ANSWER: All certified and applied laboratories are required to annually renew their certification. The certification year runs concurrent to the state's fiscal year of July 1 through June 30.

ANSWER: All applications are given the highest priority for review (typically within two weeks) by the Programs Technical staff. Each Application Package is checked for completeness of Part I-Administrative Information, Part II-Personnel and Part III-Analytical Testing Parameters. Upon receipt of the application, the OQA will advise the applicant in writing whether the application is administratively complete and will assign the laboratory a five-digit identification number. A determination that the application is administratively complete does not authorize the laboratory to perform sample handling, preservation, and analyses and reporting of data as regulated by N.J.A.C. 7:18. Once the application has been determined administratively complete, the laboratory will be contacted by a Laboratory Certification Officer (LCO). That LCO will request the submittal of additional information and schedule an on-site audit of the laboratory. Upon submittal of all required information and acceptable responses to any deficiencies noted in applicable documentation or that were identified in an on-site audit, the laboratory will be granted certification through issuance of a certificate and an Annual Certified Parameters List noting Certified status in the applicable analytical methods. This process can be completed in as little as 45 days. Extended time periods occur when deficiencies are noted during the application process or during the on-site audit.

ANSWER: Yes. pH analysis for the PWTA must be performed by a facility certified to perform pH. Sampling for pH for the PWTA must be performed by an employee or authorized representative of a certified laboratory. However, since the holding time for a pH sample is 15 minutes, it is likely that the sampling will need to be performed by a laboratory certified for pH.

ANSWER: Laboratories requesting certification for a test method not included on the list of DSAMs offered by the Department should contact the OQA. The OQA may approve the use of alternate test methods under the authority of N.J.A.C. 7:18. Please contact the OQA at 609-292-3950 for details.

ANSWER: There is no reduced fee for secondary NELAC certification.

ANSWER: Part II must always be submitted with a renewal application. However, it needs only to be completed in its entirety if laboratory personnel have changed since the application was last completed. Specific instructions for completing Part II can be found on the "Laboratory Certification Programs" page of this site.

ANSWER: Yes, testing for all parameters including analyze immediately parameters such as temperature and pH, must be performed by a laboratory certified to perform those measurements.

ANSWER: This is a choice to be made by each lab. For a laboratory that is certified in several states, NELAP certification may reduce the number of audits a laboratory would need to receive, thereby reducing costs. Information on the NELAP program can be obtained at www.nelac-institute.org.

ANSWER: A laboratory seeking additional certifications shall submit a modified application, including Parts I, II and III to the OQA. Application forms can be found on "Laboratory Certification Programs" page of this site.

ANSWER: Yes. N.J.A.C. 7:18-4.1(b) requires that a laboratory qualifying for certification to perform total coliform testing on samples for compliance with the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water's program must concurrently qualify to perform fecal coliform and/or E.Coli. testing so that the presence/absence of either can be detected and reported within the specified time limits.

ANSWER: A list of laboratories can be found on the "Find a Certified Lab" link on this website or by contacting the OQA at (609)292-3950.

ANSWER: The NJDEP does not provide free drinking water testing. Costs for drinking water tests are paid by the property owner. A list of laboratories that are certified to perform drinking water testing can be found on the "Find a Certified Lab" link on this website or by contacting the OQA at (609)292-3950.

ANSWER: For initial certification a PT sample may be obtained from any NIST approved provider.

ANSWER: The NJ approved PT providers are Analytical Products Group (APG), Environmental Resource associates (ERA), SPEX Certiprep, Protocol, and Microcheck.

ANSWER: The Drinking Water studies are conducted in January and July. The Waste Water studies are conducted in June and December. The Solid/Hazardous Waste studies are conducted in October and April.

Back to Top

ANSWER: For EPA Region 2 the NJ DEP Waste Water PT samples will be accepted for the DMRQA requirements. There may be an extra cost for this from the PT provider to report the data. For other EPA regions please contact your EPA coordinator. The DMRQA results however may not be reported to meet NJDEP wastewater requirements.

ANSWER: A NELAP laboratory will maintain their accreditation for these parameters without doing the PT samples. However, in order to report data to NJ for regulatory purposes, the laboratory must analyze and pass one PT per year in NJ program that are above and beyond the Fields of Testing.

ANSWER: When reporting NJ PT data the NJ DEP parameter codes found on your Annual Certified Parameter List (ACLP) are to be used as the Method Codes.

ANSWER: A laboratory must pass the SDW Microbiology PT for both Total Coliform and Fecal Coliform or E. Coli to perform Total Coliform analysis.

ANSWER: You must analyze a PT for any method where a PT is required if your are in applied or certified status, regardless of whether testing is currently being conducted using that method.

ANSWER: Petitions to use PT providers other than those contained in the NJ DEP contract shall be submitted, in writing, to the OQA. When approvals are granted, the PT provider chosen must send the PT results directly to the OQA.

ANSWER: You must report PT data for all parameters in which you hold certification, that are listed on the Analyte List/ Cost Table attached to the PT letter.

ANSWER: No, copies of PT data are provided directly to the Department by Department approved PT providers, for those laboratories using the NJ DEP approved PT providers. However, for those laboratories using other providers, the laboratory must specifically request that the PT provider submit results to the Department.

