O F F I C I A L
DMRQA 24
Desk
Reference
Guide
A comprehensive handbook
for important dates,
regulations, reporting
information, and step by step
instructions to aid in your
DMRQA compliance.
Your DMRQA Study 24 Checklist
By May 24, 2004
❑ Verified that all Permit Numbers, Lab Certificates, Lab
Codes, etc. are correct or corrected in 308 Letter.
❑ Submitted verification to the EPA of receipt of your
308 Letter with corrections if necessary.
❑ Informed your contract and/or in-house laboratories
of any test they must perform and send the 308 Letter
instruction pages to these laboratories.
By June 2, 2004
❑ Ordered your samples.
❑ Ensured that you will receive results from your lab
before the PT Provider’s deadline and have enough time
to report your data to the PT Provider.
Before September 3, 2004
❑ Verified all information and that all PT Provider’s forms
are correctly completed.
By September 3, 2004
❑ Completed all Provider Data Forms, generated your
Data Packet, and send all information to the proper
authorities.
i
DMRQA Desk Reference Guide
Introduction
Contents
Since 1983, APG has been
providing analytical laboratories
quality assurance products including
Proficiency Testing samples and
Quality Control materials. Our
experience can work for you in
the DMRQA Study 24.
Checklist . . . . . . . . .i
We hope this DMRQA Desk
Reference Guide will help you
in your compliance with this
year’s US EPA DMRQA Study
24. APG works hard to assist
all permittees involved and
takes your participation as
seriously as you. Your success is
our #1 goal. Our staff members are
specially trained to answer your
DMRQA questions. Providing you
with this guide is another step APG
has taken to help insure your
success in this program.
Questions &
Answers . . . . . . . .4-5
Introduction &
Contents . . . . . . . . .1
Summary
Dates &
Deadlines . . . . . . .2-3
The DMRQA
Package . . . . . . .6-7
PT & QC . . . . . . .8-9
Terms &
Definitions . . . .10-11
Choosing a
Provider . . . . . . . .12
Reference
Tools . . . . . . . . . .13
DMRQA.com . . .back
If you do not find the answers to
your questions within these pages,
feel free to check our website at
www.APGQA.com or call toll free
800.272.4442.
Analytical Products Group, Inc.
1
Summary of Dates and Deadlines - Study 24
By May 24, 2004
1. Verify all Permit Numbers, Lab Certificates, Lab Codes, etc. are
correct or corrected in the 308 Letter.
2. Submit verification to the EPA of receipt of your 308 Letter with
corrections if necessary.
a. Submit verification by email at [email protected].
Include in your email:
• Permittee Number (in subject line)
• C in the subject line if there are any corrections.
(OH0099999-C)
• Company name
• Contact name
• Address
b. Or by mail using the NPDES permittee address verification
form in the 308 Letter.
3. Inform your contract and/or in-house laboratories of any test(s)
they must perform and send the 308 Letter instruction pages to these
laboratories.
By June 2, 2004
1. Order samples
a. If you only use an in-house laboratory:
• Order samples from an approved NIST Provider.
• Analyze samples by deadline.
b. If you use both an in-house and contract laboratory.
• Order samples from an approved NIST Provider.
• Analyze samples by deadline.
• Instruct contract laboratory to order and anaylze samples.
c. If you only use a contract laboratory.
• Instruct contract laboratory to order and anaylze samples.
2. Ensure you will receive results from your lab before the PT
Providers deadline and have enough time to report your data to
the PT Provider.
2
Two weeks before the PT Provider’s due date.
1. Receive results from lab.
2. Verify that PT Providers forms are correctly completed and all information
is included.
Before Provider Deadline or September 3, 2004.
1. Complete Provider’s Data Forms.
2. Complete NPDES Permittee Data Report Form (308 Letter).
3. Generate Data Packet.
a. Provider’s Data Forms.
b. NPDES Permittee Data Report Form.
c. Completed Analyte Checklist (308 Letter).
