Managing the Quality of Environmental Data at EPA Region 3

Quality Assurance

The primary goal of the Region’s Quality Management System (a.k.a. quality assurance program) is to ensure that environmental data activities performed by or for the Region will result in the production of data that is of adequate quality to support the Agency’s scientific decisions or actions. In order for this data to be used with a high degree of certainty, its quality must be known and documented. This goal will be achieved by ensuring that appropriate resources are made available and proper procedures followed throughout the planning, implementation and evaluation phases of each environmental project.

Program Guidance & Requirements

Region 3 Quality System

• About Managing the Quality of Environmental Data at EPA Region 3
• Quality Management Plan for Region 3

Extramural Quality Assurance

• Chesapeake Bay Program Grant Guidance
• Documents about Measurement Competency Under Acquisition Agreements - contains:
  • Policy to Assure Competency of Organizations Generating Environmental Measurement Data under Agency-Funded Acquisitions
• EPA General terms and conditions applicable to 40 CFR part 30 and 31 recipients effective October 1, 2014
• Implementation of Quality Assurance Requirements for Organizations Receiving EPA Financial Assistance
• Specifications for EPA and non-EPA Organizations
• Region 3 Pre-Submittal Quality Assurance Document Review Checklist

Training

• Training Courses on Quality Assurance and Quality Control Activities

Agency Quality Policy

• Agency-wide Quality System Documents
• EPA's Quality System-Related Regulations
• Frequent Questions about EPA's Quality System
• Policies and Procedures about Quality Assurance for EPA Organizations

Laboratory & Field Operations

Laboratory

• Alternate Test Procedures
• EPA Region 3 Laboratory Sample Submission Process
• EPA Region 3 Data Validation

Field

• Region 3 Field Analytical Methods

Quality Assurance Tools

Quality Management Plans

• Quality Management Plan (QMP) Standard (pdf) (508.88 KB)
• Checklist for Reviewing EPA Quality Management Plans

​Quality Assurance Program Plans

• EPA Region 9 Guidance for Quality Assurance Program Plans - R9QA/03.2 (pdf)

Quality Assurance Project Plans

• Region 3 Quality Assurance Project Plans - preparing, templates and topic-specific tools
• Topic-Specific Tools for Quality Assurance Project Plans

Systematic Planning

• EPA Quality Management Tools for Projects - Systematic Planning
• Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data Collection for use in Developing a Quality Assurance Project Plan - EPA QA/G-5S

Standard Operating Procedures

• Guidance for Preparing Standard Operating Procedures

Assessments

Management Assessments

• EPA Quality Management Tools for Organizations and Programs - Quality Systems Assessments
• Guidance on Assessing Quality Systems EPA GA/G-3

Technical Assessments

• Peer Review Handbook 4th Edition, 2015
• Guidance on Technical Audits and Related Assessments for Environmental Data Operations, EPA QA/G-7 from January 2000
• EPA Quality Management Tools for Projects - Technical Audits

Data Assessments

• EPA Quality Management Tools for Projects - Verification and Validation
• EPA Region 3 Data Validation
• Guidance on Environmental Data Verification and Data Validation - EPA QA/G-8
• EPA Quality Management Tools for Projects - Data Quality Assessment
• Guidance for Data Quality Assessment - contains these documents:
  • Guidance for Data Quality Assessment: Practical Methods for Data Analysis EPA QA/G-9 QA00 Update
  • Data Quality Assessment: A Reviewer’s Guide EPA QA/G-9R
  • Data Quality Assessment: Statistical Methods for Practitioners EPA QA/G-9S