 |
|
 |
|
 |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
| External Links |
In order for the data produced from WQM to be useful in decision-making, council needs to have confidence its quality. A Quality Assurance (QA) plan and Quality Control (QC) procedures should be developed as part of a WQM program to ensure that data produced is of a known quality. QA specifies the measures used to produce data of a known precision and bias and includes documented procedures, work instructions, training of staff and record keeping. |
Internal Links | ||||||||||
| NSW EPA (2003) An Interim Approach to Water Monitoring in NSW | QC procedures are a set of technical activities undertaken that ensure that the information collected is accurate and precise, and is recorded and reported in an approved manner (NSW EPA, 2003). Examples of QC measures include use of blank samples to detect contaminants, audits of processes and results and cleaning procedures. Essentially, QA is a method of checking the success of QC. Although commonly applied to sampling and laboratory analysis, QA and QC apply to the whole water quality monitoring process, including data analysis, interpretation and management. |
|||||||||||
| The National Water Quality Management Strategy outlines protocols for QA and QC in the Australian Guidelines for Water Quality Monitoring and Reporting 2000. QA and QC are outlined in Section 4.6 for field sampling and Section 5.5 for laboratory analysis. | ||||||||||||
| Draft Information Package and Field Manual for Monitoring and Reporting Coastal Recreational Water Quality | The Beachwatch Partnership Program’s Draft Information Package and Field Manual for Monitoring and Reporting Coastal Recreational Water Quality suggests QA and QC procedures for different aspects of recreational water quality sampling (pages 30 to 31) and laboratory analysis (pages 36-37). | Summary table: QA and QC procedures for recreational water sampling | ||||||||||
| For information on QA for community water quality monitoring, refer to the Streamwatch website or the US EPA’s Volunteer Monitors Guide to Quality Assurance Project Plans. | ||||||||||||
