[SRRA]: May 7, 2019 Office of Quality Assurance listserv - Data Quality Objectives

The following listserv was sent by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Office of Quality Assurance (OQA) on May 7, 2019. The person responsible for conducting the remediation should choose the appropriate analytical methods based on the site-specific data quality objectives.

May 7, 2019 Office of Quality Assurance listserv - Data Quality Objectives

It has come to the NJDEP's attention that, in some instances, laboratories are not meeting departmental and/or program specific reporting requirements. This notice is a reminder that certified laboratories need to meet the monitoring and reporting requirements for the project they're conducting testing. For example, if a project requires monitoring down to a standard listed in the Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS) as required by the Site Remediation and Waste Management Program (SRWMP) or some other program specific required reporting limit, then there must be sufficient analytical sensitivity to meet that limit. The intended data quality needs, the program that will be using the data and how the data will be used should be communicated between the client and the laboratory prior to the start of testing. Additionally, the laboratories and their clients must maintain open lines of communication as to the selection of the appropriate analytical method. It must be recognized that there could be instances where, due to excessive contamination present at a site, the most sensitive analytical method is not necessary. However, the most sensitive analytical method frequently is required. As an example, for the analysis conducted to demonstrate 1,4-dioxane is below its standard as noted in the GWQS rule, the laboratory must achieve a reporting limit of 0.4 micrograms per liter (ug/L, or parts per billion) and that failure to achieve and report data to that limit could result in the rejection of the data and could require reanalysis. Laboratories are frequently required to analyze a low-level standard at or below an applicable standard (and in the above example, at or below 0.4 ug/L) to demonstrate that they can analytically "see" down to that level. This requirement is an essential quality control objective. It is the laboratory's client that is ultimately responsible for determining the usability of data after their analysis and validation of that which has been submitted to them by their laboratory. If the data do not meet the data quality requirements necessary, then that data may be invalidated by the program and reanalysis may be required resulting in additional delays for the client as well as additional expense both to the client and the laboratory.

SRP Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) Web site: www.nj.gov/dep/srp/

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