USEPA REGION 4

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USEPA REGION 4

• Quality Management Plan
• 
  
  ( For training purposes only)

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Quality is a Lousy Idea-

• If its Only an Idea!

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Have you heard these phrases before?

• Quality Assurance
• Quality Control
• Quality Assurance Project Plan
• Quality Management Plan
• Quality System
• Data Quality Objectives
• Data of Known Quality
• Now are you really confused?

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What is a Quality Management Plan?

• A quality management plan (QMP) documents how an
  organization structures its quality system and
  describes its quality policies and procedures,
  criteria for and areas of application, and roles,
  responsibilities, and authorities. It also
  describes an organizations policies and
  procedures for implementing and assessing the
  effectiveness of the quality system.
• EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans
  EPA QA/R-2 (March 2001).

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A little background history

• May 30, 1979 EPA established a Quality
  Assurance Policy
• It states
• The EPA must have a comprehensive quality
  assurance effort to provide data that are
  scientifically valid, defensible, and of known
  precision and accuracy - this is the goal of the
  Agencys quality assurance program.

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Then came (the most recent QA Policy)

• May 5, 2000
• EPA Order 5360.1 A2
• It provides the Policy and Program
  Requirements for the Mandatory Agency-Wide
  Quality System.

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Why should I care!

• The order is applicable to
• The direct measurement of environmental
  conditions or releases, including sample
  collection, analysis, evaluation and reporting of
  environmental data.
• Also, there is secondary data to consider.
• Sound Familiar???

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EPA ORDER 5360.1 A2

• This Order establishes the policy and program
  requirements for the preparation and
  implementation of Management Systems pertaining
  to QUALITY and contains the minimum requirements
  for the mandatory Agency-wide Quality System

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What is a Quality System?

• A quality system is the sum total of the policies
  and procedures that are developed and implemented
  to ensure that quality is built into programs and
  work products. Thus a quality system covers both
  policy and process.

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EPA ORDER 5360.1 A2

• The Agencywide Quality System provides the
  necessary elements to
• PLAN
• IMPLEMENT
• DOCUMENT
• ASSESS
• the effectiveness of QA and QC activities
  applied to environmental programs conducted by or
  for EPA to obtain sufficient and adequate data
  quality.

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The Quality Management Plan for Region 4

• Establishes a structured and documented
  management system which describes an
  organization's roles, responsibilities, policies
  and procedures as they relate to the generation
  and use of environmental data.

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It states (Policy Statement)

• It is the policy of Region 4 that all
  decisions which are made to protect human health
  and safeguard the environment will be based on
  data of sufficient known quality to support the
  level of decision required.

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Region 4s Quality Management Plan (QMP)

• What does it do for me (or to me)?
• All field data sampling/collection activities
  conducted by EPA or funded by EPA - must have an
  approved QAPP! (This is also stated in the EPA
  5360.1 Policy)
• Defines Region 4s QA Responsibilities
• Establishes the EPA Region 4 Designated Approving
  Official for QAPP review/approval.
• Establishes QA training requirements.
• It defines the use of secondary data, and the QA
  associated with it.
• The Plan was signed by ALL Division Directors
  and the Regional Administrator.

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Who Needs a QMP??

• All Federal Agencies
• Non-EPA organizations funded by EPA are required
  to document their quality system in a QMP (or
  equivalent document)
• 48 CFR 46 - For contractors
• 40 CFR 30, 31 and 35 For assistance agreement
  recipients and
• Other mechanisms, such as consent agreements in
  enforcement actions.

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Is this a Requirement?

• EPA itself is required to have a regional QMP
  that must be approved by the Office of
  Environmental Information (OEI) located at EPA
  headquarters in Washington, D.C.
• In addition, individual projects developed
  within EPA must have an approved QAPP.

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Whats the Difference Between a QMP and QAPP??

• A QMP documents the organizations structure and
  overall quality system as it relates to their
  environmental program.
• A QAPP is a project-specific document that
  details the project management, data acquisition,
  assessment/oversight and data verification/validat
  ion/review activities for an environmental
  project only.

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Are QMPs Good Forever?

• No - An EPA approved QMP is good for 5 years.
• When the five years are up, the grantee or
  consultant must resubmit a QMP for a new round of
  review and approval by EPA.
• The EPA Region 4 QMP is also only approved for 5
  years. Our most recent QMP was approved in July
  2007 and it expires on July 2012.

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A Happier Region 4 QA Community

• To Summarize
• Implementing the EPA Region 4 Quality Management
  Plan (QMP)
  
  and
• The State of Kentuckys QMP, and
  providing
• Quality Assurance Training
• to the Kentucky Divisional Programs
• will lead to a
• Happier Region 4 QA Community!!

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EPA Region 4Quality Assurance Section Contacts

• Marilyn Maycock [phone]
• Denise Goddard [phone]
• Ray Terhune [phone]
• Charlie Appleby [phone]