##### QADATA Summary -- March 2004

The Inorganic Blind Sample Project (IBSP) reviews 108 inorganic
analytical lines at the National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) and 79
inorganic analytical lines at the Ocala Water Quality and Research
Laboratory (OWQRL) using double-blind, quality-control samples. The
QADATA Summary is a short summary of only those analytical lines for
which the quality-control charts indicate or have indicated a bias
and/or higher than expected variability. Overall, the vast majority of
the analyses at the NWQL and OWQRL demonstrate acceptable variability
and little or no bias.

The data reviewed is for the time period 08/01/03 through 03/04/04;
however, longer-range charts are used when they add clarity to the
problem. The attached quality-control charts contain data from samples
that have been subject to the same laboratory handling procedures as the
samples that are submitted by the USGS district offices, and the data
have the same level of quality-control review as the data released to
the districts. Therefore, any factors that affect the districts' data
should also affect the data shown in the IBSP quality-control charts.
Samples for which the results are outside of control limits\
(+/-2 f-pseudosigma) are reanalyzed, but the values are not updated.
Data from samples that are known to have deteriorated or are known to
have been affected by a problem at IBSP are not displayed on the charts.

In this report, the "Problem" is determined and written by IBSP. The
"Problem" is then sent to the laboratories that then get two weeks to
respond to the issue by writing a "Lab Comment" and a "Corrective
Action." The labs' comments are incorporated into the QADATA Summary as
received. Comments from previous QADATA Summaries are included in this
report to help provide a clearer perspective of the overall concern.

Current charts (updated twice weekly) may be accessed at
<http://bqs.usgs.gov/bsp/FY03_04charts.htm>. Laboratory and district
personnel can also make their own QADATA retrieval to parallel their
project's sampling period by using the QADATA Application online at
[http://bqs.usgs.gov/bsp](http://bqs.usgs.gov/bsp/mainpage.html) (select
QADATA Application button). Charts pertaining specifically to this
report can be accessed electronically by following the underlined
hyperlinks embedded within the report and associated with each analysis
discussed.

*Tedmund M. Struzeski*

<struzesk@usgs.gov>

Table of Contents

Note: All analytes are hyperlinked to their respective positions within
the report.

NWQL

Analyte Page

Arsenic, Filtered, GFAA, Labcode 2160, Parmcode 1000C . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Beryllium, Whole-Water Recoverable, ICP, Labcode 2353, Parmcode 1012C .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 3

Cadmium, Filtered , ICP-MS, Labcode 1788, Parmcode 1025G . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Cadmium, Whole-Water Recoverable, GFAA, Labcode 1555, Parmcode 1027F . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . 4

Chromium, Filtered, GFAA, Labcode 1936 Parmcode 1030I . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Calcium, Filtered, ICP, Labcode 0659, Parmcode 0915D . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Magnesium, Filtered, ICP, Labcode 0663, Parmcode 0925C . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Sodium, Filtered, ICP, Labcode 0675, Parmcode 0930C . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Residue on Evaporation, Filtered, Gravimetric, Labcode 0027, Parmcode
70300A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 6

**OWQRL**

Analyte

**Arsenic, Whole-Water Recoverable,** GFAA, Labcode 3119, Parmcode
1002(1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Table 1

NWQL PERFORMANCE ON IBSP SAMPLES

######### **Note: Click the blue, underlined text in the left column to access the control chart for the associated parameter.**

