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.
On this page:
Program Guidance & Requirements
Region 3 Quality System
- About Managing the Quality of Environmental Data at EPA Region 3
- Quality Management Plan for Region 3
- Region 3 Pre-Submittal Quality Assurance Document Review Checklist
Extramural Quality Assurance
- Chesapeake Bay Program Grant Guidance
- Quality Specifications for non-EPA Organizations to do business with EPA
- Guidance for Developing Quality Systems for Environmental Programs, QA/G-1
- Documents about Measurement Competency Under Acquisition Agreements - contains
- Policy to Assure Competency of Organizations Generating Environmental Measurement Data under Agency-Funded Acquisitions
- Implementation of Quality Assurance Requirements for Organizations Receiving EPA Financial Assistance
- EPA General terms and conditions applicable to 40 CFR part 30 and 31 recipients effective October 1, 2014
Training
Agency Quality Policy
- Agency-wide Quality System Documents
- Frequent Questions about EPA's Quality System
- Policies and Procedures about Quality Assurance for EPA Organizations
- EPA's Quality System-Related Regulations
Laboratory & Field Operations
Laboratory
- Alternate Test Procedures
- Analytical Methods TO-14a and TO-15, What are the Differences?
- EPA Region 3 Laboratory Sample Submission Process
- IDL, MDL, PQL, What the "L" is Going On? What Does All This Alphabet Soup Really Mean?
- Quality Control Tools Factsheet for Blanks
- EPA Region 3 Data Validation
- Region III Fact Sheet: Field Samplers Guide to the Collection and Handling of Soil Samples for Volatile Organic Analysis Using SW 846 Method 5035A
- Tentatively Identified Compounds, What are They and Why are They Important?
Field
Quality Assurance Tools
Quality Management Plans
- EPA QA/R-2, EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans
- Checklist for Reviewing EPA Quality Management Plans
Quality Assurance Program Plans
Quality Assurance Project Plans
- Region 3 Quality Assurance Project Plans
- Region 3 Quality Assurance Project Plan Review Checklist
- 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
Assessments
Management Assessments
- EPA Quality Management Tools for Organizations and Programs - Quality Systems Assessments
- Guidance on Assessing Quality Systems EPA GA/G-3
- EPA Region 3 Quality System Audit Checklist
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