Cook Inletkeeper 

Citizens Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP)

 Quality Assurance

To ensure adequate quality assurance oversight and consistency of volunteer-collected data, Cook Inletkeeper staff  follow the Quality Assurance Project Plan for the KBCEMP.  The Quality Assurance Project Plan has been reviewed and approved by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the project's Technical Advisory Committee.  Members of the Technical Advisory Committee are listed in Appendix III.   A Field Procedure booklet and Standard Operating Procedures have also been developed for methods and data management.  Keeper’s staff worked with monitoring partners to develop an Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation approved Quality Management Plan.  This document defined the roles among monitoring groups, unified the methods used by each group, coordinated the collection and management of data, and outlined the quality assurance procedures needed to ensure credibility of citizen-based monitoring. 

In accordance with the Quality Assurance Project Plan, many quality assurance and quality control measures were taken to confirm the volunteer collected data (CIK 2002).  These measures include: 

Training - Volunteers are required to complete Phase I through III of training to be eligible to collect data for CEMP.  Phase I is an introduction to the watershed concept and monitoring procedures.  Phase II is designed to teach the volunteers to use the monitoring kits and equipment.  This phase involves both laboratory and field training.  Phase III is an on-site training.  Volunteers may begin monitoring on their own after successful completion of Phases I-III.  Volunteer monitors must also attend an annual re-certification (Phase IV) training where they analyze blind performance evaluation standards and review monitoring procedures.  Results from the 2005 recertification training are shown in Appendix III. Volunteers must complete a separate training in order to participate in biological monitoring.  Trainings are offered once a year by University of Alaska Anchorage Environmental and Natural Resources Institute certified trainers.

Data Quality Objectives – Volunteer monitors performed analysis on duplicate samples during each site visit.  Replicate measurements are also taken for samples analyzed in the lab.  Measurements must meet predetermined data quality objectives for sensitivity, precision, and accuracy.