Arkansas Water Resources Center · Skalar San++ System Autoanalyzer for TOC Skalar San++ System Autoanalyzer for Nutrients Skalar Formacs HT TOC Analyzer ... *MDL is the Method Detection

Arkansas Water Resources Center Water Quality Laboratory

Statement of Qualifications2018

Visit our website at:arkansas-water-center.uark.edu

1371 W. Alteimer DriveRoom 133

Fayetteville, AR 72704

[email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 - Introduction ...................................................................................................3

2 - Facilities and Equipment ...........................................................................4

3 - Analytical Services .......................................................................................5

4 - Personnel Qualifications ...........................................................................6

5 - Certification and Data Quality ................................................................7

1 - IntroductionThe Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) Water Quality Laboratory (WQL) specializes in the analysis of chemical, physical, and biological parameters in water samples. The Lab has been in operation by the AWRC at the University of Arkansas since 1991, and is currently directed by Dr. Brian Haggard.

The Lab is located at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The state-of-the-art laboratory is home to over $200,000 worth of equipment and covers approximately 2,500 square feet of total lab space.

We service a range of clientele, including researchers, agricultural producers, water treatment facilities, consulting firms, students, and interested citizens.

The WQL operates under an approved Quality Assurance Plan that meets or exceeds all requirements for certification by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. We are committed to providing

high-quality defensible data, whether it’s testing pond water quality for a cattle farmer or stream water quality for potential legal cases.

About the AWRC

The AWRC is part of the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR), a nation-wide program put into place by Congress in 1964 by the Water Resources Research Act (WRRA). The purpose of the WRRA was to establish water research institutions in each state and some territories to help inform water resource managers at the local, state, and national level, to train future water scientists, and to transfer research results and best practices to water stakeholders and the public.

We make our information available to the public by publishing fact sheets, technical reports, data reports and more on our website: https://arkansas-water-center.uark.edu/publications/

index.php

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Photo by Mark Corder“Pointing to Sunset” at Lake Ouachita, Arkansas.

2 - Facilities and EquipmentThe AWRC WQL is in a state-of-the-art facility and is dedicated to providing clients with high quality data. Lab personnel are trained to operate all necessary laboratory equipment to analyze water samples quickly and accuartely. A list of analytical equipment is shown in table 2.1.

The Lab is spread across multiple analytical rooms to reduce the chances of contamination and to facilitate a smooth flow of operational procedures.

Chemistry Room

Most lab work is done in this room and most of the analytical equipment is here. This room is equiped with fume hoods and plenty of counter space for sample processing.

“Dirty” Room

This room is designed to accomodate in-house experiments that could potentially contaminate the air. It can also be used to process unusually “dirty” samples, such as samples high in sediments.

Bacteria Room

The bacteria room provides space for processing biologically sensitive samples, such as testing for bacteria, where sterile supplies are needed.

Storage Room

The storage room houses several refrigerators and freezers for sample storage in a cold dark place. Samples might be stored for up to a few months even after analysis has been done.

Table 2.1 List of analytical equipment.

Skalar San++ System Autoanalyzer for TOC

Skalar San++ System Autoanalyzer for Nutrients

Skalar Formacs HT TOC Analyzer

Dionex Ion Chromatography System 1600

Beckman Coulter UV/Vis Spectrophotometer

Lachat QuikChem 8500

Spectro Genesis ICP

Turner Designs Trilogy Fluorometer

Thermo Scientific Orion

WTW Turb 550

VWR Symphony B10C

Mettler Toledo AX205 Balance

Mettler Toledo XP203S Balance

Steris Amsco Century SV-120 Scientific Autoclave

Beckman Coulter Allegra 6 Centrifuge

Barnstead Thermodyne 30400 Furnace

VWR Drying Oven

Idexx Quanti-Tray Sealer

Thermo Scientific Incubator

Siemens Modulab High Flow DI Water System

Refrigerators and Freezers for Sample Storage

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3 - Analytical ServicesThe AWRC WQL specializes in the analysis of water samples for chemical, physical, and biological parameters. The Lab follows standard methods of analysis including EPA and APHA methods. Table 3.1 shows the list of analyses that the Lab offers and the associated methods used.

In addition to the individual or groups of parameters listed in Table 3.1, the Lab offers other analytical “packages” that include common parameters of interest for a specific use, such as for watering livestock or irrigating crops.

The Lab might also be able to conduct analyses not listed in Table 3.1, if requested by the client.

Once the analyses and data processing are complete, lab staff will email the analytical report to the client; clients can choose to receive a hard copy report via regular mail if they prefer.

The report includes the results of the analyses, the methods used, and quality assurance and quality control (QAQC) information. The lab provides information about the reporting limit, method detection limit, standard checks, lab duplicates, and lab spikes, all of which help to demonstrate the precision and accuracy of the data.

