Massachusetts Volunteer Coastal Monitoring General Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Version 1.1 For Water Quality Monitoring, Wetland Biological Assessments, and Marine Introduced Species Monitoring Prepared by: Jerry Schoen (Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership) Barbara Warren (Salem Sound Coastwatch) Under contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management 251 Causeway St., Suite 800 Boston MA 02114 Reviewed by: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Division of Watershed Management 627 Main Street Worcester, MA 01608 September 2006 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................... i How to Use This QAPP ........................................................................................................................................................... ii Summary of Requirements for Adopting the General QAPP............................................................................................. iii 1. Title and Approval Page .................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 3. Distribution List ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 4. Project/Task Organization ................................................................................................................................................ 2 5. Problem Definition/Background ....................................................................................................................................... 4 6. Project/Task Description ................................................................................................................................................... 6 7. Measurement Quality Goals ............................................................................................................................................. 9 8. Training Requirements ................................................................................................................................................... 15 9. Documentation and Records ........................................................................................................................................... 16 10. Sampling Process Design ................................................................................................................................................ 17 11. Sampling Method Requirements ................................................................................................................................... 22 12. Sample Handling and Custody Requirements ............................................................................................................. 30 13. Analytical Methods Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 31 14. Quality Control Procedures ........................................................................................................................................... 34 15. Instrument/Equipment Inspection and Testing ........................................................................................................... 37 16. Instrumentation Calibration and Frequency ............................................................................................................... 39 17. Inspection & Acceptance Requirements for Supplies .................................................................................................. 40 18. Data Acquisition Requirements ..................................................................................................................................... 41 19. Data Management ........................................................................................................................................................... 42 20. Assessment and Response Actions ................................................................................................................................. 45 21. Reports ............................................................................................................................................................................. 46 22. Data Review, Validation and Verification Requirements ........................................................................................... 47 23. Validation and Verification Methods ............................................................................................................................ 48 24. Reconciliation with Data Quality Objectives ................................................................................................................ 49 APPENDIX 1: GENERAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN ADOPTION FORM APPENDIX 2. SELECTED REFERENCES TO SPECIFIC FIELD METHODS APPENDIX 3. SELECTED REFERENCES TO SPECIFIC LAB METHODS APPENDIX 4. SELECTED REFERENCES TO QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLANS, SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS PLANS, WATER QUALITY DATA REPORTS, OTHER USEFUL DOCUMENTS APPENDIX 5. LABORATORIES THAT MAY PROVIDE SERVICES FOR VOLUNTEER MONITORING GROUPS IN COASTAL AREAS APPENDIX 6. MISCELLANEOUS CONTACTS: AGENCIES, TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS, VOLUNTEER MONITORING GROUPS APPENDIX 7. SELECT LIST OF SUPPLIERS OF SAMPLING PROBES, KITS, ETC. APPENDIX 8. MARINE INTRODUCED SPECIES VERIFICATION, HANDLING, AND DISPOSAL PROCEDURES APPENDIX 9. EXAMPLES OF LABELS, FORMS, TRAINING RECORDS, DATA SHEETS TABLES Table 4.1. Project Organization (typical) ............................................................................................ 2 Table 6.1 Anticipated Schedule (typical; variable, dependent on individual programs) ............... 8 Table 7.1. Data Quality Objectives (for common parameters) ....................................................... 10 Table 10.1. Typical Sampling Approaches .......................................................................................... 18 Table 11.1. General Sample Collection Methods ................................................................................ 22 Table 11.2. Typical Field Sampling Considerations ........................................................................... 26 Table 14.1. Typical Quality Control Measures ................................................................................... 35 Table 15.1. Typical Instrument/Equipment Inspection, Testing Procedures................................... 37 Table 16.1. Typical Instrumentation Calibration Procedures ........................................................... 39 Table 17.1. Typical Supplies Inspection, Acceptance Procedures ..................................................... 40 Table 19.1. Data Management, Review, Validation, Verification Process ....................................... 43 Acknowledgements This General QAPP was written by Jerry Schoen (Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership) and Barbara Warren (Salem Sound Coastwatch) under contract with the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Reviewers included Jay Baker and Todd Callaghan, CZM; and Arthur Screpetis, Richard Chase and Richard Alden, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). For more information, contact Todd Callaghan, CZM 617-626-1233. i How to Use This QAPP “The Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) outlines the procedures a monitoring project will use to ensure that the samples participants collect and analyze, the data they store and manage, and the reports they write are of high enough quality to meet project needs.” (The Volunteer Monitor’s Guide to Quality Assurance Project Plans, US EPA 1996). This General QAPP is intended to serve all organizations participating in the Office of Coastal Zone Management’s (CZM) Coastal Monitoring Grants program, and may also serve programs collaborating with other state agencies. It contains baseline requirements to be met for data collection projects, as well as common objectives, parameters, methods and approaches for river, lake, wetland, and coastal chemical and biological monitoring. The General QAPP can be adopted as the project QAPP by any group performing these types of monitoring activities. If not adopted, an individual project QAPP is typically required and the General QAPP may be useful as a template for a project-specific QAPP. Individual groups adopting this General QAPP must follow these steps: 1) Carefully review the General QAPP to ensure that the proposed monitoring program meets the General QAPP’s requirements. 2) Complete the “General QAPP Adoption Form” found in Appendix 1. This form is made up of a series of templates that must be filled out by each monitoring organization. Instructions for completing each element of the General QAPP Adoption form are found in the corresponding numbered chapter of the General QAPP. 3) Submit only the General QAPP Adoption Form for review and approval by CZM and DEP (see Chapter 1 for more information). Note: Groups that submit the General QAPP Adoption Form will not be