+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| **Trace | * |                  | **NWQL**          | **Corrective**    |
| Metal   | * |                  |                   |                   |
| De      | P |                  | **Lab Comment**   | **Action**        |
| termina | r |                  |                   |                   |
| tions** | o |                  |                   |                   |
|         | b |                  |                   |                   |
|         | l |                  |                   |                   |
|         | e |                  |                   |                   |
|         | m |                  |                   |                   |
|         | * |                  |                   |                   |
|         | * |                  |                   |                   |
+=========+===+==================+===================+===================+
| [**A    | * |                  | **The slight      | **After making    |
| rsenic, | * |                  | positive bias is  | new standards and |
| Filt    | T |                  | also evident on   | performing        |
| ered**] | h |                  | QC charts for     | maintenance, the  |
| (http:/ | i |                  | third-party check | positive bias is  |
| /bqs.us | s |                  | samples (TPC).    | no longer         |
| gs.gov/ | a |                  | New standards     | evident. This     |
| bsp/QAD | n |                  | were made and     | line will         |
| ATA_all | a |                  | maintenance was   | continue to be    |
| /MAR04N | l |                  | performed during  | monitored for     |
| WQL0100 | y |                  | the week of March | bias.**           |
| 0C.gif) | t |                  | 8^th^, 2004.**    |                   |
| *       | i |                  |                   |                   |
| *GFAA** | c |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
| **      | l |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode | l |                  |                   |                   |
| 2160**  | i |                  |                   |                   |
|         | n |                  |                   |                   |
| **p     | e |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode | i |                  |                   |                   |
| 1000C** | s |                  |                   |                   |
|         | s |                  |                   |                   |
|         | t |                  |                   |                   |
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+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| *P      |   |                  |                   |                   |
| revious |   |                  |                   |                   |
| c       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| omments |   |                  |                   |                   |
| for     |   |                  |                   |                   |
| a       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| rsenic, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| fi      |   |                  |                   |                   |
| ltered, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| GFAA,   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 2160,   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| p       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 1000C*  |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | D |                  | New standards     | New calibration   |
|         | a |                  | were made in      | standards will be |
| >       | t |                  | November of 2003  | remade and        |
|  QADATA | a |                  | including         | verified as of    |
| >       | s |                  | Continuing        | February 6^th^,   |
| Summary | i |                  | Calibration       | 2004. The element |
| >       | n |                  | Verifications     | will continue to  |
| January | c |                  | (CCV) and         | be monitored      |
| > 2004  | e |                  | Third-Party Check | closely for a     |
|         | O |                  | standards (TPC).  | bias.             |
|         | c |                  | Both the CCV's    |                   |
|         | t |                  | and TPC's for     |                   |
|         | o |                  | arsenic are       |                   |
|         | b |                  | showing a         |                   |
|         | e |                  | positive bias on  |                   |
|         | r |                  | QC charts.        |                   |
|         | 2 |                  |                   |                   |
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+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|         |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| [**Ber  | * |                  |                   |                   |
| yllium, | * |                  |                   |                   |
| Whol    | D |                  |                   |                   |
| e-Water | u |                  |                   |                   |
| Recover | e |                  |                   |                   |
| able**] | t |                  |                   |                   |
| (http:/ | o |                  |                   |                   |
| /bqs.us | t |                  |                   |                   |
| gs.gov/ | h |                  |                   |                   |
| bsp/QAD | e |                  |                   |                   |
| ATA_all | l |                  |                   |                   |
| /JAN04N | o |                  |                   |                   |
| WQL0101 | w |                  |                   |                   |
| 2C.gif) | n |                  |                   |                   |
| **ICP   | u |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode | m |                  |                   |                   |
| 2353    | b |                  |                   |                   |
| p       | e |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode | r |                  |                   |                   |
| 1012C** | o |                  |                   |                   |
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+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| *P      |   |                  |                   |                   |
| revious |   |                  |                   |                   |
| c       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| omments |   |                  |                   |                   |
| for     |   |                  |                   |                   |
| ber     |   |                  |                   |                   |
| yllium, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| whol    |   |                  |                   |                   |
| e-water |   |                  |                   |                   |
| recov   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| erable, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| ICP,    |   |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 2353,   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| p       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 1012C*  |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | N |                  | New standards     | New calibration   |
|         | e |                  | were made in      | standard will be  |
