Ariz. Admin. Code § 18-11-602

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 50, December 13, 2024

Section R18-11-602 - Credible Data

A. Data are credible and relevant to an impaired water identification or a TMDL decision when:

1. Quality Assurance Plan. A monitoring entity, which contribute data for an impaired water identification or a TMDL decision, provides the Department with a QAP that contains, at a minimum, the elements listed in subsections (A)(1)(a) through (A)(1)(f). The Department may accept a QAP containing less than the required elements if the Department determines that an element is not relevant to the sampling activity and that its omission will not impact the quality of the results based upon the type of pollutants to be sampled, the type of surface water, and the purpose of the sampling.

a. An approval page that includes the date of approval and the signatures of the approving officials, including the project manager and project quality assurance manager;

b. A project organization outline that identifies all key personnel, organizations, and laboratories involved in monitoring, including the specific roles and responsibilities of key personnel in carrying out the procedures identified in the QAP and SAP, if applicable;

c. Sampling design and monitoring data quality objectives or a SAP that meets the requirements of subsection (A)(2) to ensure that:

i. Samples are spatially and temporally representative of the surface water,

ii. Samples are representative of water quality conditions at the time of sampling, and

iii. The monitoring is reproducible;

d. The following field sampling information to assure that samples meet data quality objectives:

i. Sampling and field protocols for each parameter or parametric group, including the sampling methods, equipment and containers, sample preservation, holding times, and any analysis proposed for completion in the field or outside of a laboratory;

ii. Field and laboratory methods approved under subsection (A)(5);

iii. Handling procedures to identify samples and custody protocols used when samples are brought from the field to the laboratory for analysis;

iv. Quality control protocols that describe the number and type of field quality control samples for the project that includes, if appropriate for the type of sampling being conducted, field blanks, travel blanks, equipment blanks, method blanks, split samples, and duplicate samples;

v. Procedures for testing, inspecting, and maintaining field equipment;

vi. Field instrument calibration procedures that describe how and when field sampling and analytical instruments will be calibrated;

vii. Field notes and records that describe the conditions that require documentation in the field, such as weather, stream flow, transect information, distance from water edge, water and sample depth, equipment calibration measurements, field observations of watershed activities, and bank conditions. Indicate the procedures implemented for maintaining field notes and records and the process used for attaching pertinent information to monitoring results to assist in data interpretation;

viii. Minimum training and any specialized training necessary to do the monitoring, that includes the proper use and calibration of field equipment used to collect data, sampling protocols, quality assurance/quality control procedures, and how training will be achieved;

e. Laboratory analysis methods and quality assurance/quality control procedures that assure that samples meet data quality objectives, including:

i. Analytical methods and equipment necessary for analysis of each parameter, including identification of approved laboratory methods described in subsection (A)(5), and laboratory detection limits for each parameter;

ii. The name of the designated laboratory, its license number, if licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the name of a laboratory contact person to assist the Department with quality assurance questions;

iii. Quality controls that describe the number and type of laboratory quality control samples for the project, including, if appropriate for the type of sampling being conducted, field blanks, travel blanks, equipment blanks, method blanks, split samples, and duplicate samples;

iv. Procedures for testing, inspecting, and maintaining laboratory equipment and facilities;

v. A schedule for calibrating laboratory instruments, a description of calibration methods, and a description of how calibration records are maintained; and

vi. Sample equipment decontamination procedures that outline specific methods for sample collection and preparation of equipment, identify the frequency of decontamination, and describe the procedures used to verify decontamination;

f. Data review, management, and use that includes the following:

i. A description of the data handling process from field to laboratory, from laboratory to data review and validation, and from validation to data storage and use. Include the role and responsibility of each person for each step of the process, type of database or other storage used, and how laboratory and field data qualifiers are related to the laboratory result;

ii. Reports that describe the intended frequency, content, and distribution of final analysis reports and project status reports;

iii. Data review, validation, and verification that describes the procedure used to validate and verify data, the procedures used if errors are detected, and how data are accepted, rejected, or qualified; and

iv. Reconciliation with data quality objectives that describes the process used to determine whether the data collected meets the project objectives, which may include discarding data, setting limits on data use, or revising data quality objectives.

