Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) specific permit/ compliance/enforcement actions under NPDES, in their respective areas. En- vironmental monitoring associated with construction grants is generally per- formed in the facility planning stages to de~ermine whether secondary treatment or advanced wastewater treatment is necessary to meet water quality standards. This monitoring is generally performed by the state agency and QAPjPs's are usually prepared. Before/after monitoring of POTW facilities constructed with construction grant funds are also conducted. 2.2.5 - WATER STANDARDS AND PLANNING BRANCH - Develops and implements the programs authorized by Sections 106, 208, 205(g), 205(j), Title III and Title IV of the Clean Water Act. State water monitoring programs are partially operated with these funds. Fixed station monitoring networks and intensive surveys are conducted by these programs. Network data are used to determine long term trends and are used in development of the biennial 305(B) Report. Intensive surveys are conducted for wasteload allocation monitoring and use- attainability monitoring. Use-attainability analyses are required when, as part of the triennial review, the state is considering proposed uses for waters that are less than fishable/swimmable. QAPjPs are required to be developed when monitoring is involved. . This branch also evaluates and develops recommendations on secondary treatment 301(h) waiver requests. 2.2.6 - THE OFFICE OF GROUNDWATER COORDINAIION - Responsible for the development of water policies and strategies and supports the Regional Groundwater Steering Committee. Reviews and approves state groundwater programs funded with "Special 106 funds". When the annual workplans call for groundwater monitoring, QAPjPs are required. It also has the lead in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) pilot program being considered by the Region, and has the responsibility for the WHP and SSA programs. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 12 of 33 2.3 - EMERGENCY & REMEDIAL RESPONSE DIVISION ~ Responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of Regional activities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, also known as Superfund), as amended by Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (SARA). Man- ages a comprehensive program for site evaluation, expedited response actions, immediate removals and long-term. remedial actions including cost recovery actions. Serves as the focal point for all emergency response and emergency contingency planning activities. Responsible for spill control and monitoring programs under Section 311 of the Clean Water Act. See table 1 for a summary of Superfund monitoring. 2.3.1 - NEW JERSEY COMPLIANCE AND NEW YORK/CARIBBEAN SItE COMPLIANCE BRANCHES- Responsible for conducting hazard assesments, managing technical assistance grants for hazardous waste sites. Monitor non-binding allocations of responsibility (NBARS), negotiated settlements and de minimis settlements as appropriate, manage CERCLA technical enforcement activities, draft administrative orders, follow up on-compliance with orders and with negotiated settlements, develop cost recovery cases and conduct negotiations with responsible parties. Provide support to attorneys on litigation. Prepare and update the annual regional inforcement program pl~n within the Superfund Comprehensive Accomplishments Plan (SCAP). Carry out remedial investigations/feasibility study (RI/FS) responsibilites for the sites classified as enforcement lead. 2.3.2 - PROGRAM SUPPORt "BRANCH .. Responsible for managing contract award, evaluation and use, maintenance of several Superfund program tracking and data management systems as well as broad enforcement, support and policy coordination. the branch also manages the Superfund site assessment and investigation programs, federal facility Superfund sites, dioxin sites, and site deletion activities. Branch provides regional and divisional expertise in several technical subject areas, fosters inter and intradivision coordination in the Superfund program. QAPjPs submitted for site investigations (SIs) are reviewed and approved by MMB. Many SIs are conducted by the FIt contractor in which case the projects are managed by 5MB of ESD. The branch also manages the REM and tES contracts. 2.3.3 - NEW JERSEY, AND NEW YORK/CARIBBEAN REMEDIAL ACtION BRANCHES - These two branches are responsible for preparing the SCAP (Superfund Comprehensive Accomplishments Plan), carrying out remedial investigations, managing technical assistance grants, conducting feasibility studies, performing or overseeing remedial design activites, managing EPA remedial contractor activities, serving as coordinator, as neede, for construction oversight. In addition, the Branches serve as liaison with the Corps of Engineers for design and construction projects, EPA responsibilities for operation and maintenance of facilities constructed at NPL sites, support cost recovery actions, participate in establishing multi-year site cleanup schedules, review monitoring plans and data, and coordinate all activities with state officials, as appropriate. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 13 of 33 QAPjPs submitted for RI/FS and RD activiteis are reviewed and approved by MKB unless this authority has been delegated to the States for State lead projects. 2.3.4 - REMOVAL ACTION BRANCH - Branch staff serve as On-Scene Coordinators (OSC) an monitor the longer term removal-type clean up activities of responsible parties. . the Branch undertakes sustained federally funded removal actions; provides the technical field support for enforcement asssociated with removal actions; conducts inspections of sites to determine potential for removal actions; and coordinates regional interaction with FEMA and regional participation in Federally declared disasters. 2.3.5 -RESPONSE AND PREVENTION BRANCH - Responsible for screening incoming notification of oil and hazardous substance releases, managing Region II's response to oil and hazardous substance release incidents on a 24 hour basis, managing technical enforcement of the oil spill prevention program; undertaking short-term removal-type mitigation activities (or responsible by party oversight) and providing support to the emergency response program equipment maintenance, readiness, and administraion. In addition, the Branch has primary responsibility for implementing the provisions of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act including such activities as overseeing state implementation of the Act and delivering Agency technical and training support to the states and to local government, as appropriate. the Branch also undertakes Federal removal actions, oversees responsible party removal actions, as assigned, provides the Region's Project Officer(s), and Deputy Project Officer(s) for mitigation and technical assistance team contractors managed by the Branch; manages the regional data base of oil and chemical releases, enforces the notification requirements of the CWA, CERCLA and SARA Title III; maintains centralized data on innovative on-site treatment/disposal technologies, and maintains the Removal Program technical library. 2.4 - THE AIR AND WASTE MANAGEMENT DIVISION - Responsible for the development, implementation, and coordination of the air, solid waste, and radiation programs in the Region. Actively participates in the negotiation and implementation of state workplans, cooperative agreements, and state/EPA agreements to prioritize and integrate pollution control activities. Manages the Regional Hazardous Waste Management program mandated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). ------- Region II QAPP Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page": 14 of 33 2.4.1 - REGIONAL RADIATION REPRESENTATIVE - Responsible for coordinating and evaluating "existing and proposed environmental monitoring and surveillance activities in accordance with E~~ Monitoring and Surveillance Guides and EPA Environmental Radiation Standards. Reviews current and proposed Radiological Emergency plans at existing and proposed nuclear power plants. 2.4.2 - AIR PROGRAMS BRANCH - Responsible for supplying technical and program assistance to state and local air pollution control and transportation planning agencies. Assists state and local governments in developing and carrying out State Implementation Plans (SIPs) and in complying with air quality impact as- sessment and air quality data management requirements. Manages SAROAD, the ambient air data system, and coordinates the national, state and local Air Moni- toring Station (NAMS/SLAMS) networks in the Region. 2.4.3 - AIR COMPLIANCE BRANCH -Responsible for supplying technical review and giving guidance to state air pollution control agencies in carrying out those portions of approved implementation plans pertaining to point sources. Imple- ments regional efforts to assure compliance with National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). Conducts engineering field investigations and provides technical back- up for air enforcement actions. Provides technical reviews of new sources affected by Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations and monitors state permit and inspection programs. 2.4.4 - HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAMS BRANCH - Responsible for supplying technical and program assistance to state and local agencies engaged in solid and haz- ardous waste management and disposal. Assists states in the preparation of applications for state program authorization reviews, and recommends approval of state applications for program authorization. Negotiates terms, conditions and activities for state RCRA Subtitle C grants and monitors their performance. Reviews and approves solid waste grants to states for demonstration, planning and training projects. Responsible for implementing programs and oversight of state programs for underground storage tanks, and managing the hazardous waste small quantity generator program. 2.4.5 - HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES B~~CH - Responsible for implementing the facility management planning activities of the hazardous waste management pro- gram by integrating permitting and enforcement activities into a cohesive manage- ment process. Undertakes the development and implementation of hazardous waste permit strategies with the Hazardous Waste Programs Branch, and oversees the implementation of the program. Reviews state hazardous waste permits for ade- quacy in New York and New Jersey. Develops and issues hazardous waste permits in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Makes PCB authorizations under TSCA. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 15 of 33 2.4.6 - HAZARDOUS WASTE COMPLIANCE BRANCH - Responsible for compliance and enforcement activities under RCRA. Investigates complaints. associated with poor hazardous waste management, and initiates enforcement actions where ap- propriate. Conducts inspections for compliance of interim status facilities and permitted facilities, to develop enforcement actions, and for oversight of authorized states. Responds to interim 'status and permit violations by seeking voluntary compliance through Section 3008 and 3013 compliance orders, Notices of Violations, and Section 3007 letters or by referring documented vio- lations with specific recommendations for litigation to Office of Regional Counsel. Responsible for initiating federal enforcement response where states fail to take timely and appropriate action. Coordinates federal facility activities related to RCRA, and provides technical assistance for determining their compliance. 2.5 - THE OFFICE OF POLICY AND MANAGEMENT - Since the responsibilities of this division are largely administrative and do not have a direct impact on monitoring, they will not be described in detail. Those branches in this division which do have monitoring related activties are described below. 2.5.1 - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BRANCH - Responsible for managing the develop- ment of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) as authorized by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). EIS monitoring funded by EPA requires the development of a QAPjP which is submitted to liMB for review and approval.. 2.5.2 - THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS BRANCH - Responsible for managing mainframe data systems in the Region including the environmental data stored in STORET and PCS. Also involved with the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) being considered by the Region. 2.5.3 - THE PROGRAM AND POLICY INTEGRATION BRANCH - Responsible for coordinating grant applications, workplans and semi-annual reviews of state air and water programs, which include air and water monitoring activities. Also works with the Monitoring Management Branch to document the QA component of the semi-annual reviews of state air and water programs. 