| >       | w |                  | November 2003.    | remade and        |
|  QADATA | I |                  | Since then, QC    | verified by       |
| >       | C |                  | charts for CCV's  | February 2^nd^,   |
| Summary | P |                  | and TPC's show a  | 2004. The element |
| >       | i |                  | slight positive   | will continue to  |
| January | n |                  | bias. The six BQS | be monitored      |
| > 2004  | s |                  | samples were      | closely for a     |
|         | t |                  | rerun and showed  | bias.             |
|         | r |                  | a slight positive |                   |
|         | u |                  | bias. Before the  |                   |
|         | m |                  | standards were    |                   |
|         | e |                  | made in November, |                   |
|         | n |                  | Beryllium was     |                   |
|         | t |                  | showing a         |                   |
|         | a |                  | slightly high     |                   |
|         | t |                  | bias and the      |                   |
|         | i |                  | standards were    |                   |
|         | o |                  | nearing their     |                   |
|         | n |                  | expiration date,  |                   |
|         | c |                  | thus,             |                   |
|         | a |                  | necessitating the |                   |
|         | m |                  | need for new      |                   |
|         | e |                  | calibration       |                   |
|         | o |                  | standards.        |                   |
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|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|         |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| [**C    | * |                  | **Due to the      | **The issue of    |
| admium, | * |                  | on-going          | possible          |
| Filt    | D |                  | monitoring of     | interferences     |
| ered**] | a |                  | internal QC, a    | that could affect |
| (http:/ | t |                  | positive bias is  | cadmium is being  |
| /bqs.us | a |                  | still not evident | discussed with    |
| gs.gov/ | f |                  | on NWQL QC        | the NWQL's Method |
| bsp/QAD | r |                  | charts. To verify | Research and      |
| ATA_all | o |                  | this, an          | Development       |
| /MAR04N | m |                  | additional TPC    | Program. More     |
| WQL0102 | J |                  | from a different  | research needs to |
| 5G.gif) | a |                  | source than is    | be done. Also,    |
| *       | n |                  | routinely used by | internal QC and   |
| *ICP-MS | u |                  | ICP-MS was run    | IBSP charts will  |
| labcode | a |                  | during the week   | continue to be    |
| 1788    | r |                  | of March 8^th^,   | monitored for     |
| p       | y |                  | 2004, to verify   | bias and          |
| armcode | 2 |                  | the ICP-MS        | variability.**    |
| 1025G** | 0 |                  | calibration       |                   |
|         | 0 |                  | curve.            |                   |
|         | 4 |                  | Calibration and   |                   |
|         | t |                  | QC are            |                   |
|         | h |                  | acceptable.**     |                   |
|         | r |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | 7 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 6 |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | * |                  |                   |                   |
|         | * |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| *P      |   |                  |                   |                   |
| revious |   |                  |                   |                   |
| c       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| omments |   |                  |                   |                   |
| for     |   |                  |                   |                   |
| c       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| admium, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| fi      |   |                  |                   |                   |
| ltered, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| ICP-MS, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 1788,   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| p       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 1025G*  |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | D |                  | The bias is not   | New calibration   |
|         | a |                  | evident on NWQL   | standards were    |
| >       | t |                  | QC charts.        | made and verified |
|  QADATA | a |                  |                   | for use at the    |
| >       | f |                  |                   | end of December   |
| Summary | o |                  |                   | 2003. We will     |
| >       | r |                  |                   | continue to       |
| January | t |                  |                   | monitor internal  |
| > 2004  | h |                  |                   | QC and IBSP       |
|         | e |                  |                   | charts for bias   |
|         | l |                  |                   | and variability.  |
|         | a |                  |                   | If the TPC        |
|         | s |                  |                   | standards         |
|         | t |                  |                   | indicate a bias,  |
|         | s |                  |                   | calibration       |
|         | i |                  |                   | standards will be |
|         | x |                  |                   | remade and        |
|         | m |                  |                   | verified.         |
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+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|         |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| [**C    | * |                  |                   |                   |
| admium, | * |                  |                   |                   |
| Whol    | D |                  |                   |                   |
| e-Water | a |                  |                   |                   |
| Recover | t |                  |                   |                   |
| able**] | a |                  |                   |                   |
| (http:/ | r |                  |                   |                   |
| /bqs.us | e |                  |                   |                   |
| gs.gov/ | c |                  |                   |                   |
| bsp/QAD | e |                  |                   |                   |
| ATA_all | i |                  |                   |                   |
| /MAR04N | v |                  |                   |                   |
| WQL0102 | e |                  |                   |                   |
| 7F.gif) | d |                  |                   |                   |
| **GFAA  | s |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode | i |                  |                   |                   |
| 1555    | n |                  |                   |                   |
| p       | c |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode | e |                  |                   |                   |