4. Make two copies of Data Packet.
a. Send one copy to your PT Provider.
b. Send one copy to your Regulatory Authority.
By October 29, 2004
1. Results will be sent to you from your PT Provider.
2. PT Provider will send results to your Regional/State Coordinators.
By December 8, 2004
Negotiate any corrective actions with your Regional/State Coordinator.
APG’s available Study dates:
May WP Study - June 17 study close
June WP Study - July 16 study close
July WP Study - August 13 study close
DMRQA specific - September 3 study close
3
Questions and Answers about DMRQA
Q. Who should perform my DMRQA testing?
A.The lab that routinely performs the analysis for your facility,
In-house, or contract laboratory. If more than one laboratory
performs the analysis for a particular analyte during the year,
the laboratory that performs the majority of the testing for that
analyte must analyze the DMRQA sample. The US EPA will only
accept one result per analyte.
Q. What type of studies will meet my DMRQA requirements?
A. A DMRQA study will meet your requirements. Also a WP
study may meet your DMRQA requirements if the following
are true:
a. WP study does not close before
June 2, 2004.
b. WP study closes on or before
September 3, 2004.
c. Study is offered by a NIST
Accredited Provider.
If you choose to use a WP study
to meet your DMRQA
requirements, you must meet the
WP Study deadline, even if it is
sooner than the September 3, 2004
deadline. Also inform your Provider that you are using the WP
study to meet DMRQA requirements before the data is submitted.
Q. Can I meet both my state and DMRQA requirements
with a single study?
A. In many cases yes, but contact your state coordinator to determine what
studies are acceptable to meet your state certification and DMRQA
requirements.
4
Q. Can I report more analytes than what is on my permit?
A. Yes. You can report analytes that are not on your permit by
checking the voluntary analyte box on the Providers’ data
return forms.
Q. Are there other resources that I can use for more information?
A. Yes. www.DMRQA.com is an excellent resource to obtain
more information.
Q. How do I know what samples I
need to purchase?
A. You are required to analyze any
analyte listed on your NPDES
permit and found on the analyte
checklist in the 308 Letter.
Q. What if my contract laboratory
and I purchase samples from the same
provider but we have different due
dates?
A. No problem, simply report your data
by your due date and report your
contract laboratory’s data by the due date
for their study.
Q. Can I report my data Online?
A. Yes. The APGQA.com Online Data Entry reviews your data for
completeness while you are entering it and the system
remembers your information so you never have to re-type it.
You also receive important email updates and customized
reminders so you never miss a deadline. Finally, it
completes your paperwork and emails it to you. The
APGQA.com Data Entry System is safe and secure and
provides complete assurance that your data has been received.
www.DMRQA.com
5
Your Complete DMRQA Study 24 Pac
APG is celebrating 23 years as the leader in quality assurance materials manufacturing. A
DMRQA Programs. Experience and leadership has taught us how to simplify t
When choosing your DMRQA Provider, consider the advantages you h
• The highest quality samples
Be confident that all our
Proficiency Testing Programs are
accredited by NIST/NVLAP
(lab code 200384-0) and meet all
guidelines for state accreditation
programs including WP and
NELAC. APG DMRQA products
are designed to meet the
requirements of both US EPA
and NELAC. APG is accredited
by NIST/NVLAP for all US EPA
and NELAC analytes.
• No hidden reporting fees
Absolutely no hidden reporting
fees. We will send all required
reports to you, your State/Regional
Coordinator and the US
EPA at no additional charge.
Place your DMRQA orders Online at
• Easy to use forms and booklets
APG provides you with step-by-step
easy-to-understand instruction
booklets that guide you through
the DMRQA process.
• Multiple studies available
APG offers you flexibility. Choose one
of three monthly WP studies or our
DMRQA specific study to meet
your reporting needs.
6
www.APGQA.com
Call and order at
800.272.4442 or 740.423.4200
Fax your order form to
740.423.5588
Go with what works…
We are working for you.