2.5.4 - THE GRANTS ADMINISTRATION BRANCH - Responsible for insuring that all statutory and regulatory administrative requirements are addressed prior to award of any grant or cooperative agreement. This includes compliance with the quality assurance requirements of 40 CFR Part 30.302(d). Section 3.0 - Data Quality Objectives 3.1 - General Policy - It is regional policy that high level decision makers use data quality objectives (DQOs) as a mechanism for balancing conflicting demands and data quality needs. DQOs are qualitative and quantitative statements about the quality of data needed for a specific environmental measurement program or project. The purpose. of using DQOs is to ensure that the costs involved in data collection are properly considered, in light of the costs and benefits rela,ted to the ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 16 of 33 quality of the data and the quality of the resulting decision-making. The formal concept of DQOs sponsored by EPA's Quality Assurance Management Staff (QAMs) requires that high level decision makers define their general data quality needs to technical staff members who develop alternative measurement approaches for final decisio~s. Region II fUlly supports and is committed to the DQO concept. ------- Regi on I I QAPP Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 17 of 33 Section 4.0 - Quality Assurance Project Plans 4.1 - General Guidance - It is regional policy that all projects involving en- vironmental data collection (herE~after called "monitoring projects") carried out by or for the Region shall have QAPjPs written and approved prior to the initiation of monitoring~ This upplies to projects conducted or funded directly by the Region (termed in-house) us well as those for which the Region has only oversight responsibility, such ao state-lead projects or work to be performed by potentially responsible parties (termed extramural). If EPA funds or carries out directly one component of a t~onitoring project (i.e. analysis), the entire study must have an approved QAPjP. QAPjPs should be prepared according to "Interim Guidelines and Specifications For Preparing Quality Assurance J?roject Plans", QAMS-005/80, December 29, 1980 or "Guidance For Preparation of C:ombined Work/Quality Assurance Project Plans for Water Monitoring", OWRS-l, May 1984 (or later revisions of these documents as they become available). MMB l:Jtaff may, upon request and discussion, allow combination of the QAPjP into another document, such as a CERCLA "POP" or a RCRA "WAP", to save duplication c)f effort. In programs, such as CERCLA, it is the preferred practice. When a group or continuum of mo~ltoring projects is carried out for the same purpose and with the same personnel and procedures, a "generic" plan may be developed. Otherwise, QAPjPs sh.iill be prepared separately for each project. It is regional policy (Order No. R-5340.1, dated January 26, 1988), that all monitoring projects carried out by EPA or EPA contractors involving environmentally related measurements be registered through a coordinator in MMB in the Quality Assurance Tracking database .(QTRAK). MMB will maintain a file of active projects and will track all QA and monito:ring activities. Responsiblity for the preparation of a QAPjP lies with the project officer, whether he/she be the author, or the supervisor or. contract officer of the project. Assistance in preparing the document should be available from all of the key participants (QA, field, laboratory and project management). The pro- ject officer is responsible for soliciting the necessary assistance. The plan should be submitted to MMB ideally 60 days before the start of a project to af- ford sufficient review and approval time. Review and approval of all EPA or EPA contractor QAPjPs is the responsibility of MMB. MMB will review all QAPJPs and approve or request changes in writing within 20 workdays. ------- , g. Regional QA Plan Par t I Revision No. 0 . Date: 10/1/88 Page: 18 of 33 For both in-house and extramural stack test programs and/or contracts, the production of a separate stack test protocol for each test project to be con- ducted is required. This protocol is the exact functional equivalent of a QAPjP. "Guidelines for Stack Testing Protocol Development and Submittal" (December 1987 or later revisions), are distributed to sources and contractors by MMB to ensure that the protocols will satisfy all the requirements. In all other aspects, these test programs are handled in the same manner as other programs and projects with prior approval required. Air monitoring or testing projects may not begin until HMB has approved the stack test protocol. QAPjPs prepared by the states or their contractors are approved by state QAOs. Copies of the approved plans are held on file, available for EPAreview during state management systems audits. For CERCLA and RCRA corrective actions, state approved plans and associated comments are submitte~ to the EPA project officer. 4.2 - QAPjP'Contents At a minimum, QAPjPs must contain the following items directly or by reference: a. Title Page, with provision for approval signatures and dates of signing. b. (if more than 5 pages); Table of Contents c. Project Description and Techllical DesIgn d. Project Organization 'and Responsibilites; 'e. Objectives for Measurement Data; f. Sampling Procedures; Sample Custody and Documentation; h. Calibration Procedures and Frequency/Preventative Maintenance; i. Analytical Procedures; j. Data Reduction, Validation and Reporting; k. Internal Quality Control Checks; 1. Performance and System Audits; ------- Regional QA Plan Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 19 of 33 m. Specific Routine Procedures Used to Assess Data Precision, Accuracy and Completeness, Representativeness, and Comparability; n. Corrective Action Procedures; and, o. Reports to Management. 4.5 - Exemptions From QAPjP Preparation Exemptions from the requirement to prepare QAPjPs will not generally be given. Approved combinations of QAPjPs and other workplan documents, as described in Section 4.1 are not considered to be exemptions. Emergency response groups will not have to prepare individual plans for response situations, but this sh,dl not exempt them from the requirement for having generic QA Plans approved and in place. MMB staff will be available to discuss the need for waiving QAPjp requirements in rare circumstances, under unusual conditions. This is not meant to encourage, but rather to discourage monitoring without an approved Plan. Section 5~0 - Standard Operation Procedures 5.1 ~ General Guidance - Standard-Operating Procedures (SOPs) are viewed as extensions of QAPjPs. They must be part of QAPjPs by direct attachment or by reference when they have already been made available. All field monitoring, analytical and data handling procedures that are not covered explicitly in a QAPjP must be in an approved SOP. SOPs must be clearly written and be of the detail of a "cookbook" as those found in the American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) method book. They must "be maintained in document control and be kept up to date'- SOPs must be signed by the preparer, and the approving supervisor. -Annually, they should be reviewed and updated, if necessary. SOPS must be readily available to all personnel usi.ng them and must be adhered to rigorously. When the need arises for modification, the modification must be carried out with supervisory concurrence and shall be documented. Section 6.0 - Regional Audit Program 6.1 - General Guidance - Region II policy is to carry out an active audit program. Audits will be of sufficient frequency and rigor to ensure that QAPPS and QAPjPs are, in fact, being implemented. ------- Regional QA Plan Part ,I Revision No. 0 Oa te : 1 0 / 1/88 Page: 20 of 33 Because most monitoring activities have been'delegated to the states, EPA audits of these activities will be given high priority to ensure that adequate QA activities are conducted by stata QA counterparts to maintain data quality at a high level. If inadequate monitoring audits are carried out by a state, HMB shall undertake direct auditing of that state's projects. In addition, Management Systems Audits of the state QA Programs shall be conducted on each State QA enti ty. Intramural projects shall be audited at a sufficient frequency to ensure that data of known quality are collected and that QAPjPs are being implemented. Reports are generally prepared by the auditors within 15 workdays of the audit completion. The report is sent to either the appropriate EPA program office (for technical systems audits), or to the auditee with a cover letter requesting corrective action/comments (for management systems audit). Copies are also sent to the state QAOs. ' , 6.2 - Audit Type~ QA audits will be performed by HMB staff. by the Region are defined as follows: The yarious types of audits conducted 6.2.1 - Management Systems AUdit,(MSA) - A MSA is generally a QA Program Plan review, checking managerial implementation of the approved QAPP. It evaluates the unit's QA organization and its activities, as well as the degree of management support afforded the program. Specifically, the audit covers the following: a. Implementation of the QAPPj b. QAPjP development and approval, including adequacy of QAPjP reviews and data review; c. DQO development (where implemented); d. SOP development and approvalj e. Audit schedule and proceduresj f. Tracking systems for QA activities and corrective actions; g. 'Managerial support, including financial and resource supportj 'and, h. QA responsibilities of personnel including project managers, field and laboratory staff, and the QA staff. 6.2.2 - Technical Systems Audit (TSA) - A TSA is generally an on-site audit of project-specific monitoring activities, either field or laboratory or both. ------- Regional QA PLan Part I Revision No. 0 Da te: 10/1/88 Page: 21 of 33 It focuses on actual quality control activities of environmental data collection systems, and uses the approved QAPjP as a base. TSAs. are conducted on intra- mural projects, and extramural monitoring which the Region supports or requires. They are conducted by staff who are familiar with the particular activity and. related QC procedures. Specific activities vary with the scope of the audit, but can include review of: . a. Sample collection and analytical activities; b. Equipment calibration techniques and records; c. Decontamination and equip~nt cleaning; d. Equipment suitability and maintenance/repair; e. Background and training of personnel; f. ~boratory control charts, support systems, etc.; g. QC samples such as duplicates, trip and field blanks, method blanks, unknown performance evaluation samples, etc.; .h. Sample containers, preservation techniques, chain of custody, etc.; i.. Data logs, transfer, reduction and validation; and, j. Monitor Siting. 6.2.3 - Data Quality Audit (DQA) - A DQA focuses on collected data, and eval- uates whether sufficient information exists to support the assessment of those data's quality. A DQA determines it the data set will undergo any validation procedure, either by the collector or data user, to establish data usability. If DQOs exist, it will evaluate the data set(s) will be evaluated against them. If deficiencies are found, the auditor will look for the causes, either technical or managerial or both. DQAs are to be distinguished from data validation activities which are part of the data normal generation process. In Region II, DQAs are not normally conducted alone, but rather are made part of a TSA. 6.2.4 - Performance Evaluation (PE) Audits - A PE audit is a means of evaluating laboratory performance by challenging the process with a sample of specific pol- lutants in an appropriate matrix with the quantity and/or pollutant content being unknown to the analyst. Nationally run studies are managed by MMB staff. These include the Water Supply (WS) and Water Pollution Studies (WP) (conducted twice a year), the DMR-QA PE study (conducted annually), and the RCRA and FIFRA PE studies. ------- Regional QA Plan Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 22 of 33 In addition, PE audits 'may be conducted as needed to address particular study needs. This includes, for example, an audit of an ambient air monitoring operation in which cylinders of gas mixtures or audit devices are sent to field operators to check the calibration/operation of the monitors. 6.3 - Audit Scheduling Audit scheduling varies with audH type. MSAs are primarily conducted on state QA programs and are scheduled once a year, based upon the state's fiscal year cycle. MSAs of major EPA contractors (eg. REM, FIT) are scheduled on an as needed basis, with problems uncovered during TSAs of these entities being the major driving force. TSAs are scheduled based upon up(~oming monitoring projects, and are selected across media and program types dependent upon the general priority guidance provided by EPA Headquarters for a particular fiscal year. When possible, TSAs are scheduled to coincide with actual field monitoring activities. or laboratory analyses, as appropriate. PEs, outside of nationally run studies, are scheduled on an as needed basis as determined by MMB Staff in conjunction with Program office personnel. DQAs, as stated previously, are normally conducted as part of any particular project's TSA. Decisions. to conduct specific DQAs should follow the same criteria as for PEs. Audits are normally conducted by ESD Staff, though joint state/ESD efforts are regularly undertaken. These audits are used both for training of state counterparts and to ensure QAPjP compliance. Counterparts in our more active states have begun their own auditing programs. 6.4 - CERCLA Auditing 6.4.1 - TSAs - In addition to those conducted by MMB, TSAs are conducted by the primary. consulting engineeril~ contractor for responsible parties for field activities according to EPA Region II SOPs. EPA remedial contractors and field investigation team contractors are also required to conduct TSAs of their field activities. 