| 1027F** | t |                  |                   |                   |
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+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| *P      |   |                  |                   |                   |
| revious |   |                  |                   |                   |
| c       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| omments |   |                  |                   |                   |
| for     |   |                  |                   |                   |
| c       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| admium, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| whol    |   |                  |                   |                   |
| e-water |   |                  |                   |                   |
| recov   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| erable, |   |                  |                   |                   |
| GFAA,   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 1555,   |   |                  |                   |                   |
| p       |   |                  |                   |                   |
| armcode |   |                  |                   |                   |
| 1027F*  |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | A |                  | For one of the    | To help alleviate |
|         | s |                  | samples, a blank  | human error when  |
| >       | o |                  | was accidentally  | putting data into |
|  QADATA | f |                  | sent to the LIMS  | the LIMS, the     |
| >       | J |                  | instead of a      | GFAA section has  |
| Summary | u |                  | sample and a zero | implemented the   |
| >       | l |                  | went in the       | use of an         |
| January | y |                  | database. There   | additional QC     |
| > 2004  | 2 |                  | is no obvious     | check sheet that  |
|         | 0 |                  | explanation as to | is included in    |
|         | 0 |                  | why the other two | all data packets. |
|         | 3 |                  | points are        | This sheet lists  |
|         | t |                  | outside +/- 6     | all samples that  |
|         | h |                  | f-pseudosigma.    | have to be rerun  |
|         | e |                  | The QC            | due to QC         |
|         | p |                  | surrounding these | failures,         |
|         | o |                  | samples was in    | dilutions,        |
|         | s |                  | control and the   | possible          |
|         | i |                  | instrument was    | mispours, and     |
|         | t |                  | running within    | bottles that      |
|         | i |                  | specifications.   | cannot be found.  |
|         | v |                  |                   | The analyst       |
|         | e |                  |                   | initials each     |
|         | b |                  |                   | sample when the   |
|         | i |                  |                   | action is         |
|         | a |                  |                   | performed in      |
|         | s |                  |                   | LIMS. This should |
|         | h |                  |                   | help alleviate    |
|         | a |                  |                   | the problem of    |
|         | s |                  |                   | incorrect data    |
|         | i |                  |                   | going into LIMS.  |
|         | m |                  |                   | In addition, the  |
|         | p |                  |                   | section will      |
|         | r |                  |                   | closely monitor   |
|         | o |                  |                   | internal QC and   |
|         | v |                  |                   | IBSP charts for   |
|         | e |                  |                   | bias and          |
|         | d |                  |                   | variability.      |
|         | ( |                  |                   |                   |
|         | \ |                  |                   |                   |
|         | < |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 2 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | % |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | ( |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | 7 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | % |                  |                   |                   |
|         | ) |                  |                   |                   |
|         | o |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | f |                  |                   |                   |
|         | + |                  |                   |                   |
|         | / |                  |                   |                   |
|         | - |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 6 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | f |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | A |                  | The bias is not   | New calibration   |
|         | p |                  | evident on NWQL   | standards were    |
| >       | o |                  | QC charts.        | made and verified |
|  QADATA | s |                  |                   | for use at the    |
| >       | i |                  |                   | end of July.      |
| Summary | t |                  |                   | NIST-traceable    |
| > N     | i |                  |                   | third party check |
| ovember | v |                  |                   | standards (TPC)   |
| > 2003  | e |                  |                   | were implemented  |
|         | b |                  |                   | in September.     |
|         | i |                  |                   | There is not      |
|         | a |                  |                   | enough data       |
|         | s |                  |                   | collected from    |
|         | i |                  |                   | the TPC standards |
|         | s |                  |                   | for evaluation.   |
|         | s |                  |                   | We will continue  |
|         | t |                  |                   | to monitor        |
|         | i |                  |                   | internal QC and   |
|         | l |                  |                   | IBSP charts for   |
|         | l |                  |                   | bias and          |
|         | e |                  |                   | variability. If   |
|         | v |                  |                   | the TPC standards |
|         | i |                  |                   | indicate a bias,  |
|         | d |                  |                   | calibration       |
|         | e |                  |                   | standards will be |
|         | n |                  |                   | remade and        |
|         | t |                  |                   | verified.         |
|         | ; |                  |                   |                   |
|         | h |                  |                   |                   |
|         | o |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | ) |                  |                   |                   |
|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | T |                  | Began using new   | Improvement is    |
|         | h |                  | standards July 9, | noted since       |
| >       | e |                  | 2003. Online QC   | standards were    |