Complete DMRQA Study 24 Package
e leader in quality assurance materials manufacturing. APG operates one of the largest
perience and leadership has taught us how to simplify the DMRQA process.
your DMRQA Provider, consider the advantages you have with APG:
• World-class service
Our dedicated Account Executives,
Technical Support Chemists, PT
Coordinators, and Website Experts
are trained to assist you with any
DMRQA questions.
• Online ordering, reporting,
and results
Register online for your Elite
Membership and place your order.
No paperwork. APG's online data
entry system is convenient, secure,
accurate, and provides immediate
notification that your data has
been received. It is also easy to
create custom reports and send
them electronically. Results will be
available online at www.apgqa.com
shortly after the study closes.
Place your DMRQA orders Online at
www.APGQA.com
Call and order at
800.272.4442 or 740.423.4200
• Earn your Gold Seal Certificate
Upon successfully analyzing your
DMRQA samples, APG will send you
a personalized DMRQA Study 24
Certificate with the gold APG seal.
Fax your order form to
740.423.5588
Analytical Products Group, Inc.
2730 Washington Blvd.
Belpre, OH 45714
Go with what works…
We are working for you.
7
DMRQA Proficiency Testing Products (required)
APG was in the first class of providers accredited by NIST as
required by the US EPA. APG also holds an ISO 9001-2000
registration. Our samples are of the highest quality you can find.
APG Price
6010 Demand
BOD, COD, CBOD, TOC
$66.00
6020 Nutrients
Ortho-PO4, Total P, TKN,
NO3 as N, NH3 as N
$66.00
6030 Solids
TDS, TSS, Total Solids
$66.00
6060 pH
pH
$46.00
6070 Trace Metals
Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe,
Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn
$109.00
6080 Total Phenolics
Phenol
$46.00
6090 Total Cyanide
Cyanide
$56.00
6100 Total Residual Chlorine
Total Residual Chlorine
$51.00
6120 Oil and Grease
Oil and Grease
$56.00
6150 DMRQA Set 1
Solids, pH, TRC
$158.00
6160 DMRQA Set 2
Solids, pH, Demand
$173.00
6170 DMRQA Set 3
Solids, pH, Demand, TRC
$222.00
6180 DMRQA Set 4
Solids, pH, Demand,
Nutrients, TRC
$280.00
6000 DMRQA All Samples
All above samples (9 total)
$547.00
8
APG DMRQA products
are designed to meet the
requirements of both US
EPA and NELAC. APG is
accredited by
NIST/NVLAP for all US
EPA and NELAC analytes.
Lab code 200384-0
DMRQA Quality Controls (optional)
APG’s Quality Control samples are the only samples available that are
both NIST traceable and certified in a nationwide interlaboratory
program. Each sample comes with a complete Certificate of Analysis.
Improve your quality and lower your cost.
APG Price
Analytical Products Group, Inc.
2730 Washington Blvd.
Belpre, OH 45714
800.272.4442
740.423.4200
Fax 740.423.5588
Order Online at
www.APGQA.com
6012 Demand
BOD, COD, CBOD, TOC
$51.00
6022 Nutrients
Ortho-PO4, Total P, TKN,
NO3 as N, NH3 as N
$51.00
6032 Solids
TDS, TSS, Total Solids
$51.00
6062 pH
pH
$42.00
6072 Trace Metals
Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe,
Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn
$85.00
6082 Total Phenolics
Phenol
$36.00
6092 Total Cyanide
Cyanide
$44.00
6102 Total Residual Chlorine
Total Residual Chlorine
$39.00
6122 Oil and Grease
Oil and Grease
$44.00
6151 DMRQA Set 1
Solids, pH, TRC
$125.00
6161 DMRQA Set 2
Solids, pH, Demand
$137.00
6171 DMRQA Set 3
Solids, pH, Demand, TRC
$176.00
6181 DMRQA Set 4
Solids, pH, Demand,
Nutrients, TRC
$227.00
6003 DMRQA All Samples
All above samples (9 total)
$437.00
9
DMRQA Study 24
Terms and Definitions
Certifying Official - The person listed on the organization`s NPDES
permit that is to validate the data submitted to the PT Provider. This
person must sign the Data Return Form. Without this signature, the
data cannot be evaluated by the PT Provider; consequently no results will
be reported by the PT Provider to the State/Regional DMRQA Coordinator.