6.4.2 - PEs - On an as-needed basis, PEs are submitted to all laboratories providing CERCLA analytical serv:Lces, except for EPA' s Superfund Contract Laboratories (CLP). PEs are required for all non-CLP labs which have not analyzed PEs within the last 6 months. Results of PE audits are submitted to ERRD project managers along with M}lB's recommendation of capability. MMB makes arrangements for PE audits for the ERRD project managers. ------- Regional QA PLan Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: '2~ of 33 6.5 - Air Program Auditing Air Program personnel traditionally have different terminology to describe their audit functions. They are summarized as follows: MSA . Ambient Air QA System AudH or National Air Audit (NAAS) TSA . Stack (or CEM) Test Observation In the ambient air monitoring pr1ogram, DQAs are conducted, in part, by the Air and Waste Management Divisio:a.-' s (AWMD) Air Programs Branch through reviews of detailed printouts of data and QA parameters produced by required automated systems. Much of this review is also automated and is standardized nationwide. Reports' for air audits are handl,ed in a slightly different manner. MSA (NAAS) reports are written in conjuncti1on with. the Air and Waste Management Division (AWMD) and distributed according to that division's schedule. Reports on National PEs are issued directly from EPA, Headquarters. Results of TSAs are transmitted to AWMD for forwardia.g to auditees, as appropriate. Section 7.0 - Assignment of Responsibility Ultimately, all personnel in Region II involved in any way with environmental measurements have a responsibility for data quality. Specifically identified responsibilities in Region II are as follows: 7.1 - The Regional Administrator has overall responsibility for the Regional QA Program, as described in EPA Order 5360.1, dated April 3, 1984. Specifi- cally he/she is responsible for ensuring that QA is an identifiable activity with adequate resources allocated for the accomplishment of program and Regional goals in the development and execution of all projects and tasks involving env~ronmentally related measurements, both in-house and extramural. 7.2 - Division Directors are responsible for: a. Ensuring that QA guidelines are specified for estimating data quality in terms of precision, accuracy, completeness, representativeness and comparability, for all environmentally related measurements which meet the operating guidance established by the program offices; b. Establishing data quality acceptance criteria for all projects and tasks initiated by the Region.; c. Ensuring that all projects an.d tasks involving environmentally related measurements are covered by an acceptable QAPjP, and that it is implemented; d. Ensuring that an adequate degree of auditing is performed to determine compliance with QA requiremen.ts; ------- Regional QA PLan Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 24 of 33 e~ Ensuring that deficiencies highlighted in audits are corrected expeditiously; f. Identifying program-specific QA training needs and providing for the required QA training; and, 7.3 - The Regional QA Officer (QAO) is responsible for: a. Recommending policie.s and procedures for the management of QA/QC within the Region; b. Maintaining the Regional QAPP; c. Acting as the official contact in the Region for all QA matters and communications from QAMS, the EMSLs and other Regions; d. Providing QA guidance and training to Regional and state personnel; e. Tracking environmental monitoring projects conducted in Region II; f. Assisting Region II personnel in the preparation and review of QAPjPs, S~Ps and data quality assessments; g. Conducting systems and performance audits, and data quality assessments; h. Reviewing and approving QAPjPs for Regional monitoring projects; i. Reviewing and approving all Regional SOPs to ensure adherence to QA/QC policies; j. Reviewing and approving all state agency QAPPs; k. Overseeing compliance with Regional QA Program requirements; .1. Submitting periodic reports to Regional management and QAMS; m. Gonducting certification evaluations of state drinking water laboratories; and, n. Reviewing data submitted through the Contract Laboratory Program and by potentially responsible parties when requested. The QAO has delegated certain responsibilities described above to personnel within MMB. For those activities, the delegated personnel serve as the QAO under the general guidance oJ: the Region II QAO. ------- Regional QA Plan Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 25 of 33 7.4 - Branch Chiefs are responsible for: a. Identifying all EPA or EPA contractor monitoring projects to MMBj and b. Assessing employee's training needs in QA/QC and arranging for such training with the QAO. 7.5 - Branch Chiefs involved with direct generation of data using EPA Region II personnel. REM. FIT. TAT. ESAT or other contractors are responsible for: a. Ensuring that all branch sampling. analytical and/or data handling practices are documented. represent good science and are adequately reviewed. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) shall be maintained by each Branch. covering all the routine tasks that are performed. These shall be formally approved by the Branch Chief with the concurrence of MMB. If SOPs are not available. the Branch Chief shall assure that they are written in a timely mannerj b. Ensuring that ~dequate checks and quality controls are established and rejecting all data not meeting these specified acceptance limitsj and, c.,Ensuring that corrective actions are followed-up within the branch. 7.6 - Project Officers/Managers are responsible for: a. Ensuring that QAPP requirements in 40 CFR Part 30 are metj b. Ensuring that requirements of Procurement Information Notice 82-26. dated 2-23-82. are incorporated into all Regional contractsj c. Ensuring that QA requirements are incorporated into all Regional cooperative or interagency agreements. Specific requirements should be determined jointly by the project officer/manager and MMBj d. Ensuring that all quality assurance "deliverables" such as QAPjPs. QAPPs, SOPs, QC performance results and data quality reports are provided to the Regionj e. Conducting prelimary reviews of QAPjPs (for screening purposes). prior to submission to MMBj f. Receiving training in the development and review of QAPjPsj and. g. Registration of QAPjPs in QTRAK. 7.7 - Grants Officers are responsible for ensuring.that state and local g~ants involving environmental measurements are not awarded if the grantees ------- Regional QA Plan Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 26 of 33 do not have an approvab1e QAPP or QAPjP, as required in 40 CFR Part 30. 7.8 - Contract Officers are responsible for ensuring that contracts involving environmental measurements are not awarded without a completed QA Form ~R-C, signed by the project officer and QAO (see Procurement Information Notice 82-26, 2-23-82). 7.9 - Personnel involved with regulatory data requirements (including extramural, non-supported measurements,. as by industry) are responsible for incorporating QA requirements into various agreements such as permits, consent decrees, etc. Specific requirements should be developed jointly with MMB. 7.10 - Monitoring Personnel (both laboratory and field) are responsible for: a. Adhering to established methodology, SOPs and QC protocols; b. Reporting to. supervisor and documenting any deviations from (a); and, c. Being alert for possible data quality problems or potential data quality improvements and reporting these to the supervisor. 7.11 - State QAOs' Responsibilities All state agencies and other grantees receiving EPA funding for environmental data gathering are required by 40 CFR Part 30 and 31 to establish quality assurance programs. These agencies must have QA Officers who are responsible for the following: a. Preparing and maintaining QAPPS for the agency. The QAPP should be prepared according to QAMS-004/80, "Guidelines and Specifications for Preparing Quali ty Ass urance Program Plans, Final" or later revisions. They will be revised and submitted to EPA for approval annually; b. Being the official agency contact with EPA for all QA matters pertinent to environmental monitoring; c. Transmitting EPA's QA policies, guidance and procedures .to appropriate agency staff, local agencies, industries and laboratories within the . state; d. Ensuring that all monitoring projects have QAPjPs written and approved prior to the initiation of monitoring; e. Auditing monitoring projects to ensure QAPjPs have been followed, and to ensure valid data will be produced; f. Overviewing all QA activities within the state aa~en,cy and providing periodic reports to agency management and EPA; ftd ------- U:~ ~PA Headquarters library Mail code 3404T ~~OO Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20460 202-566-0556 Regional QA Plan Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 27 of 33 g. On a semi-annual basis, the state agency must submit updates on monitoring projects for input into QTRAK. 7.12 - State Organizational Responsibilities The state agencies in Region II responsible for environmental data have organized their QA programs in two different ways, some with a single depart- ment-wide centralized QA unit, and others with multiple QA units organized by "media" type (i.e. water, air, etc.). Neither has proven to be better method of organization, with each having its strong and weak points. Annually, each unit delivers a QAPP for EPA approval. The affected state agencies in Region II are as follows: New York State Department of Env'ironmental Conservation has chosen to organize QA into a separate QA unit for each major program area. There are five QA Offices covering water, solid and haEardous waste, fish and life, pesticides and air, respectively. wi! d- New York State Department of Health has a single QA unit which covers all EPA related activities, such as drinking water and laboratory certification programs. New Jersey State Department of Health also has a single QA unit which covers all EPA related activities. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has a single, centralized QA unit supporting all program areas. . . Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board has separate QA units for water, solid and hazardous waste, and air. Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture has a single QA unit covering its pesticides activities, its only EPA related responsibility. Puerto Rico Department of Health has a single QA unit covering all EPA related activities. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources has a centralized QA unit covering environmental activities. 7.13 - CERCLA Program Responsibilities 7.13.1 - The ERRD QA Officer is responsible for: a. Ensuring that all ERRD Project Managers are informed of and adhere to the CERCLA QA requirements set forth in the Regional QAPP, the CERCLA QA Manual, and various QA guidance documents developed by the Agency and/or Region II; ------- Regional QA Plan Par t I Revis"ion No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 28 of 33 b. Reviewing QAPjPs for conformance with QA requirements set forth in Section 4.0 of this QAPP; c. Providing pertinent guidance, policy, and criteria to contractors, states, responsible parties, project managers, and ERRD organizational units on matters of quality assurance; and d. Representing ERRD in matters affecting data quality, CERCLA program oper- ations and Regional QA policy. 7.13.2 - The Deputy Project Officer is responsible for: a. Participating in technical meetings in order to evaluate new analytical methods; b. Assisting in evaluating contractor personnel, equipment and operations during the pre-award process, which involves discussion of any deficiencies that may occur; c. Conducting on-site evaluations of contract laboratories in Region II before contracts are awarded, and as follow-up to ensure corrective action has been . taken to address deficiencies (EMSL-LV and NEIC are also involved); d. Reviewing quarterly blind PE sample data summaries and QA trend information; e. Serving as a focal point for resolving problems with contractors assigned to Region II; and f. Serving as the regional contact for questions concerning the contract laboratory program (CLP) and its services to both regional staff and com- mercial and" public laboratories in the Region. 7.13.3 - The Regional Sample Control Center is responsible for: a. Coordinating all activities associated with collecting and analyzing sam- ples through the CLP; b. Ensuring that contractors have an approved QAPjP prior to scheduling labora- tory space; c. Submitting special analytical services requests to the Sample Management Office that include methodology, QC requirements, matirces, etc., according to EPA protocols; and d. Transmitting unreviewed data to MMB for QA review, and returning reviewed data from MMB to the appropriate contractor. ------- Regional QA Plan Part I . Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 . Page: 29 of 33 Section 8.0 - Resources for the QA Program As has been described elsewhere in this QAPP, QA is intended to be an integral part of every other Program in Region II that is associated with environmental measurements. As such, appropriate resources should be identified as part of each of those programs. Since the program managers are' responsible for the quality of the data collected by or for their program, they have, or should have, a deep sense of responsibility for ensuring that adequate resources are dedicated to that effort. The process for identifying and quantifying QA resources needed for a given program begins with the program E~nager. In general, the program managers' recommendations are based upon the program resource allocation models prepared by Headquarters and upon advice offered by the QAO. Those recommendations are made to the Regional Adminisl:rator through the Office of the Assistant Regional Administrator (ARA) for Policy and Management. If the QAO does not agree with 'those recommendationsp suggestions for change are offered through the Director of ESD. The Regional Administrator allocates resources based on the ARA's recommendations and an)r Division Director appeals. In rare instances, an appeal is made to Headquarters for additional resources. However, in most cases, QA resource allocations are made from resources assigned to the Region for the various programs. Section 9.0 - Annual Planning 9.1 - Regional Planning In EPA Region II, the. annual planning process for both internal and delegated- state QA activities is an integral part of the planning process for the associated data collection activities. As described in the previous section of this QAPP, the QA resource needs for internal activities are allocated through the normal resource allocation process. Essentially, the same process is followed for other aspects of internal QA planning except that most of the QA activities are suggested by MMB. It is a goal of the program to increase the involvement of the program offices through formal and informal training. In the long run, the program offices should initiate Dwst if not all QA planning along with their normal activities. QA planning for data collection activities delegated to the states also is integrated into the overall planning process as part of the workplan approval and review cycle, as well as in the grant review process. The single most important step in that process is the assurance that a state has an approvable QAPP covering all funded environmental monitoring activity before a grant is awarded. This 40 CFR Part 31 requirement is included in all grant packages sent to the states. The different program grants to each state are handled in slightly different ways by Region II. ------- Regional QA Plan Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 30 of 33 Each process includes an explicit review of QA matters, including the QAPP requirement, by a member of MMB. The grant package will not be sent for the Regional Administrator's signature until any MMB objections have been resolved. Through the process of lead and participating branches,'MMB is also able to observe and recommend, as appropriate, the involvement of program staff in the QA planning process. . 9.2 - States Planning The planning and budgeting process for monitoring is similiar to that of Region II. Resources are negotiated and allocated two years in advance and the actual monitoring projects are selected and designed in a period of three to six months prior to actual sampling. Section 10.0 - QA Training Managers are responsible for ensuring that all personnel involved with en- vironmental data have the necessary QA training for their tasks and func- tions. Personnel who collect and generate data include analysts, laboratory technicians, field samplers, maintenance technicians, project managers, supervisors, data users, statisticians, and Regional QA staff. Individual training needs may be identified during performance evaluations. Organizational training needs will be addressed annually in the Region II QAPP Part III (Annual QA Report and Work Plan). Guidance related to QA training is generally provided by QAMS and by MMB. MMB is also available to assist Regional Program Managers in obtaining appropriate QA training for their staffs. In addition, MMB provides some training directly, and oversees all QA training within the Region. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 31 of 33 PART I APPENDIX I - ACRONYMS LIST ACRONYM DEFINITION CLP CME COE CSI CWA DGPB DMR DOD DPO !)QA DQO DRA EIB EIS EMSL EPA EPIC ERCS ERRD ESD FATES FIFRA FIT FOP FS GAB GC GC/MS GIS Atomic Absorption American Associat:i.on of Retired Persons Air Compliance Bnnch Automatic Data Processing Asbestos Hazard ED~rgency Response Act Assistant Regional Administrator Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act American Society For Testing and Materials Air and Waste MancLgement Division Air and Water Secion Clean Air Act Compliance Biomon:.l.toring Inspection .Compliance Data S)rstem Comprehensive Env:.l.ronmental Respo~e, Compensation, and Liability Act Contract Laboratory Program Compliance Monitoring Evaluation Army Corps of Engineers Compliance Sampling Inspection Clean Water Act. Drinking/Groundwal:er Protection Branch Discharge Monitoring Report Department of Defense Ueputy Project Officer Data Quality Audil: Data Quality Objective Deputy Regional Adminstrator Environmental Impacts Branch Environmental Impacts Statement Environmental Mon:Ltoring and Support Laboratory Environmental Proj~ection Agency Environmental Photographic Interpretation Center Emergency ResponS4! Clean-up Services Emergency and Rew!dial Response Division Environmental Services Div,ision FIFRA And TSCA Enforcement System Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act Field Investigatic>n Team Field Operations Plan Feasibility Study Grants Administration Branch Gas Chromatograph Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrophotometry Geographic Information System AA AARP ACB ADP AHERA ARA ASHAA ASTM AWMD AWS CAA CBI CDS CERCLA ------- kegion II QAPP Part I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 32 of 33 ACRONYM DEFINITION GLP HQ HSWA HWCB HWFB HWPB ICAP IJC ISB MMB MSA MPRSA MWPB NAAS NAMS NEPA NESHAP NJDEP NOV. NPDES NPL NSPS NYSDEC OGe OPM ORA ORC OSC OSCAR PA PAB PCB PCS PE PO POP PON PPIB PTlC PR PRP PSB PSD PISB PWSS QA QAMS QAO QAPjP Good Laboratory Practices Headquarters Hazardous Substance Waste Amendments Hazardous Waste Compliance Branch Hazardous Waste Facilities Branch Hazardous Waste Programs Branch Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma International Joint Commission Information Systems Branch Monitoring Management Branch Management System Audit Marine Protection, Research~ and Sanctuaries Act Marine and Wetlands Protection Branch National Air Audit System National Air Monitoring Station National Environmental Policy Act National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection Notice of Violation National Pollution Discharge Elimination Act National Priority List New Source Performance Standards New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation Office of Groundwater Coordination Office of Policy and Management Office of Regional Adminstrator Office of Regional Counsel On-Site Coordinator Official Sample Control And Repository Preliminary Assessment Permits Adminstration Branch Poly Chlorinated Biphenol Permits Compliance System Performance Evaluation Project Officer Project Operations Plan Publicly Owned Treatment Works Policy and Program Integration Branch .Pesticides and Toxic Import Compliance Section Puerto Rico or Preliminary ReView Potentially Responsible Party Program Support Branch Prevention of Significant Deterioration Pesticides and Toxic Substances Branch Public Water System Supervision Quality Assurance' Quality Assurance Management Staff Quality Assurance Officer Quality Assurance Project Plan ------- Region II Par t I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/8ij Page: 33 of 33 ACRONYM DEFINITION QAPP QC QTRAK RA RCRA RD REM RFA RF1 RI RI/FS ROD RPM RSCC SARA SAROAD SCAP SCB SDWA Sl SIP SLAMS 5MB SOP SPCC SSA STORET SV TAT TOX TSA TSB TSCA TSD UIC USGS. UST VOC VSI WAP WHP WMD WPCB WSPB Quality Assurance Program Plan Quality Control Quality Assurance Tracking System Regional Adminstrator Resource Conservation Recovery Act Remedial Des ign Remedial Contractor Program RCRA Facility Assessment RCRA Facility Investigation Remedial Investigation Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Record of Decision Regional Project ~fanager Regional Sample Control Center Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act Storage And Retrieval Of Air Data (Air Database) Superfund Comprehensive Accomplishment Plan Site Compliance Branch Safe Drinking WatE~r Act Site Investigation State Implementation Plan State and Local Air Monitoring Station Surveillance and Monitoring Branch Standard Operating Procedure Spill Prevention, Countermeasure and Control Sole Source Aquifer Storage and Retrieval (Monitoring Database) Sampling Visi t Technical Assistance Team Total Organic Halogens Technical System Audit Technical Services Branch Toxic Substances Control Act Treatment, Storage and Disposal Underground Injection Control U.S. Geological Survey Underground Storage Tank Volatile Organic Compounds Visual Site Inspection Waste Analysis Plan Wellhead Protection Water Management Division Water Permits and Compliance Branch Water Standards and Planning Branch ------- QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM PART II - LABORATORY FACILITY PLAN FOR USEPA REGION II FISCAL YEAR 1989 DOCUMENT CONTROL NUMBER TSB-001/89 U. S. ENVIRONNENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION II 26 FEDERAL PLAZA NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10278 OCTOBER 1988 ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 (1) Name: Elaine M. Vikara Phone: 201-906-6805 Title: QA/QC Coordinator, Technical Support Branch Signature: t ~ 1J(.1iia..u:L Date " :J./3 /8'1 f I (2) Name: Daniel Lillian Phone: 201-321-6706 Ti tIe: Chief, Technical Support Branch .. ,-- Signature: J' ( , . i Date - .-.:- -- --- (3) Name: Gerard F. McKenna Phone: 201-321-6784 Title: Region II Quality Assurance Officer Signature:~ r-: ~ tG-. Date 3j3 oj R s. I ,. (4) Name: Barbara M. Me~zger Phone: 201-321 6754 Title: Director, Environmental Services.Division . S1gnature:_~%l'W-~ Date~~- ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 1 of 17 Part II - Section Index Section Number Title Page 1.0 Organization................................... .. .... 2 2.0 Region II Laboratory Quality Assurance Policy........ 3 3.0 Administrative Sample Handling Procedures............ 6 4.0 Standard Operating Procedures........................ 6 5.0 QA/QC Improvement Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6.0 Technical System!1 and Performance Evaluation Audits... 9 7.0 Assignments of Responsibilities.......................11 8.0 Facilities, Equipment and Services....................l2 9.0 Quality Assurance and Technical Training..............l3 Appendix I Region II Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures Attachment I Data Validation and Reporting Attachment II Management Chain of Responsibilities ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 2 of 17 Introduction: This Quality Assurance Facility Plan (QAFP) addresses the policies, procedures and organization of the Region II Laboratory, in Edison, NJ. The purpose of this document is to formalize "the"Quality Assurance (QA) polices and the Quality Control (QC) practices that have evolved in the past and which are currently operational within the Edison Laboratory. The objective of the laboratory is to produce high quality analytical data which are accurate, reliable and well documented. Section 1.0 Organization" 1.1 The Technical Support Branch was established by EPA to operate the Region II laboratory. The branch consists of three sections: a. Organic Chemistry Section b. Microbiology and Sanitary Chemistry Section c. Inorganic Chemistry Section 1.2 The laboratory is equipped to perform a wide range of organic and inorganic chemical analyses as well as microbiological evaluations in support of the following programs: Program Decision Unit Water Quality Monitoring Ocean Disposal Water Quality Enforcement Drinking Water Management - Public Water Supply Supervision Hazardous Waste Enforcement Toxics Enforcement Hazardous Substances Technical Enforcement Hazardous Spill & Site Response" B224 B253 BJ04 C215 D307 L306 Y306 Y905 Work is done for other programs as well, including Air Quality Monitoring and NESHAPS enforcement (asbestos). ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 3 of 17 Section 2.0 Region II Laboratory Quality Assurance Policy 2.1 The data quality policy of the laboratory facilitates the reporting of data which are appropriate and of maximum utility in fulfilling the stated objectives of the data recipient or end user. Routine samples accepted for analysis normally are requested through one of the programs indicated in Section 1.2. Each program either through the Analysis Request form or the program specific laboratory method used for analysis, indicates to the analyst such items as the target ana1ytes and the program related minimum detection limits. Non-routine requests for analysis or samples are indicated on the Analysis Request form and/or the Field Data Sheet which are both avail- able to the analys,t. The Technical Support Branch (TSB) management and/or the appropriate analysts are available to all project related individuals for discussion of requests for sample analysis and analytical results. The TSB staff may also request additional information or guidance during the sample analysis from the program initiating the request for analysis or the data recipient. 2.2 The Edison Laboratory's Quality Control practices and protocols are set forth in the Near Term QA/QC Improvement Plan of February 17, 1987 (QA/QC Plan). The QA/QC Plan contains the QC requirements and associated acceptance crit~ria currently in effect in the laboratory. These QC requirements and associated acceptance criteria normally exceed those requirements and acceptance criteria contained in the site-specific Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) or its functional equivalent and are designed to ensure the laboratory data generated is uniform and of the highest quality. The level of laboratory QC is based upon the regional expertise with the nature and type of samples received and the associated difficulties and/or shortcoming of the analytical methods employed. Should the QAPjP require additional or different type QC samples, the laboratory makes every effort to comply or to substitute equivalent QC practices, (e.g., the number of environmental sample replicate analyses performed is flexible and can be easily adjusted as per the QAPjP). 