|  QADATA | r |                  | charts prior to   | made. NWQL will   |
| >       | e |                  | July 9 show some  | continue to       |
| Summary | s |                  | bias, but bias    | monitor data      |
| > Se    | u |                  | has decreased     | quality.          |
| ptember | l |                  | since new         |                   |
| > 2003  | t |                  | standards were    |                   |
|         | s |                  | made.             |                   |
|         | f |                  |                   |                   |
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|         |   |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | R |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From    | A |                  | NWQL QC charts    | Instrument has    |
|         | s |                  | show variable but | recently been     |
| >       | o |                  | acceptable data.  | optimized, and    |
|  QADATA | f |                  |                   | the NWQL will     |
| >       | J |                  |                   | continue to       |
| Summary | a |                  |                   | monitor.          |
| > July  | n |                  |                   |                   |
| > 2003  | u |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | r |                  |                   |                   |
|         | y |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 2 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 0 |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | t |                  |                   |                   |
|         | y |                  |                   |                   |
|         | i |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | c |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | d |                  |                   |                   |
|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|         |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| [**Ch   | * |                  | **This line had   | **Maintenance was |
| romium, | * |                  | three samples     | performed on the  |
| Filt    | S |                  | that fell outside | instrument during |
| ered**] | i |                  | (low) of the +/-2 | the week of March |
| (http:/ | n |                  | f-pseudosigma     | 8, 2004, and      |
| /bqs.us | c |                  | which contributed | early evidence    |
| gs.gov/ | e |                  | to the large      | suggests that the |
| bsp/QAD | l |                  | negative bias.    | positive bias has |
| ATA_all | a |                  | One, with a       | decreased. Also,  |
| /MAR04N | t |                  | target value of   | the three samples |
| WQL0103 | e |                  | 6.12, was         | mentioned in the  |
| 0I.gif) | - |                  | reported at 1.45. | comments section  |
| **GFAA  | J |                  | The other two     | were rerun and    |
| labcode | a |                  | values were       | were within       |
| 1936    | n |                  | between 2 and 3   | acceptable        |
| p       | u |                  | f-pseudosigma.**  | limits. The       |
| armcode | a |                  |                   | recalculated bias |
| 1030I** | r |                  | **The negative    | is 4.5%. Analyst  |
|         | y |                  | bias on BQS       | will continue to  |
|         | 2 |                  | control charts is | monitor bias and  |
|         | 0 |                  | not evident on    | variability and   |
|         | 0 |                  | NWQL QC charts.   | perform           |
|         | 4 |                  | In fact, a        | maintenance as    |
|         | , |                  | slightly high     | needed to         |
|         | v |                  | bias was evident  | alleviate both of |
|         | a |                  | on NWQL QC charts | these problems.** |
|         | r |                  | at the end of     |                   |
|         | i |                  | February.**       | **NOTE: Three     |
|         | a |                  |                   | environmental     |
|         | b |                  |                   | samples           |
|         | i |                  |                   | associated with   |
|         | l |                  |                   | the set that had  |
|         | i |                  |                   | the low value of  |
|         | t |                  |                   | 1.45 were updated |
|         | y |                  |                   | in LIMS and       |
|         | h |                  |                   | released to the   |
|         | a |                  |                   | customer.**       |
|         | s |                  |                   |                   |
|         | i |                  |                   |                   |
|         | n |                  |                   |                   |
|         | c |                  |                   |                   |
|         | r |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | s |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | d |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | n |                  |                   |                   |
|         | d |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | n |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | g |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | t |                  |                   |                   |
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|         | v |                  |                   |                   |
|         | e |                  |                   |                   |
|         | b |                  |                   |                   |
|         | i |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | s |                  |                   |                   |
|         | h |                  |                   |                   |
|         | a |                  |                   |                   |
|         | s |                  |                   |                   |
|         | \ |                  |                   |                   |
|         | ( |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 1 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 3 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
|         | 5 |                  |                   |                   |
|         | % |                  |                   |                   |
|         | ) |                  |                   |                   |
|         | d |                  |                   |                   |
|         | e |                  |                   |                   |
|         | v |                  |                   |                   |
|         | e |                  |                   |                   |
|         | l |                  |                   |                   |
|         | o |                  |                   |                   |
|         | p |                  |                   |                   |
|         | e |                  |                   |                   |
|         | d |                  |                   |                   |
|         | . |                  |                   |                   |
|         | * |                  |                   |                   |
|         | * |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|         |   |                  |                   |                   |
+---------+---+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+

