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INSPECTION REPORT ROUTING SHEET
To be attached to all inspection reports in-house only.
Laboratory Cert. #: 267
Laboratory Name: Town of Apex Middle Creek WWTP Laboratory
Inspection Type: Municipal Maintenance
Inspector Name: Jeffrey R. Adams
Inspection Date: February 09, 2010
Date Report Completed: February 26, 2010
Date Forwarded to Reviewer: March 1, 2010
Reviewed by: Tonja Springer
Date Review Completed: March 4, 2010
Cover Letter to use: Insp. Initial Insp. Reg. X Insp. No Finding Insp. CP
Unit Supervisor: Dana Satterwhite
Date Received: March 4, 2010
Date Forwarded to Alberta: March 9, 2010
Date Mailed:
_____________________________________________________________________
cc: Section Chief (Routing Sheet only)
INSP-RTE.DO
On-Site Inspection Report
LABORATORY NAME: Town of Apex Middle Creek WWTP Laboratory
NPDES PERMIT # NC0064050
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 250
Apex, NC 27502
CERTIFICATE # 267
DATE OF INSPECTION: February 09, 2010
TYPE OF INSPECTION: Municipal Maintenance
AUDITOR(S): Jeffrey R. Adams and Ramon Cook
LOCAL PERSON (s) CONTACTED: Lori Avent and John Cratch
I. INTRODUCTION:
This laboratory was inspected to verify its compliance with the requirements of 15A NCAC 2H .0800 for
the analysis of environmental samples.
II. GENERAL COMMENTS:
The laboratory was clean and the equipment appeared well maintained. The facility has all the equipment
necessary to perform the analyses. Performance testing samples have been analyzed for all certified
parameters for the 2009 proficiency testing calendar year and the graded results were 100% acceptable.
Records were well maintained and organized.
III. FINDINGS, REQUIREMENTS, COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Standard Operating Procedures
Comment: The revision dates on all of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) indicated they were
last revised in 2008. The laboratory is currently in the process of reviewing and updating all SOPs.
Recommendation: It is recommended that a revision and/or review history with pertinent dates be
documented in each SOP so that it is clear what changes were made in each revision, when the
change in procedure occurred and why.
Dissolved Oxygen – Standard Methods, 18th Edition, 4500 O G
Comment: The laboratory did not notify this office of the change in methodology (i.e., Luminescence
Dissolved Oxygen) for Dissolved Oxygen analysis. The North Carolina Administrative Code, 15A NCAC
2H .0805 (c) (7) requires, A certified laboratory must submit a written amendment to certification each
time that changes occur in methodology, reporting limits, and major equipment. The amendment must
be received within 30 days of such changes. An amendment form was completed during the
inspection. No further response is necessary for this finding.
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen – Standard Methods, 18th Edition, 4500 N org B
Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen – Standard Methods, 18th Edition, 4500 NH3 E
Recommendation: It is recommended that the laboratory digest and analyze an organic standard with
each TKN analysis to determine and verify digestion efficiency and accuracy. The following glutamic
acid standard is acceptable:
Weigh 1.0503 grams of dried glutamic acid.
Bring to volume with deionized H2O in a 1000 ml volumetric flask.
Add 1 ml of concentrated H2SO4 for preservation.
This solution yields 100 mg/L of organic nitrogen. A mid-range concentration is recommended for each
set of analyses and can be prepared by diluting this solution. Establish acceptance limits based upon
three standard deviations of the mean concentration of a minimum of 25 measurements. The laboratory
may adopt a default acceptance criterion until sufficient data points are collected to calculate historical
control limits.
COD – Hach Method 8000
Recommendation: It is recommended that the laboratory implement a temperature grid check of the
block digester by alternating the well location of the thermometer each time samples are digested and
documenting the location of the thermometer (as well as all samples, blanks and standards) on a grid
template. This will document heating uniformity and consistency of all sample wells in the block.
Recommendation: The laboratory is currently analyzing a 750 mg/L calibration verification standard.
The highest point of the analytical curve is 1000 mg/L. It is recommended that the 750 mg/L standard
be replaced with a 500 mg/L to better characterize the mid-range of the curve as required in 15A
NCAC 2H .0805 (a) (7) (I) and more closely represent the concentration of environmental samples.
IV. PAPER TRAIL INVESTIGATION:
The paper trail consisted of comparing laboratory benchsheets and contract lab reports to Discharge
Monitoring Reports (DMRs) submitted to the North Carolina Division of Water Quality. Data were
reviewed for the Town of Apex Middle Creek WWTP (NPDES permit #NC0064050) for the following
months: October, November and December, 2009. No transcription errors were detected. It appears
the laboratory is doing a good job of accurately transcribing data.
V. CONCLUSIONS:
Notification of the change in DO methodology was attended to during the inspection. No other findings
were noted. Implementing the recommendations will further improve the quality data and meet
certification requirements. The inspector would like to thank the staff for its assistance during the
inspection and data review process. No response is required.
Report prepared by: Jeffrey R. Adams Date: February 26, 2010
Report reviewed by: Tonja Springer Date: March 4, 2010