USEPA
posts an updated Manual for the Certification of Laboratories
Analyzing Drinking Water
EPA certainly wants there to be no
confusion about the legal standing of this document: "This is a
guidance manual and not a regulation. It does not change or substitute
for any legal requirement... This manual is not a rule, is not legally
enforceable, and does not confer legal rights or impose legal
requirements upon any member of the public, States or any other Federal
agency. The word "should" in this manual does not connote a
requirement but does indicate EPA’s strongly preferred approach to
ensure the quality of laboratory results."
EPA is proposing changes to procedures
under Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act compliance
monitoring programs. The proposal approves several new analytical
methods for compliance monitoring and withdraws other EPA methods. The
Agency is also proposing new sample collection procedures, general
analytical requirements for multi-analyte methods, and method
flexibility requirements for its Clean Water Act programs. EPA
solicits comment on the Agency’s microbiological alternate test
procedure guidance document and will accept comments until June 7,
2004.
Below is the website to view the fact
sheet and the entire Federal Register notice (April 6, 2004). Also
attached is the fact sheet in PDF format.
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/methods/update2003/index.html
Available EPA volunteer monitoring
manuals can be found at http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/epasvmp.html
Some specific manuals I have found
particularly useful are below
lake monitoring
http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/lakevm.html
stream monitoring
http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/volunteer/stream/
writing a quality assurance project
plan (QAPP) http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/volunteer/qappcovr.htm
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