ABSTRACT
Water quality monitoring program success depends on the quality of sampling and laboratory analysis. An ideal water quality monitoring plan should include an integrated team with water sampling staff and laboratory personnel. However, most monitoring programs have separate teams for water sampling and sample analysis, and some programs dispatch their samples to an analytical laboratory. Usually, the water
9.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 137 9.2 What Is an Accredited Water Quality Laboratory? ...................................... 139
9.2.1 International Organization for Standardization Standards............... 139 9.2.2 National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference
Standards .......................................................................................... 139 9.2.3 Department of Defense Environmental Laboratory
Accreditation Program ..................................................................... 141 9.3 How to Establish an Accredited Water Quality Laboratory? ....................... 141
9.3.1 Laboratory Personnel ........................................................................ 142 9.3.2 Laboratory Spaces ............................................................................ 142 9.3.3 Sophisticated Laboratory Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies ... 143
9.3.3.1 Sophisticated Laboratory Instruments ............................... 143 9.3.3.2 Basic Laboratory Equipment and Supplies ........................ 149
9.3.4 Developing a Laboratory Quality Manual and Obtaining a Laboratory Accreditation.................................................................. 151
9.4 How to Select an Analytical Laboratory ...................................................... 151 9.5 Summary ...................................................................................................... 152 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 152 References .............................................................................................................. 153 Appendix 9.1 An Example of the Table of Contents for a Quality Manual ........ 154
quality sampling team is not familiar with laboratory analytical techniques and vice versa. Accurate laboratory analysis will not overcome mistakes in the sample collection process. If laboratory personnel have the knowledge of where and how samples are collected, atypical samples could be rejected when received or before analysis. If field personnel know how field sample preservation affects laboratory analysis, the frequency of sample rejection in the laboratory would be lower. (Examples of sample conditions that can cause rejection in the field or laboratory are listed in Table 9.1.) Therefore, the sampling and laboratory analytical teams need to understand both sampling procedures and laboratory analyses. Because water quality sampling has been described in detail in Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, the sole purpose of this chapter is to provide information on the requirements for laboratories that analyze samples for water quality monitoring programs. The chapter covers laboratory accreditation, establishment of an accredited laboratory, and selection of an analytical laboratory if an in-house laboratory is not available.