Contract Laboratory - A laboratory contracted with a Permittee to
provide some or all of the routine testing listed on the permit.
Contract laboratories can only be used for DMRQA testing if the contract
laboratory is the entity that routinely performs the Permittee`s testing. If an
in-house laboratory performs the routine testing, the in-house
laboratory must complete the DMRQA testing. If a Permittee uses a
contract laboratory, it is the responsibility of the contract laboratory to
provide the Permittee with the completed Laboratory Data Return Form
within the timeframe specified.
DMRQA – Discharge Monitoring Report – Quality Assurance study
that helps regulatory agencies monitor the quality of the data used by
laboratories to ensure the safety of our nation’s waters. According to
Section 308 (a) of the Clean Water Act this study is mandatory.
In-house Laboratory - The laboratory that is part of the Permittee`s
organization. The in-house laboratory must be used to test
DMRQA samples if it routinely tests the normal samples as required
by the permit.
Less Than (<) Reporting - The US EPA database cannot handle "text"
results such as "BDL," "ND," "Non-Tested," etc. Therefore, to receive
credit for testing an analyte and determining a non-detect, you must
report a "less than" value using the < symbol. The evaluation will result
in an "Acceptable" value if one of the following is true:
1) The numeric part of the reported value (i.e. 8 if the Report Value
were <8) is less than the upper limit of the EPA acceptance range
AND zero (0) is included in the EPA acceptance range
2) OR if you report a "less than" value AND the assigned value is
equal to zero (i.e. the analyte was not spiked in the sample).
Any other non-numeric value (i.e. BDL, ND, >10, etc.) cannot be
evaluated and will return an evaluation result of "Unusable." This
method of evaluation is consistent with the US EPA National
Standards for Water Proficiency Testing Program Criteria
Document (December 30, 1998) and the NVLAP/NIST
Handbook 150 document.
10
Method Description - A 15 character alpha-numeric string that
describes the process used to evaluate the sample. APG can only
report 15 characters to the US EPA; therefore, APG will enter the
first 15 characters of the reported Method Description (does not
include blank spaces).
NPDES Permit Number - The identification number on your permit.
A valid NPDES Permit Number contains a two-letter state
designation and a seven digit numeric code. If you have any
questions please contact you State/Regional DMRQA coordinator.
The NPDES Permit Number must be recorded on all documentation
and correspondence with all organizations involved with the
DMRQA program. This includes your Permittee Data Return Form.
Without the NPDES Permit Number, APG cannot process your data
return. The NPDES Permit Number is different than the US EPA
Lab Code. The US EPA Lab Code is specific to the laboratory (inhouse or contract laboratory) executing the actual testing. Both of
these numbers are extremely important with respect to reporting.
Reported Value - The test result you report for a specific analyte. Be
sure to verify that you are reporting the value in the proper units. It is
essential that your data is clearly written and that decimal points be
apparent. APG is required to evaluate your data to three significant
digits based upon the EPA Acceptance Range per the US EPA
National Standards for Water Proficiency Testing Program Criteria
Document (December 30, 1998). It is recommended that you limit
your reporting of results to three significant digits. See the Less Than
(<) Reporting term for more details pertaining to your Reported
Value. If you must make a change to your reported value after you
have entered the information on the data return form, please clearly
cross out the original entry and write in the new value. Do not use
white-out to cover the original entry.
US EPA Lab Code - A unique identification number assigned to a
laboratory by the US EPA. If you are not sure about your US EPA Lab
Code, please contact Charles Feldman at 513.569.7671 at the US EPA.
