Quality Assurance Program

This web page introduces and provides links for the QA program of the Water Quality Planning Bureau of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (herein "bureau"). This QA program applies to the bureau and its assisting contractors and describes the management and technical procedures that will assure the quality of environmental information used to support decisions. This is referred to as a "quality system." It provides the Bureau with a practical framework for managing the quality of activities resulting in environmental determinations and controls. The bureau's quality system complies with EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans (EPA QA/R-2) and is documented in the bureau's own EPA approved Quality Management Plan (WQPBQMP-01).

The focus of the quality system is environmental data. In the past, this was often misunderstood to simply mean chemical measurement data collected in the field or in a laboratory. The latest Agency-wide order concerning quality makes it clear that the quality system must address more than just measurement data.

Environmental data - Any measurement or information that describes environmental processes, location, or conditions; ecological or health effects and consequences; or the performance of environmental technology. For EPA, environmental data include information collected directly from measurements, produced from models, and compiled from other sources such as databases or the literature.
- EPA Order 5360.1 A2, May 5, 2000

Quality Policy

"Quality data" are those data that enable the user to make a timely decision with an acceptable risk of decision error.

Bureau employees collect environmental information directly or analyze data collected from other organizations. These data are indicators of past and present conditions, uses, causes and sources of impairment, and are used to select the controls necessary to restore impaired beneficial uses. Decisions made using these data must be scientifically defensible, able to withstand public scrutiny and, where necessary, legally defensible.

The Quality Policy stresses systematic up-front planning and the use of the graded approach to quality management. DEQ's Water Quality Planning Bureau policy regarding quality is:

  • The quality system will apply to all data gathered by or for the Bureau. It is important that all Bureau activities involving the generation and use of environmental data build in quality from the start. It applies to Bureau programs, contractors, grantees and partners.
  • All Bureau staff are responsible for assuring the quality of their work and of the organization. This responsibility requires clear communication of goals and requirements of the quality system to all staff. It also requires that each employee receive appropriate quality-related training.
  • There is a Bureau employee whose main responsibility is developing and implementing the quality system. These responsibilities are independent of the line management structure.
  • Quality is a critical responsibility of all levels of Bureau management. All management personnel have identifiable roles in the quality system.
  • Quality can only be achieved through systematic planning, assessment and corrective action. Management will assure that adequate staff and resources are devoted to the quality management of every project.
  • The importance of the project, the risk of a decision error, the schedule for completion, and the available resources determine the level of quality management applied to each project. These considerations must be addressed and documented during project planning.
  • The quality of any environmental data or information used by the Bureau must be assessed (known) and documented, regardless of source. Managers and decision makers are responsible for ensuring that data quality is considered in the decision-making process.
  • All environmental decisions made by the Bureau must be evaluated relative to the quality of the underlying data and information. Where the quality of the data or information cannot be controlled by the user (e.g., data from sources outside the Bureau) or does not meet the objectives set during the planning phase, the decision will be adjusted accordingly. Evaluations and adjustments will be documented.

Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)

The systematic planning required to assure that bureau projects will result in data of sufficient quality and quantity for the decisions at hand is documented in a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). A QAPP is simply planning documentation for the repeated application of the scientific method. Most projects involve multiple decisions, each requiring a series of "observations" or data collections. EPA developed specific requirements and considerations for QAPPs covering a range of environmental data projects and made them available through the EPA Quality System website.

The following links are QAPPs prepared by bureau staff for major environmental data projects.

QAPPs for Bureau Programs (Internal) Example QAPP for TMDL project (developed by external contractors)

Volunteer Monitoring QAPP - Greater Gallatin Watershed Council

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are developed to promote consistency in work processes. These SOPs are continually being updated and new methods developed by bureau QA staff. These are available online for DEQ's historical methods (so one can review how historical data was collected) and for recently developed and updated methods. If a recent update or revision is not shown below, refer to the historical SOPs for method guidance.

 

NEW! Link to all EPA Analytical Methods