Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Welcome to the Quality Assurance/Quality Control Website

Quality assurance and quality control are components of a quality system. A quality system is a structured system that describes the policies and procedures for ensuring that work processes, products, or services satisfy the user's specifications and expectations. A quality system is the means by which an organization manages its quality aspects. These aspects are Project Management, Data Generation and Acquisition, and Assessment and Oversight.

The State Water Resources Control Board has prepared documents that are used in our Quality System. They consist of the Quality Management Plan (QMP) which is the overall Quality Assurance (QA) plan for the entire State Water Resources Control Board; Quality Assurance Program Plans (QAPrP), e.g. SWAMP's QA Program Plan; and numerous Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP).

EPA Quality System Review of the State Water Board and the Regional Boards

In October 2017, EPA Region IX Quality Assurance Staff conducted a review of the quality system (QSR) supporting the State Water Board and Regional Boards. During the two-day EPA QSR, managers and staff from the Office of Information Management and Analysis (OIMA), the Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Branch, the Division of Drinking Water, SWAMP, Stormwater, and Ocean Programs (Beach Monitoring), as well as the State Water Board Quality Assurance Officer were interviewed in person and by telephone.  Regional Board staff from Regional Board 2 (San Francisco Bay) and Regional Board 9 ( San Diego) discussed the role of quality assurance in the Non-Point Source (NPS) and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) data collection efforts.

• Cover Letter to OIMA from EPA regarding the EPA Final Report of the Quality System Review (QSR) of the California State Water Resources Control Board
• EPA Final Report of the Quality System Review (QSR) of the California State Water Resources Control Board
• For questions, please contact the State Water Board Quality Assurance office at qualityassurance@waterboards.ca.gov

Discharge Monitoring Report - Quality Assurance Study 42 (DMR-QA Study 42)

The DMR-QA Study evaluates the analytical ability of laboratories that routinely perform or support self-monitoring analyses required by NPDES permits to ensure the integrity of data reported for the NPDES Program. Permittees are responsible for having their on-site and contract laboratories test analytes that are both in their NPDES permit and included in Study 42. In California, we are granted approval by US EPA to implement the study with changes in two aspects from the federal program. Those aspects are: NPDES-permitted facilities have until December 31, 2021 to submit all required testing data to the State Water Resources Control Board’s QA Officer; and their laboratories may use the same data that is used to satisfy laboratory accreditation requirements.

• DMR-QA Study 42 Notification Letter
• More information on the US EPA-DMRQ-QA Program
• Discharge Monitoring Report - Quality Assurance Study 41
• For questions, please contact the State Water Board Quality Assurance office at qualityassurance@waterboards.ca.gov