2.2.1 Complete, updated copies of the QA/QC Plan are maintained in the Edison facility library as a reference document, in the office of the Chief, Technical Support Branch (TSB) , and in the office of the TSB QA/QC Coordinator. All documents are readily accessible to all personnel and the practices and protocols specified shall be adhered to rigorously. 2.3 Currently under development: is a QA/QC Laboratory Plan (Draft II) which shall, with the QA/QC Plan of FE~bruary 17, 1987, delineate all aspects of the laboratory's QA program and QC practices respectively. The laboratory' shall implement sections of the draft QA/QC Laboratory Plan as appropriate. 2.4 In-house Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) shall be developed and be based upon the appropriate standard methods either published as such or mandated by Federal legislation. The published analytical method plus a streamlined SOP (see Section 4.2) shall serve to document our laboratory procedures. For certain analytical procedures within each section, the primary references, i.e., Stand.ud Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, Federal Register, ~~st Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste Physical/Chemical Methods, etc., are being used in lieu of the draft or approved SOP where the SOP does not exist or it does not conform to a program-specific method. ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 4 of 17 2.4.1 In accordance with Part I, Section 5.1 of the Region II QAPP, the SOPs shall be clearly written and be of the detail of a "cookbook" or an analytical method description as found in an American Society of Testing of Material (ASTM) method book. 2.4.2 Complete. up to date sets of the Edison laboratory SOPs, including both draft and completed, are maintained in the Edison facility library as a reference document and in the office of the Chief, TSB. Both sets of SOPs are readily available to all personnel and the SOPs shall be adhered to rigorously. The appropriate published methods, as indicated in Section 2.4, shall also be maintained in the library and in the office of the Chief, TSB. All specified analytical procedures shall be adhered to rigorously. 2.5 Demonstration and documentation that the measuring process is in control, shall be a prerequisite for repo,rting any data. Statistical control is main- tained by tracking accuracy and precision data generated during the analysis. Other types of control include maintaining all instrumentation in proper work- ing order (e.g., analytical balances, pH meters, all ancillary instrumentation), meeting specific tuning criteria on certain instrumentation, ensuring the reagent water used in the labora,tory is of the highest quality, using data validation procedures which are ,appropriate and technically correct, etc. 2.6 It is the responsibility of each individual in the Edison laboratory to maintain complete records of his/her work. The minimum requirement is that ~ll work shall be described in sufficient detail to make it understandable to one versed in the art, yet no,t directly connected with the work. Examples of typical documentation during an analysis and the subsequent data work up and quality assurance procedures followed are a. Logbooks - instrument maintenance - analytical run sequence - standards preparations b. Tuning and calibration data as appropriate c. Analytical data - entry into a laboratory notebook if no other hardcopy exists, i.e., manual readings - all instrument or data system printouts, stripcharts, etc. d. Laboratory reporting forms - environmental sample data - QC data - tuning and calibration e. QA/QC Checklists - summary of all QC data for the analyst and the data valida tor to sign. f. Control charts 2.7 All information covering sample receipt, chain of custody, integrity, identification, etc. is contained in SOP G-7, "Sample Control Data Manage- ment in the Laboratory -- Official Sample Control and Respository (OSCAR). ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 5 of 17 2.8 The highest quality analytical reagents shall be used in all work. Care should be taken to minimize their contamination or degradation. Reagents that have reached their expiration date shall be discarded in compliance with RCRA regulations and ESD's SOP G-6 for "Disposal of Samples and Hazardous Wastes." 2.9 It is the responsibility of each analyst to see that the concentration of all chemical standards used are verified by reliable methods. 2.10 To ensure the highest quality water is used in blanks, QC samples, and reagent preparations the laboratory analyzes water samples taken at 13 points throughout the laboratory. Parameters measured every month are conductivity, pH and total residual chlorine. Metals are measured every six months. The Water Suitability Test is performed annually on reagent water used in the Microbiology Laboratory. The Heterotrophic Plate Counts are also monitored monthly by the microbiology staff. 2.10.1 To further track the quality of the water, the laboratory has instituted a program through which all data obtained from method blanks using laboratory water shall be entered into the Laboratory Data Management Systems (LDMS). The methods bla.nks are also associated with the particular laboratory still producing the water used. A data base on laboratory water quality is presently being developed in the laboratory. 2.11 All laboratory equipment a.nd analytical instruments shall be maintained in a proper s.tate of repair and in a working condition sufficient to meet all method specified tuning or calibration criteria. 2.12 Calibration procedures sha.ll be carried out with sufficient frequency to minimize uncertainties in the analytical results. Calibration practices and methods for periodically verifying an initial calibration or calibration curve are i~dicated in the QA/QC Plan for all areas of measurement where appropriate. The frequency of initial calibration or verification, acceptance criteria and corrective actions are indicated for most instrumentat~on procedures and are being developed currently if they are not presently available. 2.13 The procedures for data handling and calculations for each analytical method shall be contained in the individual SOPs. 2.14 Data shall be verified by one or more of the following methods: (~) measurement by an independent te:chnique (e.g., dissimilar column analysis in Pesticide, PCB analysis); (2) spiking/recovery technique; (3) replicate measurements; (4) analytical quality control samples (AQCs) and (5) verifica- tion by two analysts analyzing the same samples. 2.15 All data will be reviewed prior to external release to ensure all quality control requirements have been met. The analytical results shall be checked or reviewed by at least one othe:r analyst in the section and the appropriate section chief. The preparer of each analytical report, the data reviewer and the section chief sign the report verifying that the quality control require- ments have been fulfilled. See Attachment I. and Section 5.1 item g. Data Validation. 2.16 Data shall be released through the office of the Chief, TSB. ------- Region II QAPP Part I Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 6 of 17 Section 3.0 Administrative Sample Handling Procedures Samples are handled in the laboratory by the following procedures: 3.1 Laboratory personnel do not collect samples analyzed in the lab. sampling procedures are not addressed in this QA plan. Therefore, 3.2 Requests for analysis are primarily made by the Chief, Surveillance and Monitoring Branch (SMB) who coordinates sample requests for the Env4ronmental Services Division (ESD). Requests for the analysis of Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) samples are made by the Chief, Pesticides and Toxic Substances Branch (PTSB). Additional requests for analysis of environmental samples in support of the Superfund program (CERCLA) are received from the Response and Prevention Branch (RPB) of the Emergency and Remedial Response Division. Requests for analysis of drinking water samples are made by the Chief, Drinking/Groundwater Protection Branch. 3.3 ~eekly schedules which update the status of each project are prepared by each analytical section as a result of the analyst's input during the weekly team meetings. The schedule includes the following type information (1) project name and number; (2) date received and date results due to be reponed out of the laboratory; (3) number, type and matrix of samples; (4) program submitting the samples and (5) the status of analysis - sample preparation, analysis, data wOTkup, QC review, etc. Each analyst receives a copy of the weekly schedule for their specific section. The branch chief (T58) and the TS8 section chiefs use' the weekly sched"le to assess the sample load in the laboratory and determine the availability of resources for accepting additional samples for analysis as well as assigning priorities for in-house samples. 3.4 Changes in priority can only' be made by the branch chief or his designee. 3.5 All samples should be completed within established holding times and within 30 days of their receipt; when this is not possible, priority 1s given to NPDES and RCRA Enforcement Samples, to special requests made by the ESD director and to WS Performance Evaluation samples. 3.6 Sample tracking through the laboratory is in accordance with SOP G-7, (For title see Section 2.7). 3.7 After completion of analysis, samples and hazardous wastes are discarded according to SOP G-6, "Disposal of Samples and Hazardous Wastes". Section 4.0 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) 4.1 SOPs shall be prepared for all routine analytical procedures employed in the Edison laboratory in accordance with Section 2.4, Part II. All personnel shall adhere rigorously to SOP procedures; ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 7 of 17 4.2 The streamlined "cookbook" SOPs shall be based upon standard published analytical methods such as those found in SW846 or approved by ASTM. Minor modifications of e~isting methods shall be carefully documented in the laboratory's SOP and records. The SOPs shall include but no/t be limited to the following: . a. Scope and Application - reference all procedures to the published analytical method - indicate target cinalytes Summary of Method SpeciaJ instructions based upon Sample Col) ection, Handling and Pres~rvation Quality Control Requirements Sample Preparation/ Analytical Procedure Data Handling and Calculations b. c. d. e. f. 4.3 Appendix I provides a current Jist of draft and approved laboratory SOPs. At present 13 SOPs have been completed and approved by the Regional Quality Assurance Officer. The remainder, 54 SOPs, are in draft status A program is being set up to review and revise all SOPs for the TSB and formalize an approval mechanism within the ESD. For certain analytical procedures the pc:inc1paJ documentation shall be the published analytical method (see Section 2.4) in lieu of an in-house SOP where the SOP does not exist or does not conform to a program-specific published method. 4.4 Pee.r review of all procedut'es is a minimum requirement to ensure understandability and &~nce continuity of a mea~urement process, as well as to receive the beneff ~s of technical criticism. 4.5 The appropriate Section Chief, the Branch QA/QC Coordinator and the Branch Chief shall review alJ SOPs. 4.& SOPs have shown the signatures of the preparer, the approving supervisor(s) anu the 8ranch QA/QC Coordinator. As indicated in Section 4.3, a formal approvaJ mechanism is being developed for ;he TSB SOPs within the ESD. 4.7 The SOPs are updated as needed. Revisions and modifications shall . be carried out with the Supervisor's concurrence and shall be properly documented. SOP files in the facility library and the office of the Chief. TSB. shaH be updated as appropriate by the Branch QA/QC Coordinator. Revisions and modifications shall be distributed through the office of the Chief, TSB to the staff as needed. 4.8 Auditing the status of the the SOPs shall be done semi-annuaJly by the Branch QA/QC Coordinator. Ana QA/QC Coordinators shall review and revise SOPs in their area of analysis - Gas Chromatograph (GC); Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS); Inorganic Chemistry. Sanitary Chemistry or Microbiology - on a continuing basis. ------- Section 5.0 Region II QAPP Part 11 Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 8 of 17 Near Term QA/QC Improvement Plan - February 17, 1987. (QA/QC Plan) 5.1 The QA/QC Plan consists of four sections - GC, GC/MS, Inorganic and Sanitary Chemistry. Each section includes as applicable .but shall not be limited to the following: a. QA Samples to provide accuracy, precision, contamination and interference data - type and frequency of analysis - acceptance criteria - impact on associated environmental sample data qualification with remark codes basd on acceptance criteria - corrective actions Instrument performance - tuning and calibration - frequency for renewing initial multipoint calibration - monitoring continuing (daily) calibration checks - acceptance criteria - impact on associated environmental sample data qualification with remark codes based on acceptance criteria - corrective actions b. c. Instrument and method detection limits, limits of quantitation d. Preparation of QC reagents and standards e. Holding time requirements f. Recordkeeping and documentation including control charts g. Data Validation - documentation - QA/QC checklists and laboratory Analytical Report Forms - appropriate section chief review and verification - branch chief review and release of analytical data 5.2 The four sections (GC, GC/MS, Inorganic and Sanitary) of the QA/QC Plan shall be updated as needed due to their present dynamic state of develop- ment. The entire QA/QC Plan shall be formally reviewed and revised as appropriate, at a minimum of once a year by the Area and Branch QA/QC Coordinators. The QA/QC committee shall oversee the revisions and modifica- tions to the QA/QC Plan. The revised QA/QC Plan shall be reviewed by the TSB staff. This peer review of each section shall be conducted to ensure compliance with published regulation~, EPA protocols and good laboratory practices. 