Course Description (for detailed agenda, CLICK HERE):

This workshop was developed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) QA/QC Work Group.

The Remediation Standard Regulations, sections 22a-133-1 to 22a-133k-3 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RSRs) Appendices A through F include numeric criteria used to determine if a potential risk to human health or the environment may exist. The results of analyses performed on environmental media are used to determine if remediation is needed. Because of the nature of environmental media, limitations of analytical methods, characteristics of analytes, and human error, the results of environmental analysis may contain an element of uncertainty and, in some cases, may be significantly biased, and therefore, may not be representative of the actual concentrations of the analytes in the environmental media. Thus, an evaluation of the quality of the analytical data in relation to its intended use is important in order for the environmental professional to make decisions which are supported by data of known and sufficient quality. The first step consists of an assessment of data quality. The second step is an evaluation to determine whether the data can be used to support the decisions that will be made using that data.

This workshop will explore intermediate to advanced Data Quality Assessment and Data Usability Evaluation (DQA/DUE) concepts. The DQA/DUE is a two-step process for evaluating the quality of analytical data to determine whether the data are of sufficient quality for the intended purpose. The first step in the process is the Data Quality Assessment (DQA), which consists of the identification and summary of QC non-conformances. The second step is a Data Usability Evaluation (DUE) to determine whether the data can be used to support the decisions that will be made using that data. Included in the workshop are case studies and a panel discussion to provide practical knowledge from environmental professionals on the various QA/QC issues encountered during projects. The case studies provide examples of how the DQA/DUE processes works for a laboratory data set when dealing with different conceptual site models. In order to gain maximum benefit from this workshop, the attendee is strongly encouraged to review, prior to attending, the

• DQA/DUE Guidance;
• “State of Connecticut, Environmental Protection Laboratory Quality Assurance and Quality Control Guidance, Reasonable Confidence Protocols, Guidance Document,” (RCP Guidance) dated November 2009; and
• Importance of Communication Between the Environmental Professional and the Laboratory During the DUE/DQA Process”, draft dated January 2017.

The three guidance documents are available at the DEEP website at http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2715&q=324958.

Instructors (for full speaker bios, CLICK HERE):

• Mike Ainsworth, Senior Project Manager/Team Leader, HRP Associates, Inc.
• Dr. Gail Batchelder, Technical Director, HRP Associates, Inc.
• Paul Clark, Environmental Analyst 3 with the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Coordination Program, CT DEEP
• Christina Clemmey, Senior Environmental Chemist/Data Validator, EnSafe Inc.
• Nora Conlon, Ph.D., Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Coordinator and Team Leader for the Document Review Team for the Quality Assurance Unit of US EPA Region 1
• William Flick, Senior Associate and Hydrogeologist, Leggette, Brashears and Graham, Inc. (LBG)
• Peter Hill, Supervising Environmental Analyst with the Remediation Division, CT DEEP
• Rebecca Merz,  Senior Account Manager for Eurofins Spectrum Analytical, LLC
• Jim Occhialini, Vice President, Alpha Analytical