| Abstract |
EPA policy requires that all projects involving the generation, acquisition, and use of environmental data be planned and documented and have an Agency-approved quality assurance project plan or QAPP prior to the start of data collection. The primary purpose of the QAPP is to provide an overview of the project, describe the need for the measurements, and define QA/QC activities to be applied to the project, all within a single document. The QAPP should be detailed enough to provide a clear description of every aspect of the project and include information for every member of the project staff, including site operators, lab staff, and data reviewers. The QAPP facilitates communication among clients, data users, project staff, management, and external reviewers. Effective implementation of the QAPP assists project managers in keeping projects on schedule and within the resource budget. Agency QA policy is described in the Quality Manual and EPA QA/R-1, EPA Quality System Requirements for Environmental Programs. The following document represents a draft model Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the environmental data operations for Air Toxics Monitoring Program (ATMP). The Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards ( OAQPS) staff developed this Model QAPP to serve as an example of the type of information and detail necessary for the documents that will submitted by state and local organizations involved in their ATMP. Please review this document and forward your comments and suggestions to the persons listed in the Acknowledgment Section. This draft model QAPP was generated using the EPA QA regulations and guidance as described in EPA QA/R-5, EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans and the accompanying document, EPA QA/G-5, Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans. All pertinent elements of the QAPP regulations and guidance are addressed in this model. |