+---------+---+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| **Major | * |                    | **NWQL**           | **Corrective**  |
| De      | * |                    |                    |                 |
| termina | P |                    | **Lab Comment**    | **Action**      |
| tions** | r |                    |                    |                 |
|         | o |                    |                    |                 |
|         | b |                    |                    |                 |
|         | l |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
|         | m |                    |                    |                 |
|         | * |                    |                    |                 |
|         | * |                    |                    |                 |
+=========+===+====================+====================+=================+
| [**C    | * |                    | The increase in    | **As stated in  |
| alcium, | * |                    | variability is due | the January     |
| Filt    | N |                    | in part to several | 2004 QADATA     |
| ered**] | e |                    | outliers, some of  | Summary for     |
| (http:/ | w |                    | which have been    | cadmium WWR     |
| /bqs.us | i |                    | due to human       | GFAA (labcode   |
| gs.gov/ | n |                    | error. Since the   | 1555), use of   |
| bsp/QAD | s |                    | last data summary  | an additional   |
| ATA_all | t |                    | (January 2004),    | QC check sheet  |
| /MAR04N | r |                    | however, all       | that is         |
| WQL0091 | u |                    | outliers have been | included in all |
| 5D.gif) | m |                    | on runs with       | data packets    |
| **ICP   | e |                    | acceptable QC.     | was implemented |
| labcode | n |                    | Their cause is not | to help         |
| 0659    | t |                    | known at this      | alleviate       |
| p       | a |                    | time.              | incorrect data  |
| armcode | t |                    |                    | going in LIMS.  |
| 0       | i |                    |                    | This practice   |
| 0915D** | o |                    |                    | was implemented |
|         | n |                    |                    | for ICP         |
| [**Mag  | w |                    |                    | processes in    |
| nesium, | a |                    |                    | October 2003,   |
| Filt    | s |                    |                    | and data shows  |
| ered**] | i |                    |                    | that it has     |
| (http:/ | m |                    |                    | been useful in  |
| /bqs.us | p |                    |                    | eliminating     |
| gs.gov/ | l |                    |                    | some errors. We |
| bsp/QAD | e |                    |                    | will continue   |
| ATA_all | m |                    |                    | to investigate  |
| /MAR04N | e |                    |                    | the cause of    |
| WQL0092 | n |                    |                    | the outliers on |
| 5C.gif) | t |                    |                    | runs with       |
| **ICP   | e |                    |                    | acceptable      |
| labcode | d |                    |                    | QC.**           |
| 0663    | i |                    |                    |                 |
| p       | n |                    |                    |                 |
| armcode | J |                    |                    |                 |
| 0       | u |                    |                    |                 |
| 0925C** | n |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
| [**     | 2 |                    |                    |                 |
| Sodium, | 0 |                    |                    |                 |
| Filt    | 0 |                    |                    |                 |
| ered**] | 3 |                    |                    |                 |
| (http:/ | . |                    |                    |                 |
| /bqs.us | A |                    |                    |                 |
| gs.gov/ | c |                    |                    |                 |
| bsp/QAD | o |                    |                    |                 |
| ATA_all | m |                    |                    |                 |
| /MAR04N | p |                    |                    |                 |
| WQL0093 | a |                    |                    |                 |
| 0C.gif) | r |                    |                    |                 |
| **ICP   | i |                    |                    |                 |
| labcode | s |                    |                    |                 |
| 0675    | o |                    |                    |                 |
| p       | n |                    |                    |                 |
| armcode | o |                    |                    |                 |
| 0       | f |                    |                    |                 |
| 0930C** | r |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
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|         | * |                    |                    |                 |
+---------+---+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
|         |   |                    |                    |                 |
+---------+---+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| [**     | * |                    | **Between December | **The balance   |
| Residue | * |                    | 2003 and February  | communication   |
| on      | A |                    | 2004 the NWQL also | will continue   |
| Evapo   | s |                    | noticed a low bias | to be monitored |
| ration, | l |                    | with our on-line   | using on-line   |
| Filt    | i |                    | QC for M-162. The  | QC for a        |
| ered**] | g |                    | blank and M-152    | reoccurrence of |
| (http:/ | h |                    | on-line QC also    | the low bias**  |
| /bqs.us | t |                    | show a very slight |                 |
| gs.gov/ | n |                    | low bias; however, |                 |
| bsp/QAD | e |                    | the bias is not as |                 |
| ATA_all | g |                    | evident. The bias  |                 |
| /MAR04N | a |                    | went away near the |                 |
| WQL7030 | t |                    | beginning of March |                 |
| 0A.gif) | i |                    | 2004, according to |                 |
| **Grav  | v |                    | the M-162 on-line  |                 |
| imetric | e |                    | QC. All on-line QC |                 |
| labcode | b |                    | are around the     |                 |
| 0027    | i |                    | expected means as  |                 |
| p       | a |                    | of March 2004.     |                 |
| armcode | s |                    | During this time   |                 |
| 7       | ( |                    | the analyst        |                 |
| 0300A** | 5 |                    | reported problems  |                 |
|         | % |                    | with the balance   |                 |
|         | ) |                    | weight being sent  |                 |
|         | h |                    | to the computer in |                 |
|         | a |                    | a consistent       |                 |
|         | s |                    | manner. The        |                 |
|         | d |                    | balance doors were |                 |
|         | e |                    | adjusted and the   |                 |
|         | v |                    | timing routine was |                 |
|         | e |                    | modified.**        |                 |
|         | l |                    |                    |                 |
|         | o |                    |                    |                 |
|         | p |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
|         | d |                    |                    |                 |
|         | s |                    |                    |                 |
|         | t |                    |                    |                 |
|         | a |                    |                    |                 |
|         | r |                    |                    |                 |
|         | t |                    |                    |                 |
|         | i |                    |                    |                 |
|         | n |                    |                    |                 |
|         | g |                    |                    |                 |
|         | D |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
|         | c |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
|         | m |                    |                    |                 |
|         | b |                    |                    |                 |
|         | e |                    |                    |                 |
|         | r |                    |                    |                 |
|         | 2 |                    |                    |                 |
|         | 0 |                    |                    |                 |
|         | 0 |                    |                    |                 |
|         | 3 |                    |                    |                 |
|         | . |                    |                    |                 |
|         | * |                    |                    |                 |
|         | * |                    |                    |                 |
+---------+---+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
|         |   |                    |                    |                 |
+---------+---+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+