5.3 Copies of the current library and the offices of All TSB staff members were its issuance. QA/QC Plan are maintained in the Edison facility the Chief, TSB and QA/QC Coordinator, TSB. provided individual copies of QA/QC Plan upon ------- Audit Section 6.0 Technical Systems and Performance Evaluation Audits Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 9 of 17 6.1 The laboratory presently participates in the following performance evaluation (PE) audits. An internal evaluation of our level of participa- tion in these studies, i.e., frequency and type (by program and analyte) is currently being done. The eight PE studies conducted annually require a substantial portion of laboratory analytical staff (total lab analytical staff is 14.3 FTEs). Because of this significant requirement of staff for PE studies, the Laboratory Management and the Branch QA/QC Coordinator are attempting to develop a program of PE participation which is linked to the laboratory's results on previous PEs and which eliminates any redundancy in these studies. Determining the freq~ency of participation would have a performance based component. Sponsor Type and Number of Samples Frequency WS Studies EMSL- Cincinnati Every six months HIp Organic Set-4 Samples (Hi/Lo) T/V Organic Set - 4 Samples ( Hi/Lo) Inorganic Set - 10 Samples ( Hi/Lo) Microbiology (WSM) ( Hi/Lo) Analytes Chlorinated Hydro- carbon Pesticides (p) & Herbicides (H) Trihalomethanes (T) and Volatile Organics (V) Trace Metals ( As, Ba , Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, Se, Ag, Cu) nitrate/nitrite, fluod" residual free chlorine, turbidity, Sodium/ corrosivity, calcium hardness (as Caw3), alkalinity, pH, TDS Total coliforms (MF) anll Total coliforms (MPN) EMSL- Cincinnati WP Studies Every six months Trace metals 2 samples (Hi/Lo) Minerals 2 samples (Hi/Lo) Nutrients Demand 4 samples Al, As, Be. Cu , Fe, Hg, Mo, Sr, Ti, Zn, Sb, Tl pH, Ca, TDS, specific conductance, Mg, Na, Cl S04, Fluoride total alkalinity (as Caoo3), total hardness (as Caw K, chloride, sulfate Ammonia - Ni t rogen, as ~. Orthophosphate, as P, Total phosphorous, as P Nitrate - Nitrogen as N Kjeldahl - Ni trogen as . COD, TOC and 5 day BOD Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ag, Se V, ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 10 of 17 Audit Sponsor Frequency Type and Number of Samples Analytes Pesticides /PCBs 2 samples each ( Hi/Lo) PCBs, aldrin, dieldrin, DDD, DDE, DDT, heptachlor heptachlor epoxide & chlordane Sanitary Total cyanide, TSS o & G, to tal phenolics, total residual chlorine ( Hi/Lo) Volatile Halocarbons (Hi/Lo) 11 of these Volatile Aromatics ( Hi/Lo) 6 of these RCRA/ CERCLA Studies EMSL- Cincinnati/ EMSL-Las Vegas Every three months Variable Variable 6.2 The laboratory participates in the Water Supply (WS) studies to maintain certification status required to analyze potable water samples, as dictated by the Safe Drinking Water Act (/+0. CFR Part 141.28). The reason for main- the certification status is in the event one of the state primacy laboratories within the Region is not capable of analyzing potable water samples. the regional laboratory would be able to assume the responsibility immediately. 6.3 These results of performance evaluation studies are usually received by the laboratory approximately :z months after submission. Incorrect results are evaluated, sources of error determined, and corrective actions applied to laboratory operations. 6.4 Internal audits are perform4E!d periodically at the discret ion of the TSB Branch and/or Section Chiefs. Two internal audits per analytical section per year are planned. These audits are to be performed by the Branch QA/QC COordinator and the appropriate Area QA/QC COordinators. External audits may be performed by the regional quality assurance branch, MMB, pursuant to the Regional Quality Assurance Program Plan. External and audits are also performed every three years by EPA-Cincinnati, pursuant to policy on drinking water laboratory certification. The most recent EPA-Cincinnati audit was performed in June 1988. ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 . Page 11 of 17 Section 7.0 Assignment of QA/QC Responsibilities Each member of the staff has reslponsibi1ity for the implementation of the quality assurance program, dependent upon his technical and/or supervisory and administrative responsibilities. QC and/or QA/QC Performance Standards are in place for all analysts, QA/QC Coordinators and Section Chiefs. The general responsibilities are summarized below: 7.1 TSB Staff: Each member of the staff is responsible for the technical quality of his work. All work shall be done with the highest level of integrity and professional competence. Each member of the staff must be alert to problems or sources of error that could compromise the quality of technical work. All SOPs and QA/QC documents shall be adhered to rigorously. All analytical results shall be substantiated by complete documentation of all aspects of the analytical procedure. 7.2 Management Chain: Management has the responsibility for supervising and administering the quality assurance program and is responsible for the overall administration of the program with responsibilities detailed down through the supervisory chain. See Attachment II. 7.3 Branch QA/QC Coordinator: In the Edison Laborat9ry, one analyst shall be appointed to serve in this capacity. Specifically he/she shall be responsible for auditing the sections to ensure compliance with and implementation of all QA/QC policies and practices, developing and recommending new branch QA/QC procedures and preparing, reviewing and/or revising all branch QA/QC documents. The Branch QA/QC Coordinator shall be the chairperson of the Labor,atory QA/QC Committee. 7.4 Area QA/QC Coordinators: Four analysts, one for each section - GC, GC/MS, Inorganic, and Sanitary Chemistry/Microbiology - shall be appointed to service in this capacity. Specifically he/she shall be responsible for audi~ing his/her respective section to ensure compliance with and implementation of all area QA/QC policies and practices, develop- ing and recommending new QA/QC procedures within the section and preparing, reviewing and/or revising area QA/QC documents. The area QA/QC Coordinators shall represent their respective area on the Laboratory QA/QC Committee. 7.5 Laboratory QA/QC Committee: The laboratory QA/QC Committee shall consist of four Area QA/QC Coordinators, and the Branch QA/QC Coordinator. Monthly meetings shall be held and include consideration of, but not be limited to, the following: ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: lQ/l/88 Page 12 of 17 a. b. c. . d. Branch QA/QC policies and practices - established and proposed Area QA/QC policies aud practices - established and proposed External, branch and/clr area QA/QC audits Performance Evalution Study Participation Preparation, revision and review of in-house QA/QC documentation Review and analysis of external QA/QC documents Discussion of QA/QC pt'oblems in the laboratory e. f. g. Section 8.0 Facilities, Equipulent and Services 8.1 Since most of our instruments have solid state electronics as long as temperatures and humidity do not reach extremes we have no difficulty in operations. 8.2 Maintenance for general utilities and housekeeping are performed by Private Contractor. Each major piece of equipment (hoods, refrigerators, etc.) is assigned to a "caretaker." If problems occur he/she contacts the contractor. The "caretaker" shall be utimately responsible for house- keeping. 8.3 Every six IIIOnths an inspection of laboratory facililities shall be . undertaken. This shall be a combination safety and housekeeping inspection. Normally the Branch Safety Coordinator and a Section Chief conduct the evaluation. . . 8.4 Selected, critial instruments and pieces of equipment shall be covered by s~rvice contracts to ensure continuous high quality operation. Service manuals are located in close proximity to the appropriate instruments. A schedule of routine maintenance procedures shall be prepared and docwnented in instrument logbooks. 8.5 Each instrument in the laboratory is maintained by a "caretaker" who oversees the use, repair and general condition of that unit. This includes any ADP equipment in the laboratory. Routine maintenance and supervision of maintenance done by equipment: repair personnel are done by the "caretaker." 8.6 No equipment is operated until it is first ascertained that it is in a safe and reliable state and then only by personnel who have been thoroughly trained and have been duly qualified as operators. ~.7 Records of maintenance of equipment shall be suitably recorded. Routine maintenance may be indicated by labels on equipment. A file should be compiled that will contain additional information on operational procedures and/or servicing as may be generated as a result of laboratory experience with the equipment. ------- Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page 13 of 17 Section 9.0 Quality Assurance and Technical Training 9.1 New employees shall be indoc:trinated in the specific quality assurance practices they must follow and advanced training will be given to the present staff. An integrated laboratory quality assurance manual is being developed as a basis for quality assurance training as well as documentation of the Region II laboratory QA/QC policies and practices. 9.2 The competence and expertisEi of the technical staff are the first requirements for quality measurements. Despite the increased sophistica- tion of modern instrumentation. t.echnical judgment. experience. skill and even the professional attitude of the staff are very important for reducing and main~aining measurement variability at acceptable levels. 9.2.1 In addition to routine cheulical analysis. the laboratory staff is engaged in an aggressive program of investigating and improving our analytical methods and their associated quality control practices. 9.3 All laboratory personnel shall be trained by on-the-job programs and supplemented by formal. technical training (usually offered by equipment and instrument manufacturers). ------- 8-5 8-6 8-7 8-8 8-9 8-11 8-12 8-14 8-15 . 8-16 8-17 8-18 8-19 8-20 8-21 8-23 APPENDIX I EPA - REGION II Edison Laboratory - Technical Support Br3nch Microbiology Standard Operating Procedures Total Colifor~ - Membrane Filter (MF) Total Coliform - Most: P.robable Number (MPN) Fecal Coliform - Membrane Filter (MF) Fecal Coliform - Most. Probable Number (MPN) Microbiology Quality Control Practices Summary of Operation of Virus Concentration Fecal Streptococci - Membrane Filter (MF) Salmonella Isolation Ames Test Region I I QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: 10/1/88 Page' 14 of 17 I~spection Procedure!s. for Drinking Water Laboratory Certification - Bacteriology Asbestos Analysis b~r Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM)t Dispersion Staining (OS) Routine Maintenance of Laboratory Autoclave Operation of Orthomat for Photomicrography Start-up Procedure for Electron Microscope Virus Adsorption - Elution (Viradel) Cartridge Filter Procedure 8acteriological Examination of Sediment by Most Probably Number (MPN) ------- C-l C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8 C-9 C-ll C-12 C-13 C-14 C-15 C-16 C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20 C-21 C-22 C-23 Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2 Date: lO/}/88 Page 15 of 17 APPENDIX I - cont'd EPA - REGION II Edison Laboratory - Technical Support Branch Chemistry Standard Operating Procedures Base/Neutrals and Acids by Capillary GC/MS/DS in Soils and Sediments Volatile Organics in Water and Wastewater by Purge and Trap GC/Ms/DS Base/Neutrals and Acids by Capillary GC/MS/DS Volatile Organics in SoiJ s and Sediments by Purge and Trap GC/MS/DS Determination of Trace !ietals in Sludges t 011s t Sediments and Aqueous Samples Using Furnace Techniques Determination of Hexavalent Chromium by Flame Atomic Absorption Determination of Trace Metals by Flame Atomic Absorption Using Soft Digestion Determination of Trace Metals by ICP using Soft and Hard Digestion Method for Mercury in Water and Sediments (Manual Cold Vapor Technique) Extraction Procedure (EP) Toxicity Test Method Hard Digestion Procedure for EP Aqueous Extracts (for Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrocopy) Analysis of Sediment Samples for PCBs by GC/ECD Determination of PCBs in Transformer Fluid and Waste Oils Determination of PCBs and Pesticides in Municipal and Industrial Waters Method for Chlorophenoxy Acid Herbicides in Drinking Water Determination of Fluoride by Ion Selective Electrode Determination of Alkalinity Determination of Sulfate Determination of Hardne:ss Determination of 5-day Biochemical OXygen Demand Determination of Chlor:l.de Determination of Ignitability ------- C-24 C-25 C-26 C-28 C-29 C-30 C-31B C-32 C-33 C-34 C-35 C-36 C-37 C-38 C-39 C-40 C-44 C-47 Regi.on I I QAPP Part II Revh 10n No.2 Date: 1071/88 Page 16 of 17 APPEN[U!...l - con t 'd EFA - REGION II Edison Laboratory --Technical Support Branch Chemistry Stand.ud Operating Procedures Determination of pH/Cort'osivity Determination of Total Suspended Solids Determination of OU and Grease Determination of Cy.anidE~s Determination of Total Phenolics Determination of Chemicd Oxygen Demand ( COD) Oetermination of Total Organic Carbon (Beckman TOC Analyzer) Determination of Petroleum Hydrocarbons Determination of Total ~~lids Determination of Volatile Solids Determination of Settleable Solids Determination of Specif1Lc Conductance Determination of Total I>issolved Solids (TDSs) Methods for Total Organic Halogen (TOX) Analyses Nutrient Analyses Using the Auto Analyzer Total Kjelhdahl Nitrogell (TKN) Using the Automatic Titration Unit Determination of Arsenic: and Seleni\JII in EP Toxicity Samples Determination of Color ( C-48 ) Chemistry SOPs In Preparation (~rentative SOP numbers in parentheses) ( C-49 ) ( C-50) ( C-51)' ( C- 52) Base/Neutrals and Acids by Capillary GC/KS/DS in Soils and Sediments - for RCRA and CERCLA Samples - Method 3540 Volatile Organic Compounds in Drinking Water - EPA Method 524.1 or 524.2 Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water by Selected Ion Monitoring - EPA Method 501.3 Dissolved Oxygen - Wink.Jer Method' Determination of Sulfid.