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Procedures for Detection and Quantitation

Policy Workgroup

Federal Advisory Committee on Detection and Quantitation Approaches and Uses in Clean Water Act (CWA) Programs

Summary of Policy Work Group Conference Call #6
February 6, 2006
1:00 – 3:10 p.m. EST

The next Policy Work Group conference call will be on Monday, February 27, 2006, at 1:00 PM EST. The call-in number is 1-866-299-3188. The participant code is 2025661045#.

The remaining scheduled call will be on Monday, March 6, at 1:00 PM EST.

Welcome and Introductions

Facilitator Alice Shorett convened the conference call at 1:00 PM EST and called the roll of participants. She briefly reviewed the agenda for the call.

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Meeting Summary Review and Approval

The draft summary of the January 23 Policy Work Group meeting was approved as drafted.

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Draft: What do we want a procedure to do?

To provide context for the document, Ms. Shorett explained that a number of people had sent in materials in response to the question, What do we want a procedure to do? A subgroup had consolidated the emails and prepared the document sent out in advance of the call that was intended to explain the meaning of the qualifiers. She noted that the draft "product" had not been reviewed in advance.

She said she thought it would be desirable to combine qualifiers where possible and to reach agreement on which were "most important" or "must haves". The goal was to agree on what could be evaluated through pilot testing.

Ms. Shorett then called on those who had sent suggestions to describe the intent of their sections. After each presentation, Policy Work Group members asked questions and offered comments and clarifications.

During the discussions, the Group decided it was important to identify when a particular criterion might apply to the FACDQ process: before pilot design occurs; during the design of the pilot study; and/or after pilot testing. For example, the information provided by the labs after pilot testing could answer specific questions about timing, difficulty, etc. The suggested timing in the revised document reflects the decisions the Policy Work Group; where the Group did not discuss the timing, the facilitators have suggested timing for Policy Work Group consideration. The revision also reflects the Group's decisions about consolidating categories to reduce overlaps and delete redundancies.

In the discussions about what the advisory committee needs to decide to enable the pilot test design to proceed, Mary Smith said EPA would need priorities from the group and a sense of what the committee thinks is important.

Policy Work Group members indicated that generating long lists was not leading the group to agreement. They said there needed to be an honest discussion of where the caucuses are and why.

At the end of the call, it was agreed that the MQO Subgroup would have a conference call on February 14 from 12:00 PM EST to 1:30 PM EST. Bob Wheeler, facilitator, said he would send out a draft framework for the discussion of MQOs, focusing on the existing situation, options, and implications. The subgroup was asked to bring ideas to the February 27 Policy Work Group call. (The subgroup includes Tom Mugan, Nan Thomey, Mary Smith, David Kimbrough, Mike Murray. Larry LaFleur will try to find a representative from industry or participate himself.)

It was also decided that the papers comparing prescriptive and descriptive approaches, prepared by David Kimbrough and Mary Smith, respectively, would be available in advance of the next Policy Work Group call.

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Wrap-up and Closing

Ms. Shorett adjourned the call at 3:10 PM EST.

Attendance

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