###### Table 2

OWQRL PERFORMANCE ON IBSP SAMPLES

######### **Note: Click the blue, underlined text in the left column to access the control chart for the associated parameter.**

+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| **Trace  | **Problem**      | **OWQRL**         | **Corrective**    |
| Metal    |                  |                   |                   |
| Determin |                  | **Lab Comment**   | **Action**        |
| ations** |                  |                   |                   |
+==========+==================+===================+===================+
| [**      | Since October    | **The most recent | **New standards   |
| Arsenic, | 2002, data for   | problems seem to  | for the GFAA will |
| Who      | this analytical  | come from the     | be ordered,       |
| le-Water | line have        | standards used    | checked and       |
| Re       | demonstrated     | for arsenic. The  | matrix matched    |
| coverabl | variability      | standard mixes    | for whole-water   |
| e**](htt | beyond           | used for ICP have | recoverable       |
| p://bqs. | acceptable       | been used for     | samples. Any      |
| usgs.gov | levels. Since    | GFAA analyses     | samples           |
| /bsp/QAD | October 2002,    | instead of the    | requesting        |
| ATA_all/ | nine out of 28   | standards         | arsenic that we   |
| MAR04OWQ | points (32%) are | normally used for | have will then be |
| RL010021 | outside of +/-2  | GFAA. The arsenic | rerun.**          |
| .gif)**\ | f-pseudosigma    | standard was also |                   |
| GFAA     | with three of 28 | found not to be   |                   |
| labcode  | (11%) outside    | matrix matched    |                   |
| 3119     | of\              | for the           |                   |
| parmcode | +/-3             | digestion.**      |                   |
| 1        | f-pseudosigma.   |                   |                   |
| 002(1)** | The most         |                   |                   |
|          | recently         |                   |                   |
|          | received data    |                   |                   |
|          | indicate         |                   |                   |
|          | continuing       |                   |                   |
|          | problems with    |                   |                   |
|          | the method       |                   |                   |
|          | variability.     |                   |                   |
|          |                  |                   |                   |
|          | IBSP recommends  |                   |                   |
|          | that the source  |                   |                   |
|          | of the problem   |                   |                   |
|          | be determined    |                   |                   |
|          | before releasing |                   |                   |
|          | any more data    |                   |                   |
|          | from             |                   |                   |
|          | environmental    |                   |                   |
|          | samples.         |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| *        |                  |                   |                   |
| Previous |                  |                   |                   |
| comments |                  |                   |                   |
| for      |                  |                   |                   |
| arsenic, |                  |                   |                   |
| who      |                  |                   |                   |
| le-water |                  |                   |                   |
| reco     |                  |                   |                   |
| verable, |                  |                   |                   |
| labcode  |                  |                   |                   |
| 3119,    |                  |                   |                   |
| parmcode |                  |                   |                   |
| 1002(1)* |                  |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | The data still   | Service agreement | The GFAA was      |
|          | indicate high    | discontinued in   | recently serviced |
| > QADATA | variability. Two | April has been    | by the            |
| >        | of the last      | renewed.          | manufacturer and  |
|  Summary | seven values     |                   | several problems  |
| >        | received (29%)   |                   | corrected. It     |
|  January | are outside of   |                   | will be monitored |
| > 2004   | +/-2             |                   | closely to be     |
|          | f-pseudosigma.   |                   | sure that         |
|          |                  |                   | problems with the |
|          |                  |                   | instrument do not |
|          |                  |                   | recur.            |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | High variability | Due to factors    | The cost          |
|          | is still         | beyond our        | reduction         |
| QADATA   | demonstrated.    | control and the   | policies have     |
| Summary  | Three of the     | uncertainty of    | been discontinued |
| Nov 2003 | last seven       | this facility's   | for FY04. Samples |
|          | values received  | continued         | will be retested  |
|          | (43%) are        | existence,        | to see if any     |
|          | outside of +/-2  | certain cost      | biases are        |
|          | f-pseudosigma.   | reduction         | detected.         |
|          |                  | policies were     |                   |
|          |                  | initiated in      |                   |
|          |                  | April, 2003. This |                   |
|          |                  | may have led to   |                   |