~s (Titrimetric, Iodine) Method 376.1 ------- G-2 G-3 G-4 G-6 G-7 Region II QAPP Part II Revision No.2. Date: 10/1/88 Page 17 of 17 APPENDIX I - cont'd EPA - REGION II Edison Laboratory - Technical Support Branch General Standard Operating Procedures Safety Standard Operating Procedures in the Microbiology Laboratory Procedures for Producing High Quality and Reagent Grade Water Laboratory Glassware Cleaning, Handling, and Quality Control Disposal of Samples and Hazardous Wastes Sample Control and Data Management 1n the Laboratory - Official Sample Control and Repository (OSCAR) ------- Sign QA/QC Chpt"k1ist -- - ----~selectt'd- -., sampl es I I I I I I I I I I I I IE---- - -- ---------11/ ATTACH~ES:r I DATA VALIDATION A.~D REPORI'ING Data Workup Completp Completed data pa("kage - peer rev~ew Enter Data Into LDMS LDMS Comphtt'd Anal yst RepnTt Chet"k Data Transt"ript1ons QA/QC RPview (optional) QA/QC Review (optional) Sign Cnmp]eted Data Pat"kage Release Data Q QC RE'v~ew 'S!gn QA/QC Checklist * These four positions shouJd not be fiJJed by the same person because this removes important independent checks of the data. ------- ATTACHMENT I I MANAGEMENT CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITIES RESPONSIBILITY METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION Documentation of QA/QC Program Part II QAPP. Laboratory Facility Plan QA/QC Laboratory Plan (draft) (Section 2.3) Near Term QA/QC Improvement Plan (QA/QC Plan) (Section 2.2) Standard Operation Procedures (Sections 2.4 and 4.2) Documentation of QA/QC Protocols QA/QC Plan - - QC practices - Acceptance criteria - Data validation - Corrective actions - Control charts PRINCIPAL IHPLEMENTOR(s)/OVERSEER(s) Branch QA/QC Coordinator prepares document Branch Chief and Section Chiefs review and submit document to HHB (QAHS) Branch QA/QC Coordinator prepares document for Branch and Section Chief review Branch and Area QA/QC Coordinator prepare document for Branch Chief. Section Chiefs. HHB and staff review QA/QC committee oversees .preparation/revisions Branch Chief responsible to see SOPs are available or being prepared for approval and concurrence Branch QA/QC Coordinator maintains/updates official copies. assists area QA/QC Coordinators and individual staff members in preparation and revision of SOPs Section Chiefs enforce implementation Area QA/QC Coordinators monitor compliance within their sections Branch QA/QC Coordinator monitors overall compliance QA/QC committee provides a forum for" discussion and revisions to all QA/QC practices ------- -2- RESPONSIBILITY METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION Assessment of Laboratory Performance Participation in WSJ WPJ RCRA and Superfund-CLP Performance Evaluation Studies Internal Audits External Audits Assessment of Laboratory Data Quality Compliance with QA/QC Plan Protocols' Compliance with Region II, Part II QAPPJ Laboratory Facility Plan - all items not addressed in QA/QC Plan - good laboratory practices - laboratory documentation - instrument maintenance - reagent water quality - QA training PRINCIPLE IMPLEHENTOR(s)/OVERSEER(s) Branch Chief and Section Chiefs determine the extent of participation in the studies Branch Chief and Branch QA/QC Coordinator assess overall laboratory performance and ensure follow up corrective actions a're implemented. Section Chiefs and Area QA/QC Coordinators assess individual section performance and . determine corrective actions Branch Chief. Section Chiefs and/or Branch QA/QC Coordinator may initiate and partici- pate in audits EMSL and/or MMB may initiate ana participate in audits (EMSL-Cinn performs an audit every 3 years in support of SDWA) Branch Chief determines final data accept- abiJity and releases data from the laboratory Section Chiefs enforce implementation and with staff input (see Data VaJidation procedure - Attachment I) determines data validity. Branch Chief and Section Chiefs ensure a]l practices are followed. ------- QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM PARt III FOR USEPA REGION II ANNUAL REPORt AND WORKPlAN FISCAL YEAR 1989 DOCUMENt CONtROL NUMBER MMB-003/89 U.S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECtION AGENCY REGION I I 26 FEDERAL PLAZA NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10278 OCtOBER 1988 ------- Concurrences (1) Name: Gerard F. McKenna Phone: 201-321-6645 Title: Regional Quality Assurance Officer Signature ~-,. 0 ~ ~.. ~ (2) Name: Barbara Metzger Title: Director, Environmental Services Division Signature ~~ ~~, (3) Name: Pedro A. Gelabert Ti tle: Director, Caribbean Field Office Signature -:o,~ ~ (4) Name: Conrad Simon Title: Dire~'~'~;-?1r and,.Il'1aste Management Signature ~. 'V --.rw-- /' (5) Name: Richard L. Caspe Title: Direct~~~a~Ma(I~ement Division Signature- 17 -----.... . (6) Name: Stephen Luftig Phone: 212-264-8672 Ti tle: Direc~':) Emergenc Signature I~~L'L- Date Region II Part III Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 1 of 8 i.f-7-;?y Phone: 201-321-6754 Date ~ / '0 ( SCI { Phone: 809-725-7825 Date~ Phone: 212-264-2301 Division Date 0/~/g-i , I Phone 212-264-2513 Date -I Po /~ l "" J Di VisiO,,/ f' ! Date ~ ~f ------- Concurrences cont'd. (7) Name: Douglas Blazey Ti tl e : f Regional Signature (8) Name: Herbert Barrack Title: Administrator, & ,~nt Signature Approval for Regional Implementation Name: William Muszynski Title: Acting Regional Administra,tor Signature t/~;J9~4~' Region II Part II I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 2 of 8 Phone: 212-264-1017 Counsel Date~~ Phone;' 212-264-2520 Date~ Phone: 212-264-2525 Date ~~ Approval for Agency Name: Stanley Blacker Title: Director, Quality Assurance Management Staff Signature ~ Phone: 202-382-5763 Date 5//6 Ii+- ------- Section Number 1.0 .. 2.0 3.0 4.0 Region II Part III Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 3 of 8 III - SECTION INDEX Title Page Annual Examination and General Status............... 4 Data Quality Objecti'ves............................. 7 Audit Program....................................... 8 Implementation Schedule............................ 8 ------- Region II Par"t II I Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 4 of 8 Introduction This Regional .Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) has three major parts. Parts I and II are intended to document the Region's relatively permanent policies, procedures and management systems that are in place to implement the Quality Assurance (QA) program, and manage QA for the Regional Laboratory, respectively. Part III is a combination of the Annual QA Status Report and QA Work Plan. Part I and II are not normally revised annually, but rather only when QA policies, procedures or management are significantly changed. Part III is revised annually to include a current evaluation of the Region's QA program as well as the detailed schedule of QA activities to be performed that year. Section 1.0 - Annual Examination of Parts I and II and General Status of the QA Program 1.1 - General Status The Region has an active and effective QA program. The need for QA is becoming increasingly recognized and accepted by managers and staff. The program continues to be administered forcefully by the Environmental Services Division (ESD) Director and staff. The need for increased awareness of QA in regional Programs is being addressed by education. QA trai:tling for regional project managers (RPMs) and contractors in the Superfund program is held frequently. QA training for those involved in the RCRA program was held twice in FY87. A regular training program for personnel in the water programs is being carried out in FY89. In addition, during New Employees Orientation, all new employees are being " introduced to the concept of QA and its ~elevance to their jobs. 1.2 - Continuous Adequacy of Parts 1 and II. Parts I and II are substantially the same as last year. A few changes have been made in response to QAMS' review. ~~anges in the organization of the Environmental Services Division ,and the Emergency and Remedial Response Division have been incorporated into the QAPP as well. In FY89, the Region is continuing to implement fully Parts I and II of the QAPP. The most significant focus areas for FY89 will be as follows: a. Establishment of an In depth Formal QA Training Program in the Region Across All Major Program Elements. ------- U.S EPA Headquarters Libra Mail code 3404T ty 1200 Pen.nsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20460 . 202-566-0556 Region II Part III Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 5 of 8 QA training is available on a regular basis to regional staff in the Superfund program. In FY88, MMB expanded this initiative for RCRA. Similar training courses for the various water programs (PWSS, UIC, ocean dumping, etc.) are scheduled for FY89. In addition, less formal training for air program staff was initiated in FY88 and will be continued as needed. b. Completion of QA Needs AssesslDent and Establishment of Responsibility and Use of Resources to Carry Out the .QA Needs in the RCRA Program. In FY87, ESD and AWMD started an assessment of the QA Needs for carrying out effectively the RCRA program. This assessment is an ongoing activity, establishing a specific QA strategy for RCRA Monitoring Activities, including permitting, enforcement and corr.active action programs. ESD will continue to have the lead on this initiative, with input from AWMD. The assessment is an on-going activity. c. Continue the Internal Review I)f the Regional QA Program In FY87, an internal review'was conducted on the regional QA program in an attempt to a~sess its current status. Several areas were not touched upon. It was recommended that this process become a formal QA .function concentrating on specific areas of the overall program every yea.r. . . The two ESD areas not included in the FY87 internal review were the Survellience and Monitoring Branch (SMB) and the Technical Support Branch (TSB). During FY88 MMB began its QA review of TSB by working on a joint Task Force with that Branch to assess the conformance of analytical methodologies used for the water enforcement program with the required methods. During FY89 MMB plans to initiate on-site reviews, of TSB and 5MB activities, observing their laboratory and field activities, and assessing the effectiveness of their QA and QC programs for producing data useful for the Region's program managers. In addition, MMB will continue the process begun in FY87 by extending the formal review process to at least one other program area during FY89. d. Continue to Pursue Earlier Incorporation of QA into the Planning of Monitoring Projects. In FY88 an attempt was made to involve QA early in a project planning phase by including QA staff at scoping meetings of projects, allowing the opportunity to discuss QA requirE!ments early in the decision process. In FY89, ~m will encourage the continuation of this practice for all projects, especially those related to Superfund and ocean/estuary monitoring. ------- Region II QAPP Part III Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 6 of 8 Historically, many Regional program officers have not included QA interests during early stages of monitoring project development, resulting in crises and delays just before monitoring was scheduled to begin. During FY88 this situation was improved by the establishment of Regional Order R-5340.1 requiring early registration of projects with MHB. In addition, MMB has been working with the various Regional program offices to ensure that MMB representatives would be included in early discussions. ERRD is still inconsistent in inviting ESD to participate in scoping meetings for all Superfund projects. Discussions are held regarding most air monitoring projects. However, many water monitoring projects are still developed without early and continuing representation of QA interests. MMB will a180 encourage similar up-fron meetings in the other programs. This must become an on-going process that should be the responsibility of all Regional staff in all of the Divisions. These meetings should become the nest step in the planning phase of a project after the registration of the project into QIRAK. e. Completion of QA Manual for Superfund Program. In FY87, MMB began preparing a QA manual that provides guidance and policies on quality control, sample collection and analytical techniques specifically for the Superfund program. In FY88, the manual