Glossary - P

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"Parameter" means a general term that includes, but is not limited to terms such as contaminant, constituent, substance, metal, organic chemical, and characteristics that are used to designate an analyte, group of analytes, attribute, or physical property for which a certified environmental laboratory may be approved to perform analysis of regulatory samples and report results.

"Performance evaluation sample" or "PE sample" means a sample containing a known concentration of one or more specific parameters, used to evaluate the analytical performance of a laboratory. These materials may be provided by the USEPA, the Department, or other Department approved programs.

"Permit" means a NJPDES permit issued pursuant to the New Jersey Water Pollution Control Act, N.J.S.A. 58:10A-6.

"Person" means any individual or other entity, including without limitation, corporations, associations, partnerships, joint ventures, and the United States, any state, any foreign country or government, and any political subdivision or agency thereof.

"pH" means a numerical expression of the hydrogen ion concentration (acidity) of aqueous matrices. pH values range from 0 (high acidity-low alkalinity) to 7 (neutral), to 14 (low acidity-high alkalinity).

"Piper-1982" means, for Acute Toxicity Testing, Fish Hatchery Management, by Piper et al., 1982, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Publication.

"Point source" means any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance from a mobile or stationary source, including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete issue, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged.

"Pollutant" means any dredge spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, garbage, refuse, oil, grease, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, thermal waste, wrecked or discarded equipment, and construction waste or runoff or other residue discharged to the land, groundwaters or surface waters of the state.

"Primary standard" means a very pure reagent of defined purity used as a reference for standardizing other reagent solutions.

"Proficiency study" means an organized program in which laboratories participate in the analysis of PE sample aliquots from homogeneous sample batches. The PE samples contain one or more parameters monitored under a regulatory program, for example, the Drinking Water Program. Data from the study are analyzed statistically, so that the acceptability of individual laboratory results are based on the performance of participating laboratories.

"Public community water system" means a public water system which serves at least 15 service connections used by year?round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year?round residents.

"Public non-community water system" means a public water system that is not a community water system.