|          |                  | undetected        |                   |
|          |                  | instrument        |                   |
|          |                  | deficiencies over |                   |
|          |                  | time in the trace |                   |
|          |                  | metals section.   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | The most         | Problems with low | All of our lamp   |
|          | recently         | energy from the   | power supplies    |
| QADATA   | received data    | Arsenic lamp have | for the graphite  |
| Summary  | indicate         | led to increased  | furnace have been |
| Sept     | on-going         | variability and   | evaluated and     |
| 2003     | problems with    | decreased         | those that need   |
|          | variability and  | sensitivity.      | to be replaced    |
|          | a positive bias. |                   | have been         |
|          |                  |                   | identified. The   |
|          | Since October    |                   | instrument is     |
|          | 2002, five out   |                   | also currently    |
|          | of 19 points     |                   | being run in the  |
|          | (26%) are        |                   | single rather     |
|          | outside of +/-2  |                   | than              |
|          | f-pseudosigma    |                   | multi-element     |
|          | with 3 of 19     |                   | mode to help      |
|          | (16%) outside    |                   | increase          |
|          | of\              |                   | sensitivity and   |
|          | +/-3 f-          |                   | decrease the      |
|          | pseudosigma.     |                   | variability.      |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | The two new      | The problems with | We will continue  |
|          | values received  | the GFAA at low   | to monitor the    |
| QADATA   | since the last   | wavelengths have  | GFAA closely to   |
| Summary  | QADATA Summary   | been corrected.   | be sure that the  |
| July     | are both within\ |                   | problems do not   |
| 2003     | one              |                   | reappear.         |
|          | f-pseudosigma of |                   |                   |
|          | the median.      |                   |                   |
|          |                  |                   |                   |
|          | Analysis should  |                   |                   |
|          | be closely       |                   |                   |
|          | monitored until  |                   |                   |
|          | the next QADATA  |                   |                   |
|          | Summary is       |                   |                   |
|          | distributed.     |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | The variability  | We will be        | More service work |
|          | is beyond        | running a new     | was done to       |
| QADATA   | acceptable       | Demonstration of  | correct problems  |
| Summary  | levels. IBSP     | Capability for    | with the GFAA.    |
| May 2003 | recommends that  | Arsenic before    | Past samples have |
|          | the source of    | any more samples  | been checked by   |
|          | the problem be   | are analyzed.     | other techniques  |
|          | determined       |                   | (ICP, ICP/MS) to  |
|          | before any more  |                   | make sure that    |
|          | analyses of      |                   | values reported   |
|          | environmental    |                   | are correct.      |
|          | samples are      |                   |                   |
|          | performed.       |                   |                   |
|          |                  |                   |                   |
|          | Since October    |                   |                   |
|          | 2002, four out   |                   |                   |
|          | of 13 points     |                   |                   |
|          | (31%) are        |                   |                   |
|          | outside of +/-2  |                   |                   |
|          | f-pseudosigma    |                   |                   |
|          | with 3 of 13     |                   |                   |
|          | (23%) outside    |                   |                   |
|          | of\              |                   |                   |
|          | +/-3             |                   |                   |
|          | f-pseudosigma.   |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | High variability | A problem with    | Service was       |
|          | is still         | the beam combiner | performed on the  |
| QADATA   | exhibited. Since | on the SIMAA      | AA to correct the |
| Summary  | late October     | graphite furnace  | problem. Samples  |
| March    | 2002, three out  | may have led to   | are being rerun   |
| 2003     | of 9 points      | some erratic      | to see if any     |
|          | (33%) are        | results.          | data needs to be  |
|          | outside of +/-2  |                   | corrected.        |
|          | f-pseudosigma.   |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| From     | Increased        | Problem with      | Amount of matrix  |
|          | variability      | matrix modifier.  | modifier used was |
| QADATA   | starting late    |                   | adjusted to give  |
| Summary  | October 2002.    |                   | more consistent   |
| January  |                  |                   | results.          |
| 2003     |                  |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|          |                  |                   |                   |
+----------+------------------+-------------------+-------------------+