Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › FACILITY STANDARDS AND LICENSING › Chapter 246-390 - Drinking water laboratory certification and data reporting › Section 246-390-010 - Definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
The definitions, abbreviations, and acronyms in this section
				  apply throughout this chapter, unless the context clearly indicates
				  otherwise.
(1) "µmhos/cm" means
				micromhos per centimeter (1 µmhos/cm = 1 S/cm).
(2) "µg/L" means micrograms per liter
				(1 µg/L = 1 ppb).
(3) "Acute"
				means posing an immediate risk to human health.
(4) "Bioaccumulative" means a chemical that
				can accumulate in the body when regular exposure occurs through drinking
				water.
(5) "C.F.R." means the Code
				of Federal Regulations.
(6) "CFU"
				means colony-forming unit.
(7)
				"Chronic" means posing a risk to human health only when exposure occurs over
				many years to a contaminant above a state or federal health standard.
(8) "Close of business" means the latest time
				during a business day when a lab is no longer in routine operation for
				accepting or performing drinking water sample analysis.
(9) "Confirmation" means to demonstrate that
				the results of a sample accurately represents the original sample result by
				analyzing another sample from the same location within a reasonable given
				period of time. This confirmation analysis is in addition to any analytical
				method confirmation requirements.
(10) "Contaminant" means a substance present
				in drinking water that may adversely affect the health of the consumer or the
				aesthetic quality of the water. It is measured using an analytical method for
				compliance purposes under chapters 246-290 and 246-291 WAC.
(11) "Contracted lab" means a certified lab
				that receives a drinking water sample from another certified lab for
				analysis.
(12) "Contracting lab"
				means a certified lab that sends a drinking water sample to another certified
				lab to be analyzed.
(13) "CU" means
				color unit.
(14) "Department" means
				the Washington state department of health or health officer as identified in a
				joint plan of responsibility under WAC
				246-290-030(1).
(15) "Ecology" means the Washington state
				department of ecology.
(16) "EPA"
				means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
(17) "Estimated concentration" means the
				level of the contaminant reported to the department is above a lab's MDL, but
				below the lab's MRL.
(18) "GWR"
				means groundwater rule.
(19) "Lab"
				or "certified lab" means an environmental lab accredited under chapter 173-50
				WAC for one or more drinking water contaminants and meets the requirements of
				this chapter.
(20) "Maximum
				contaminant level (MCL)" means the maximum permissible level of a contaminant
				in water that a public water system delivers to consumers. MCLs are established
				in chapters 246-290 and 246-291 WAC.
(21) "Minimum detectable activity (MDA)"
				means the smallest activity or concentration of radioactive material in a
				sample that will yield a net count (above sample background) that can be
				detected with 95 percent probability.
(22) "Minimum detection level (MDL)" means
				the minimum measured concentration of a substance that can be reported with 99
				percent confidence that the measured concentration is distinguishable from the
				method blank results.
(23) "Method
				reporting limit (MRL)" means the lowest concentration of a standard used for
				calibration.
(24) "MFL" means
				microfibers per liter.
(25) "mg/L"
				means milligrams per liter (1 mg/L = 1 ppm).
(26) "MPN" means most probable
				number.
(27) "ng/L" means nanograms
				per liter (1 ng/L = 1 ppt).
(28)
				"NTU" means nephelometric turbidity units.
(29) "pCi/L" means picocuries per
				liter.
(30) "ppb" means parts per
				billion (1 ppb = 1 µg/L).
(31) "ppm" means parts per million (1 ppm = 1
				mg/L).
(32) "ppt" means parts per
				trillion (1 ppt = 1 ng/L).
(33)
				"Proficiency testing (PT)" means the evaluation of sample analysis results, the
				true values of which are known to the supplier of the samples, but unknown to
				the lab conducting the analysis. PT samples are provided by a source external
				to the certified lab.
(34) "Public
				water system" is defined under WAC
				246-290-020 and
				246-291-010.
(35) "Quality control (QC)" means a set of
				measures used during an analytical method to ensure that the process is within
				specified control parameters.
(36)
				"State action level (SAL)" means the concentration of a contaminant or group of
				contaminants, without an MCL, established to protect public health in
				accordance with WAC
				246-290-315 and which, if
				exceeded, triggers actions a purveyor takes in accordance with WAC
				246-290-320.
(37) "State detection reporting limit (SDRL)"
				means the minimum reportable detection of a contaminant as established in
				Tables 3 through 7 of this chapter.
(38) "Tentatively identified compound (TIC)"
				means compounds detected in samples that are not target compounds, internal
				standards, system monitoring compounds or surrogates.
Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					 43.20.050. 92-15-152 (Order 290B), §
					 246-390-010, filed 7/22/92, effective
					 8/22/92.