ABSTRACT
Quality assurance encompasses management, procedures, and controls and includes a day-to-day quality control operational component. Data quality objectives describe the overall level of uncertainty which the decisionmakers are willing to accept from environmental data and assist in specifying the objectives of a project, including developing and instituting acceptable QA/Quality control (QC) plans. A QA plan needs to be developed and implemented for the sampling of ground water monitoring wells and for the subsequent laboratory analysis. It includes QA/QC controls for both sample collection and laboratory analysis and is much more inclusive than a sampling plan. An on-site evaluation includes a review of the facilities, staff, training, instrumentation, procedures, documentation, methods, sample collection, QA policies and procedures, sample transport, and subsequent laboratory analysis.
