Alabama Administrative Code › Title 335 - ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT › WATER DIVISION - WATER SUPPLY PROGRAM › Chapter 335-7-13 - LABORATORY CERTIFICATION › Section 335-7-13-.03 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
The following words and phrases, unless a different meaning
				  is plainly required by the context, shall have the following meaning:
(1)
Analytical
				Method
- "method" number assigned by EPA that describes the proper
				process for obtaining accurate and repeatable analyte concentration results.
(2)
Certificate
- the document issued by the Department
				showing those drinking water parameters and the EPA-approved Drinking Water
				method for which a laboratory has received certification, and the type of
				certification. The certificate remains the property of the Department and must
				be surrendered at its direction.
(3)
Certification
-
				a declaration by the Department that a laboratory has been evaluated under the
				State Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program and found acceptable to
				analyze specified parameters.
(4)
Certification Authority
(CA) - the agency in a state,
				or EPA, which certifies drinking water laboratories. In the state of Alabama,
				the CA for Drinking Water laboratories is the Department.
(5)
Certified
				Laboratory
- a laboratory that meets the regulatory performance
				criteria and any other requirements for the drinking water parameters and
				methods listed on the certificate.
(6)
Corrective Action
				Plan
- report submitted by a laboratory detailing steps it must
				take to satisfactorily correct deficiencies either found during an audit or
				that caused an unsatisfactory result on a performance evaluation (PE) sample
				and prevents their reoccurrence.
(7)
Department
- the
				Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
(8)
EPA
- the United
				States Environmental Protection Agency.
(9)
EPA Manual for the
				Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water
- the
				latest edition and any addendums, which describes criteria and procedures that
				EPA uses in evaluating laboratories for certification.
(10)
Interim
				Certification
- a laboratory that is granted certification when it
				is impossible or unnecessary to perform an on-site audit.
(11)
Not Certified
-
				a laboratory, which possesses deficiencies, and the Department has determined
				cannot consistently produce valid data.
(12)
On-site Audit
-
				an inspection of a drinking water laboratory that seeks to be certified or
				plans to continue certified status. This inspection will include an evaluation
				of their facility, instrumentation, sample analysis processes, quality
				assurance manual/system, and personnel training and capabilities.
(13)
On-site Auditor
- a person approved by the CA and/or EPA to conduct an on-site audit.
(14)
Parameter
- a
				drinking water analyte for which a laboratory is seeking
				certification.
(15)
Performance Evaluation (PE) Sample
- an annual (or
				more frequent if required by the method) sample received from an American
				National Standards Institute (ANSI)-certified PE vendor that is analyzed by the
				laboratory. The laboratory results are compared to the known value by the
				certified PE vendor, and determined to be either acceptable or unacceptable.
(16)
Provisionally
				Certified
- a laboratory that has deficiencies but demonstrates
				its ability to consistently produce valid data within the acceptance limits
				specified in the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) and within
				the requirements of their certification authority.
(17)
Reciprocity
- a
				type of certification that is issued by the Department to out of state
				laboratories that hold equivalent certification issued by EPA or EPA-approved
				state programs.
Authors:
Aubrey H. White III, James M.
					 Arnold
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
					 1975
, §
											22-23-49.