This hands-on course is intended for anyone who needs to write QAPPs for water quality projects, without spending excessive hours writing and revising an unnecessarily complicated planning document. Attendees will learn and become comfortable with the concepts, structures, and background materials needed for composing the QAPP, and the tools to turn what might be an overwhelming task into one that can be completed in a reasonable amount of time with a reasonable amount of effort.
With the instructor’s help, participants will perform customized exercises, working through one or more different QAPP templates that are provided to meet individual student needs. The instructor will share tips and tricks that go far beyond available on-line guidance; students will learn how to correctly and efficiently complete the template. This hands-on approach, with plenty of opportunities for questions and personalized answers, will help students come up to speed quickly without the doubts, slow responses, and steep learning curves inherent in self-taught or even the best on-line class systems.
Students are expected to come to the class with a basic understanding of the role of quality assurance and quality control in developing and conducting an environmental program for water quality monitoring. Comfort in using programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel will be beneficial in getting the most of the class.
If you have any trouble registering please call (425) 270-3274 ext 103
Please wait to receive a course confirmation email, roughly one month prior to the class, before making any travel arrangements.
This course is recommended for representatives of Native American Tribes, state environmental regulators and personnel who develop, review, implement or use QAPPs, or personnel who have to communicate QAPPs, including, but not limited to remedial project managers, on-scene coordinators, site assessment managers, RCRA facilty managers, enforcement personnel, state and tribal regulators, quality assurance personnel, contractors and oversight officers, field task managers, and laboratory personnel
1 Quality Management Planning and Implementation
a. Quality Assurance Overview
b. Common Elements of the UFP and EPA QAPP Structures
i. Setting Data Quality Objectives
ii. Regulatory Compliance
iii. Identifying Responsible Personnel
c. QAPP Drivers
i. Phase I Investigations
ii. Remediation and Feasibility: Cost Assessments
iii. Risk Assessment
d. Understanding Data Quality Indicators
i. Precision
ii. Accuracy
iii. Representativeness
iv. Reproducibility
v. Completeness
2 Efficiently Writing the QAPP
a. Collecting Foundation Materials
b. Measurement Performance Criteria
i. Field Quality Control (QC) Samples
ii. Laboratory QC Samples
iii. Method Requirements
iv. Making QA Guidance Work for You
c. Implementation of Drivers into the QAPP
d. The Devil is in the Details
i. Laboratory SOPs, LOQs, and MDLs
ii. Target Quantitation Limits
iii. Controlling the Structural Elements
iv. Coupling the QAPP and the Field Sampling Plan
3 Making the QAPP work for you
a. Organizational Efficiency
b. Communication Pathways
c. Bottle Orders
d. Performing Data Assessments
Attendees will receive a course manual containing workshop proceedings and reference material.
Pen or pencil, and paper if you do not want to take notes in your manual. Drinks and snacks will be provided. Lunch will be on your own.