A system for assuring the reliability of scientific data and related information is an essential component of any environmental monitoring program and MassDEP is committed to ensuring that the monitoring data used to support the various water quality management activities specified in the CWA are of known and documented quality. This is achieved through the implementation of a Quality Management Plan for Federally Funded Programs that is revised every five years and submitted to EPA for review and approval. This plan describes the policies and procedures used by MassDEP to make certain that all data and information collected in support of programs to assess, protect and improve the environment are sufficient for their intended purpose.

The Quality Management Plan describes each element of the total quality system employed by MassDEP. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents are prepared for all field and laboratory operations and are revised as needed to reflect changes in methodologies. All field and laboratory personnel receive periodic training in the execution of the SOPs. Individual Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs) are prepared for each monitoring project. These may be prepared for a specific monitoring program element such as benthic macroinvertebrate biomonitoring or fish toxics monitoring, or to cover all monitoring elements to be performed in a certain watershed and year (e.g., "2001 Monitoring Plan for the Taunton Watershed"). In either case, these plans clearly document in detail all aspects of the proposed monitoring program including the goals and objectives of the monitoring to be carried out, the sampling design and logistics, data quality objectives (DQO) for precision and accuracy, equipment, personnel and training needs, quality assurance measures, and data management and reporting elements. The QAPPs are submitted to EPA for review and approval before the project work is initiated.

The DWM employs one full-time Quality Control Analyst who oversees the development of SOPs and QAPPs, coordinates staff training exercises, performs periodic field audits, and assists with data validation procedures. This staff member also serves as the liaison between DWM, the analytical laboratory (WES), and EPA quality assurance personnel.

Final Quality Assurance Project Plan for 2005-2009 Surface Water Monitoring & Assessment

Note: this is a large file and may take significant time to download depending on your connection speed.
Final QAPP: PDF 3.78 MB