Voluntary Analyte - APG will provide you with an evaluation on these
analytes, but the US EPA and State Agencies will not require
remediation for these analytes should the APG evaluation result in a
"Not Acceptable" evaluation. Analytes can only be considered
voluntary if they do not appear on your permit.
11
Why Choose APG as Your PT Provider?
There are two key factors for a successful DMRQA program – quality samples and
accurate and timely reporting. APG has prepared DMRQA type samples for more
than 23 years meeting the requirements of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) and the US EPA.
By choosing APG as your DMRQA provider, you can take advantage of:
• APG’s Online Reporting System
• No Reporting fees
• Multiple qualifying studies to choose from
• World-class service
• QC Samples that complement the required PT samples
Look at what satisfied clients are saying about APG!
I have never hesitated to call for help from APG Account
Executives throughout the years--they have always been so
helpful and kind. The DMRQA Studies seem to be a bane to me
and someone at APG always walks me through the process of
dealing with data from outside laboratories--I am extremely
grateful for the assistance.
— Arkansas DMRQA client
I like your new On-Line Reporting system. You have incorporated
some of the best features from other data-entry systems I've used.
It is a user-friendly process. We have been a customer of yours for
many years, and I like the improvements you are making.
— North Carolina DMRQA client
We continue to be quite pleased with the quality of your standards
as well as the professionalism of your staff.
— New York DMRQA client
Choose APG and order today!
Analytical Products Group, Inc.
2730 Washington Blvd.
Belpre, OH 45714
Call toll free 800.272.4442
Order Online at www.APGQA.com
12
Reference Tool - DMRQA Study 24
May 24, 2004 - Send the NPDES permittee address verification
form (AVF) by postal mail or email
Email address is: [email protected] or mail to
John Helm @USEPA OECA MC 2225A
1200 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington DC 20460
Date mailed or emailed: ________________________________________________
June 2, 2004 - Confirm that in-house and contract laboratories have
ordered appropriate test sample(s) from approved Providers.
Review the DMRQA analyte checklist in the 308 Letter or at
www.DMRQA.com
Order samples by calling 800.272.4442 or online at www.DMRQA.com
Order Number: __________________________Date: ________________________
Invoice Amount: ______________________________________________________
Purchase Order Number/CC: ____________________________________________
Study Close date: ______________________________________________________
BEFORE September 3, 2004
Data from DMRQA studies must be reported and received by the
permittee. Verify that all reports are correctly labeled.
Date of receipt of contract laboratory data: ______________________________
September 3, 2004 or Provider’s due date - Report results to the
Provider. (Complete the forms supplied by the Provider and
include all required fields as outlined in the Provider’s instructions.)
Data Entry Code: ______________________________________________________
Date Submitted data to PT Provider: ____________________________________
Tracking Number for Postal receipt or
receipt of Email Confirmation of Online Data: ____________________________
Data Package mailed to the DMRQA Coordinator: ________________________
October 29, 2004 - PT Provider reports should be sent
to permittees and State and/or Regional coordinators.
Received PT Evaluation from APG: ______________________________________
Review results at www.APGQA.com
December 8, 2004 - Submit corrective action reports to NPDES Permit
regulatory authority.
Mailed Corrective action reports: ________________________________________
Ordered any Corrective action Samples needed: __________________________
13
The most
comprehensive
website for
DMRQA Study 24.
www.DMRQA.com
Whether you are searching for an answer
to a tough DMRQA question or just
curious about what others may
be saying about their study problems,
there is no better place to go than
www.DMRQA.com. Interesting articles,
changes in requirements, and just the facts,
you get it all at www.DMRQA.com
• Find important due dates
• Examine frequently
asked questions
• Post a question on the
DMRQA discussion board
• View and download the
US EPA 308 Letter online
• Download US EPA forms
• Identify your DMRQA
Coordinator