was completed. Also in FY88, MMB began the expansion of this manual to include guidance and policies for RCRA. Many of the sampling and analytical procedures are the same, making it feasible to have one manual that crosses several program elements. During FY89 the manual will be updated, including the inclusion of air monitoring at hazardous waste sites. In FY89, MMB will assist PISB, 5MB and RPB in developing generic QAPjPs for these monitoring activities. Since the activities are consistent from site to site, generic plans are acceptable. PIBS, 5MB and RPB will take the lead with MMB assisting. be in place by June 1, 1988. The QAP j Ps will f. Review Regional Standard Operating Procedures. In FY88, MMB began to review the status of the regional SOPs, presently working with the Branches to revise and update SOPs necessary. and is when ------- Region 11 QAPP Part 111 Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 7 of 8 g. Improving Regional Understandlng of QA Roles and Responsibilities. In FY8~, MMB will extrapolate thE~ specific QA roles and responsibilities delineated in Part 1 of the QAPP It and develop a "quick reference" for all Regional managers and staff. h. Continued Effort to Better Balance and Prioritize QA Efforts in the Superfund Program. In FY87, many initiatives were established to better balance and prioritize QA efforts in the Superfund progI~am. These included the development of the QA manual, the QA training courses, and the initiation of up-front meetings. This balancing and prioritizing of QA efforts will continue in FY8'. SCB and MMB are jointly developing an operating strategy to increase QA involvement in enforcement lead Superfund sites. QA requirements are being identified, and a plan will be developed to address these concerns. SCB and MMB will continue this iDdtiative together. going process. This will become an on- Section 2.0 - Data Quality Objectives In Fya8, the Region made progress in three areas related to DQOs. First, the Region has completed the DQO pilot study on the South Branch of the Raritan River Use Attainability Study. For this project, the Region utilized the formal DQO process a,nd computer software developed by QAMS. Second, the Region is including DQO instruction in its training courses for CERCLA and RCRA personnel. This training follows the DQO guidance provided by the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response. Third, the Region has begun to build the concept of DQOs into the planning process for monitoring projects across the board. This is accomplished through the QA Project Plan development and review process. In FY89, the Region will continue efforts in all three of these areas. As QAMS improves the useability and availability of the interactive software, the Region will evaluate and utilize it for several additional environmental studies. We will also continue to include DQOs in the CERCLA and RCRA training manual and course presentations. Finally, MMB will continue t~ encourage and monitor the effectiveness of the inclusion of DQOs in the QA Project Plan process. ------- Region II QAPP Part III Revision No. 0 Date: 10/1/88 Page: 8 of 8 Section 3.0 - Audit Program 3.1 - Overview Every year, a number of MSAs and TSAs were conducted on programs and projects that produce environmental data for Region II. The results of these audits form the basis for EPA's oversight of the various programs during the coming year. As such, the audit results, along with the results of the informal regional QA review, constitute an essential element of the status of the Region's QA program. 3.2 - Audit Schedule The overall audit program for FY89 is anticipated to.remain the same as in FY~8. The Region will continue its oyersight responsibility by conducting MSAs,'TSAs, Data Quality Audits, and PE Audits throughout the year. Data validation will continue for data generated by the Superfund CLP program and, as resources allow, for the other programs. Section 4.0 - Implementation Schedule Table I shows the list of reviews,. audits, training, and other QA activities planned and carried out by HMB during FY88. This is, essentially, a quantitative measure of the QA officers' accomplishments for the year. Table II includes the list of QA activities projected for FY89. the QA plan for the year. It summarizes ------- Table I E~VIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION REGION II MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM . Fiscal Year 1988 , Updated: 10/12/88 Progra. Area: Air Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Pro2ram Accomplishments Type Ist.Otr 2nd QTR 3rd OTR 4th on Ambient Monitoring No. SLAMS/Toxics Audits j~ 6/1 17/21 37/41 60/93 I No. SLAMS/Toxies Site Insp. j~ 5/8 10/9 13/11 16/20 No. State QA Systems Aud i ts A % % 2/2 2/2 Air Enforcement No. Stack Test Protocol A 19/12 40/17 59/46 75/50 Revi ews No. Stack Tests Observed A 10/5 22/14 32/28 40/40 No. St ack Test Repo rt A 14/13 30/15 44/38 55/42 Revi ews No. CEM Protocol Revi ews I A 2/1 4/1 4/1 4/5 No. CEM Aud i ts or PSTs - Opacity ~~ 1/1 2/1 2/2 2/5 - Gaseous' A . I/O 4/2 5/10 . 5/10 No. C~t Excess Emi ssion Reviews (EERs) - ~ SPS - D and Da A 4/1 9/2 14/8 19/17 - NSPS - Ot hee I A 4/2 8/3 112/13 16/16 No. Aud its on St ate St ack A. J/3 0/3 % 3/3 Test Programs No. Aud its on St ate CEM A. % % 1/0 3/3 Program Ocean Disposal No. LI Sound QA Project A % 0/5 4/6 10/6 P1dn Revi.ews Ocean Disposal QA Project A I/O I 3/2 4/2 5/4 Plan Rev! ews No. Technical System Audits A % 0/1 2/2 5/3 for Army COE I I - Type: C-Commitment A-Activity lndicator ------- EIWIRO~tExrAL SERVICES DLVISIO~ REGION II MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM Fiscal Year 1988 Updated: 10/12/88 Program Area: Water Pro ram Accom 1ishments Water Enforcement No. DMR-QA Studies Managed A 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 No. PE Studies Managed (WP>! A 1/1 1/1 2/2- 2/2 No. QA Project Plan Reviews\ A 0/1 1/1 1/6 1/9 No. NPDES Alt.Methods Review A % % % 2/0 No. DMR-QA Phone Inquiries A. 15/65 30/175 40/178 140/181 LJ j Type: C-Commitment A-Activity I j ------- ENVIRONME~rAL SERVICES DIVISIO~ REGION II MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM Updated: 10/12/88 Fiscal Year 1988 Program Area: Drinking Water Program AccomplIshments Proj/Act TYDe lst.Qtr Drinking Water No. PE Studies Managed (WS) A No. PWSS QA Project Plan I Revi ews No. Technical System Audits A ,I I I I 1) i't:. C-ComDU [men t .L A-ActIVIty A 0/1 Oil 2/0 I Proj/Act 2 nd Qn 1/1 0/2 3/1 . Proj/Act 3 rd QTR 1/1 0/2 3/4 Ptoj/Act 4th QTR 2/2 212 3/6 ------- ENVIRONME~TAL SERVIC'ES DIVISION REGION I I MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM Fiscal Year 1988 Updated: 10/12/88 Program Area: Hazardous Waste - RCRA Proj IAct Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Program AccomDlishments TYDe Ist.Qtr 2 Dei QTR 3 rd QTR 4th QTR No. WAPs & Trial Burn A 0/8 0/9 1/25 2/4 Incinerator Applications Reviewed No. Trial Burn Tests A 3/4 7/6 8/16 9/4 Observed No. Trial Burn Repo rts A 0/1 2/1 5/11 11/6 Revi ewed No. Draft Incinerator A % % 1/0 5/3 Permits Reviewed No. WDs in Support of A 7/7 7/7 16/0 16/7 Plasma Arc Incinerator No. WDs in Support of A 7/7 17 /27 17 /40 17 /40 Occidental Incinerator No. QA Project Plans A 3/5 5/10 6/13 6/16 Revi ewed - S Is No. SIs Reviewed to Assure A % 4/0 11/5 12/5 QA/(l:, was Fo1.Lwed No. QA Project Plans A 4/1 5/2 8/8 10/11 Rev! ewed - RFls No. RCRA Sample Data A 50/112 100/112 150/170 225/170 Qual! ty Rev! ews No. WDs for Program Suppo rt A 8/19 18/33 28/45 50/80 and Guidance I I I I Type: C-Commi tment A-Act ivi ty B"-Headquarters Tracked ------- E~VIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION REGION II MANAG~tENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM Fi scal Year 1988 Updated: 10/12/88 Program Area: Superfund Proj /Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Program AccomDlishments TYDe Ist.Otr 2 ndo OTR 3 rd QTR 4th on No. Hazardous Waste Site A 2500/3452 5000/7809 8000/11,102 10,000/15,85 Sample Data Quality Rev. No. CERCLA Lab Audi ts A 3/4 5/10 5/14 10/18 No. WDs for Workgroup Meets A 30/24 40/35 50/45 60/60 and Conference I i No. QA Trainin~ Sessions A 3/2 6/4 8/7 10/9 No. Field Audits Performed I A 2/2 5/6 5/6 10/15 I No. Hgt. Systems Audits A % % 1/0 1/0 Performed on Contractors No. QA Project Plan Reviews \ A' 10/44 l 20/62 40/93 50/125 I 18/33 No. WDs in QA Project Plan I A 5/7 12/11 25/36 Review Meetings I No. CERCLA Guidance Manuals A 1/0 1/1 1/1 1/1 Prepa red j No. Techical Assistance A % % 0/176 0/214 Inq ui ries I o Type: C-Commi tment A-Activities ------- Updated: 10/12/88 Program Accomplishments I, No. Region II ~ Plan Updates No. State QA Program Plan Reviews ~o. State QA Midyear and Endyear Revi ews No. Technical Assistance Inq ui ries ~o. State Management Systems Aud its (HSAs) I No. WDS on Document (Guid- ance/Regulation) Review ENVIRO~IE~IAL SERVICES DIVISION REGION 11 ~tANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTElt Fiscal Year 1988 Program Area:Qua1ity Assurance Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act rype 1st.Otr 2 nd OTR 3 rd OTR 4 t h OTR A % 1/0 1/1 1/1 A 0/1 0/3 0/5 15/15 A % 0/5 19/19 38/38 ,A 0/30 0/90 0/15 0/23 A % I 0/4 0/8 15/12 I A % 0/15 0/67 0/200* *Es tima tee I I I I I I ~ "I Type: C-Commi tment L-J A-Act iviey ------- Updated: 10/12/88 E~VIRONMENrAL SERVICES DIVISION REGION II MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM Fi seal Year 1988 Prl)~r.am Area: Monitoring Management. r Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act Proj/Act ProRramAccomplishments Type lst.Qtr 2nd QTR 3 rd QTR 4th QTR No. State Water Workp1an A % 1/1 3/3 5/5 . Revi ews No. St at~ Wa ter Midyear & A 3/3 5/5 8/8 10/10 Endyear Program ~views t~~. QTr' :"ew Entries A 20/30 40/55 60/80 80/93 No. QTRAK St ate Summa ry A % 14/14 14/14 28/28 Re po rts No. QTRAK Region 11 .Summa.ry A 10/10 10/10 20 f2 0 20/20 Re po rts No. Quarterly State Water A 2/3 4/4 6/10 8/12 Monitoring Meetings . . i I .. ". Type: C-Commi tment A-Act ivity ------- Tabl e II MONITORING ~EMEN"I' BlU\NCB - FISCAL YEAR 1989 Updated: 1/19/89 Program Accomplishments -------------------------------------------------------------------. Type Proj/ACt Proj/ACt Proj/ACt 1st.Qt 2nd.Ot 3rd.Ot ---------------------------.-------------------------------------. Proj/ACt 4th.Ot ~mhient Monitoring t SLAMS/Toxic AUdits . SLAMS/Toxics Site Inspections # State QA Sys Audits A Air Enforcement # Stack Test Protocol Reviews . Stack Tests Seen . Stack Test Report Reviews # CEM Protocol Reviews t CEM Audits or PTSs - Opacity - Gaseous # CEM Excess Emission Reviews (ERRs) - NSPS - D and Da - NSPS - Other # Audits on State Stack Test Programs . Audits on State CEM Program Water Qualitv Monitorinq # Meetings on Niagara River/Lake Ontario (IJC, GLNPO & NRMP) Attended A A A A A A A A A A A A A 4/0 15/0 32/ 5/0 0/0 9/0 1/0 12/ 4/ 15/5 6/2 31/ 11/ 38/ 17/ 12/1 23/ 29/ 2/0 6/ 8/ 1/1 1/0 2/ 4/ 2/ 7/ 6/4 5/3 12/ 10/ 18/ 15/ 0/0 0/ 0/ 0/0 0/ 1/ 1/1 1/ 1/ 52/ 15/ 4/ 45/ 23/ 34/ 9/ 3/ 9/ 24/ 20/ 3/ 3/ 1/ ------- 2. Program Accomplishments -------------------------------------------------~------------------ Type Proj/Act Proj/ACt Proj/ACt Proj/ACt lst.Qt 2nd.Qt 3rd.Qt 4th.Qt -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ocean DisDOsaJ, I LI Sound QA Pro- ject Plan Reviews OCean Disposal QA Proj.Plan Reviews # TSA for Army COE Water Enforceme~t 'I DMR-QA Studies Mgd # PE Studies Mgd (WP) A # QAPP Reviews # NPDES Alt Methods # DMR-QA Phone Calls Drinkina Water # PE Studies Mgd (WS) A # PWSS QAPP Reviews # TSAs RCBA # WAPS & Trial Burn Incinerator Appli- catioQS Reviewed # Trial Burn Tests 'Observed # Trial Burn Reports Reviewed # Draft Incinerator Permits Reviewed # CLP Samples Valid. 'A A A A A A A A A 0/0 'A 1/0 0/0 A 1/0 1/0 A 0/2 0/0 A A 15/37 0/0 1/2 0/1 1/0 1/1 0/0 1/ 10/8 0/ 2/ 0/ 1/ 1/ 2/ 0/ 30/ 1/ 2/ 1/ 3/ 2/ 3/ 2/ 20/ 4/ 10/ 2/ 2/ 3/ 5/ 1/ 2/ 1/ 2/ 2/ 0/ 4/ 2/ 40/ 140/ 1/ 4/ 2/ 4/ 3/ 7/ 3/ 3/ 4/ 7/ 6/ 6/ 6/ 40/ 10/ 100/ ------- 3. -----------------~------------------------------------------------- proqram Proj/ACt Proj/ACt proj/ACt Proj/ACt AccompliShments Type 1st.Qt 2nd. Qt 3rd.Qt 4th.Qt ---------------------------.---------------------------------------_. RCRA Cont'd . Validation Checks Non-CLp Pkgs A 0/1 2/ 3/ 8/ t WID Doing MSAs A 0/2 0/ 5/ 25/ ; . WID for Tech. Asst/Proj.Support A 10/15 20/ 30/ 45/ t of OAPjP Reviews A 5/11 10/ 15/ 20/ CERCLA t of Data Pkgs OA'd A 100/124 220/ 320/ 440/ t of Samples Valid. A 1000/1396 2000/ 3500/ '5000/ t Data Reviewers Trained A 4/4 12/ 20/ 24/ t RPM/Site Mgrs OA Trained A 50/72 100/ 150/ 200/ t OAPjPs Reviewed A 14/46 23/ 33/ 45/ t OAPjP Meetings Attended A 8/10 12/ 16/ 20/ t SAS Requests Reviewed A 16/88 32/ 48/ 64/ ' t State MSAs A 1/1 1/ 2/ 3/ t Lab Audits A 4/5 6/ 10/ 12/ ,t Field Audits A 6/3 8/ 14/ 18/ ------- 4. ----------------------------.--------------------------------------- Program Proj/Act Proj/Act proj/Act Proj/Act Accomplishments Type Ist.Ot 2nd. Ot 3rd.Ot 4th.Qt ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dualitv Assurance # Region II QA Plan Updates A % 1/ 1/ 1/ # State QA Program Plan Reviews A 0/1 2/ 4/ 13/ # State QA Midyear & Endyear Reviews A 0/1 15/ 15/ 30/ # Technical Assis- tance Inquiries A 0/35 0/ 0/ 0/ # State MSAs A % 6/ 20/ 20/ # WDS on Document (Guidance/Regu1a- tion) Review A 0/5 0/ 0/ 0/ Monitorina Manaaement # State Water Work- plan Reviews A % 1/ 3/ 5/ . State Water Mid- & End-year Program Reviews A 3/3 5/ 8/ 10/ # QTRAK New Entries A . 20/20 40/ 60/ 80/ # QTRAK State Summary Reports A % 14/ 14/ 28/ # QTRAK Region II 20/ Summary Reports A 10/10 10/ 20/ # Qtr1y State Wtr 8/ Monitor.Meetings A 2/2 4/ 6/ # State 304(1) List Reviews A 6/2 8/ 8/ 8/ ------- |