2. Sampling and analysis plan.

a. A monitoring entity shall develop a SAP that contains, at a minimum, the following elements:

i. The experimental design of the project, the project goals and objectives, and evaluation criteria for data results;

ii. The background or historical perspective of the project;

iii. Identification of target conditions, including a discussion of whether any weather, seasonal variations, stream flow, lake level, or site access may affect the project and the consideration of these factors;

iv. The data quality objectives for measurement of data that describe in quantitative and qualitative terms how the data meet the project objectives of precision, accuracy, completeness, comparability, and representativeness;

v. The types of samples scheduled for collection;

vi. The sampling frequency;

vii. The sampling periods;

viii. The sampling locations and rationale for the site selection, how site locations are benchmarked, including scaled maps indicating approximate location of sites; and

ix. A list of the field equipment, including tolerance range and any other manufacturer's specifications relating to accuracy and precision.

b. The Department may accept a SAP containing less than the required elements if the Department determines that an element is not relevant to the sampling activity and that its omission will not impact the quality of the results based upon the type of pollutants to be samples, the type of surface water, and the purpose of the sampling.

3. The monitoring entity may include any of the following in the QAP or SAP:

a. The name, title, and role of each person and organization involved in the project, identifying specific roles and responsibilities for carrying out the procedures identified in the QAP and SAP;

b. A distribution list of each individual and organization receiving a copy of the approved QAP and SAP;

c. A table of contents;

d. A health and safety plan;

e. The inspection and acceptance requirements for supplies;

f. The data acquisition that describes types of data not obtained through this monitoring activity, but used in the project;

g. The audits and response actions that describe how field, laboratory, and data management activities and sampling personnel are evaluated to ensure data quality, including a description of how the project will correct any problems identified during these assessments; and

h. The waste disposal methods that identify wastes generated in sampling and methods for disposal of those wastes.

4. Exceptions. The Department may determine that the following data are also credible and relevant to an impaired water identification or TMDL decision when data were collected, provided the conditions in subsections (A)(5), (A)(6), and (B) are met, and where the data were collected in the surface water or segment being evaluated for impairment:

a. The data were collected before July 12, 2002 and the Department determines that the data yield results of comparable reliability to the data collected under subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2);

b. The data were collected after July 12, 2002 as part of an ongoing monitoring effort by a governmental agency and the Department determines that the data yield results of comparable reliability to the data collected under subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2); or

c. The instream water quality data were or are collected under the terms of a NPDES or AZPDES permit or a compliance order issued by the Department or EPA, a consent decree signed by the Department or EPA, or a sampling program approved by the Department or EPA under WQARF or CERCLA, and the Department determines that the data yield results of comparable reliability to data collected under subsections (A)(1) and (A)(2).

5. Data collection, preservation, and analytical procedures. The monitoring entity shall collect, preserve, and analyze data using methods of sample collection, preservation, and analysis established under A.A.C. R9-14-610.

6. Laboratory. The monitoring entity shall ensure that chemical and toxicological samples are analyzed in a state-licensed laboratory, a laboratory exempted by the Arizona Department of Health Services for specific analyses, or a federal or academic laboratory that can demonstrate proper quality assurance/quality control procedures substantially equal to those required by the Arizona Department of Health Services, and shall ensure that the laboratory uses approved methods identified in A.A.C. R9-14-610.

B. Documentation for data submission. The monitoring entity shall provide the Department with the following information either before or with data submission:

1. A copy of the QAP or SAP, or both, revisions to a previously submitted QAP or SAP, and any other information necessary for the Department to evaluate the data under subsection (A)(4);

2. The applicable dates of the QAP and SAP, including any revisions;

3. Written assurance that the methods and procedures specified in the QAP and SAP were followed;

4. The name of the laboratory used for sample analyses and its certification number, if the laboratory is licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Services;

5. The quality assurance/quality control documentation, including the analytical methods used by the laboratory, method number, detection limits, and any blank, duplicate, and spike sample information necessary to properly interpret the data, if different from that stated in the QAP or SAP;

6. The data reporting unit of measure;

7. Any field notes, laboratory comments, or laboratory notations concerning a deviation from standard procedures, quality control, or quality assurance that affects data reliability, data interpretation, or data validity; and

8. Any other information, such as complete field notes, photographs, climate, or other information related to flow, field conditions, or documented sources of pollutants in the watershed, if requested by the Department for interpreting or validating data.

C. Recordkeeping. The monitoring entity shall maintain all records, including sample results, for the duration of the listing cycle. If a surface water or segment is added to the Planning List or to the 303(d) List, the Department shall coordinate with the monitoring entity to ensure that records are kept for the duration of the listing.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R18-11-602

New Section made by final rulemaking at 8 A.A.R. 3380, effective July 12, 2002 (Supp. 02-3).