ANSWER: The reporting deadlines for each PT study are specific to that study. Please reference the reporting instructions sent with the PTs from the PT provider. Note that if you are receiving PTs from more then one provider, the PT due date may be different for each provider.

ANSWER: Complete the Sample Replacement Request Form and fax it to (609) 777-1774 ASAP.

ANSWER: If the analyses being performed are for research or other non-regulatory purposes, the New Jersey Laboratory Certification Regulations, N.J.A.C., do not require the use of a certified laboratory.

ANSWER: No as of July 2003, but the Department expects to announce new initiatives for the remediation of hazardous waste sites that will require any entity performing field analytical measurements by; Immunoassay, Field portable gas chromatography, Field portable gas chromatography, or Field portable x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, to be certified for those methods.

ANSWER: Any person or group collecting samples for the measurement of chemical and/or biological parameters should develop a Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) prior to sampling. Staff of the OQA can assist in developing and/or reviewing QAPPs.

ANSWER: The organization conducting the project. The OQA can assist in helping to evaluate if the QAPP is being followed.

ANSWER: The Department is proposing to adopt NJQLs at N.J.A.C. 7:18-11. NJQLs are being created to establish a level that can be achieved by the current analytical capabilities of the New Jersey certified laboratory community. The NJQL is defined the lowest level of a substance that can be reliably measured during routine laboratory operations. The Department is proposing the use of NJQLs to assure the reliability of measurements related to assessment of water quality and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. It is intended that NJQLs will be utilized as compliance levels when regulatory requirements, such as NJPDES permit discharge limitations, are not set at levels below what can accurately and routinely quantified. NJQLs are calculated by taking the Method Detection Limit, the lowest value that can be distinguished from 0, and multiplying that value by 5. The NJQL is the same concept as the PQL, except the NJQL will be derived from data only from NJDEP-certified analytical laboratories.

ANSWER: Yes, The laboratories may use recycled Freon or Freon manufactured before December 31, 2001.

ANSWER: Yes, EPA method 1664A N-Hexane Extractable Material (HEM; Oil and Grease) is a replacement for EPA method 413.1. Because the solvent is changed from Freon to n-hexane the material extracted may be different. The biggest differences are seen with the analysis of animal and vegetable oil discharges. A side by side comparison study should be done.

ANSWER: No, There is no direct replacement for EPA method 418.1 THP. The 418.1 method extracts a wide range of petroleum molecular weights (carbon numbers), possibly C-8 to C-70. There are GC methods using various solvents that can determine petroleum hydrocarbons i.e. EPA SHW method 8015B DRO, (C-12 to C-28); NJ-DEP OQA-QAM-025 (C-8 to C-40).

ANSWER: No, Method 418.1 uses IR detection. In method 1664A SGT-HEM the extract is heated at 85o C to remove the solvent before determining NMP. Lower boiling THP are lost. The carbon range for the method is not known.

ANSWER: Yes, in 40 CFR 136 all the determinative methods for ammonia are listed under ammonia distillation. Therefore, the strict interpretation requires the distillation of all wastewater samples. If a routine sample can be shown to be free from interferences, distillation is not required. The laboratory must have side by side historical comparison data with and without distillation to prove that interferences are not present.

ANSWER: The internet has become an excellent resource for official methods, including the US EPA web pages. The most usable and complete example is probably the National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI), a joint effort of EPA and USGS. This index is free and searchable by source [for example Hach, or Standard Methods], instrumentation, keyword such as analyte name or CAS number or method number, and so forth. It includes regulatory and non-regulatory analyses. Searches typically yield lists, and then single-page method summaries with hot links to sources.

• EPA water methods required by the CWA and SDWA, as well as information on those regulations.
• SW846 methods.
• For a full set of Standard Methods, purchase the latest edition of the book and/or CD ROM.
• Hach methods beyond the single page summaries in NEMI.
• Pesticide information and methods.

Frequently a method is available as a .pdf file, which can be downloaded or printed. Government sources tend to be free, whereas there are generally fees at some commercial sites.

ANSWER: N.J.A.C. 7:18-4.5(c)4 specifies analytical requirements for rinse water. Many laboratories purchase dilution/rinse water for use in microbiological testing. Though this is acceptable, it is the responsibility of the laboratory to ensure that the appropriate testing is conducted on the water. If the testing is not conducted by the manufacturer, it must be conducted by the laboratory. As it is not standard practice for all manufacturers to conduct this testing, a laboratory should contact their provider to determine whether the testing was conducted and that the company supplying the water meets the requirements of the rules. Specifically, the laboratory must request assurance from the provider that:

1. Only reagent grade water obtained from a still or deionization unit is used as the "source water" to make the dilution / rinse water (phosphate buffer).
2. Each batch or lot of the source water must be tested for metals and bacteriological quality.
3. The laboratory using the pre-purchased ready to use dilution/rinse water is responsible for testing monthly: heterotrophic bacteria, conductivity and chlorine residual if the source water to the still or deionization unit is chlorinated.

Records of the required analyses must be on file at the laboratory for each batch or lot of dilution/rinse water used, regardless of who conducted the testing.