The Lab also helps clients understand what their results mean. Each report includes the URL to our website where clients can find fact sheets that describe the acceptable ranges of certain parameters that are important for an intended use.https://arkansas-water-center.uark.edu/publications/factsheets.php

3.1 List of parameters and methods for water sample analysis by the AWRC WQL.Parameter Method RL MDLpH EPA 150.1 NA NAConductivity EPA 120.1 NA NAAlkalinity APHA 2320 B NA NAHardness EPA 130.2, APHA 2340 B NA NATurbidity EPA 180.1 NA NAChlorophyll a, b, and c APHA 10200 H1 & 2C NA NATotal Dissolved Solids EPA 160.1 10 NATotal Suspended Solids EPA 160.2 4 NATotal Solids EPA 160.3 10 NAFixed and Volatile Solids APHA 2540 E 10 NAAluminum EPA 200.7 0.050 0.006Arsenic EPA 200.7 0.050 0.030Boron EPA 200.7 0.050 0.011Barium EPA 200.7 0.100 0.006Calcium EPA 200.7 0.500 0.033Cadmium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.002Cobalt EPA 200.7 0.050 0.002Chromium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.004Copper EPA 200.7 0.050 0.003Iron EPA 200.7 0.050 0.004Potassium EPA 200.7 0.500 0.038Magnesium EPA 200.7 0.100 0.005Manganese EPA 200.7 0.050 0.002Molybdenum EPA 200.7 0.050 0.004Sodium EPA 200.7 0.500 0.500Nickel EPA 200.7 0.050 0.012Lead EPA 200.7 0.100 0.018Selenium EPA 200.7 0.250 0.060Titanium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.002Vanadium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.004Zinc EPA 200.7 0.050 0.002Chloride EPA 300.0 0.500 0.150Fluoride EPA 300.0 0.100 0.042Sulfate EPA 300.0 0.500 0.032Soluble Reactive Phosphorus EPA 365.1, EPA 365.2 0.010 0.002Total Phosphorus APHA 4500-P J; EPA 365.1 0.020 0.005Nitrate-Nitrogen EPA 300.0 0.050 0.004Nitrite-Nitrogen EPA 354.1 0.010 0.002Nitrate plus Nitrite-Nitrogen EPA 353.2 0.05 0.02Ammonium-Nitrogen EPA 351.2 0.05 0.01Total Nitrogen APHA 4500-P J; EPA 353.2 0.05 0.03Dissolved Organic Carbon EPA 412.1 0.50 0.06Total Organic Carbon EPA 412.1 0.50 0.06Total Inorganic Carbon EPA 412.1 0.50 0.06E. coli and Total Coliform APHA 9223 B NA NA*RL is the Reporting Limit, which is the lowest non-zero standard used in the calibration.

*MDL is the Method Detection Limit, which is the lowest concentration that can be detected using the given methods and equipment.

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4 - Personnel QualificationsBrian Haggard, Ph.D., is the director of the AWRC and the WQL. He is also a professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas. Brian has been managing laboratory activities throughout his career, beginning during his graduate studies at the University of Arkansas and Oklahoma State University.

Erin Scott, M.S., is the lab supervisor, overseeing lab operations and the quality assurance plan (QAP). She reviews and revises the QAP as needed and reviews analytical data before results are sent to the client.

Keith Trost, M.S., Jennifer Purtle, and Brina Smith (pictured below) are responsible for the daily operations of the Lab. With a combined lab experience of 61 years, they are well-versed on analytical procedures needed to analyze water samples.

Bradley Austin, Ph.D., is the field services technician and a quality assurance officer. He collects water samples from over 30 stream sites in Arkansas and Oklahoma and returns them to the Lab for analysis. He assists lab personnel with analysis as needed.

AWRC WQL Organizational Structure

DirectorDr. Brian E. Haggard

Program Manager and Quality Assurance OfficerErin E. Scott

Laboratory Technician and Safety OfficerKeith Trost

Laboratory Technician and AccountantJennifer Purtle

Laboratory and Field TechnicianBrina Smith

Post-doctoral Research AssociateDr. Bradley J. Austin

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5 - Certification and Data QualityThe AWRC WQL is certified by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), which is the agency responsible for administering the State Environmental Laboratory Certification Program.

Certification criteria includes a requirement that the Lab operates under a quality assurance plan (QAP). The purpose of the QAP is to ensure that all laboratory testing and activities are performed according to best lab practices. This means that all data generated by the Lab will be scientifically valid, legally defensible, and have acceptable precision and accuracy.

The Lab’s QAP contains detailed descriptions of QA objectives, sampling procedures, calibration and analytical procedures, data analysis and reporting, procedures to evaluate QA objectives, and a protocol for taking corrective action when needed.

The Lab consistently passes the profiency testing required for certification. Proficiency testing involves analyzing “unknown” concentrations of each parameter

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and submitting results to ADEQ. We pass the testing when our results are within the acceptable range of the actual value.

The Lab also partcipates in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Standard Reference Sample Project. The purpose is to evaluate the anlaytical performance of labs that analyze chemical constituents in environmental water samples. Participation is required by any lab that provides water-quality data to the USGS.

To ensure that clients receive the most accurate data, we operate under a rigorous process of data management and review before sending the report to the client. We use the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to store data and generate reports. Most of the data entry is automated, reducing the chances of human error. All of the data are verified for accuracy by a trained data verifier, who was not involved in the laboratory analysis. The data are then reviewed by the QA officer before results are sent to the client.

Arkansas Water Resources Center Water Quality Laboratory

Visit our website at:arkansas-water-center.uark.edu

1371 W. Alteimer DriveRoom 133

Fayetteville, AR 72704

[email protected]

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Test your water with us!