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Home My WebLink About#5777_2023_1025_JMS_FINAL NC Department of Environmental Quality | Division of Water Resources | Laboratory Certification Branch 4405 Reedy Creek Road | 1623 Mail Service Center | Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1623 919-733-3908 December 4, 2023 5777 Mr. Jacob Kerr TVA Fort Loudon Dam 1280 City Park Drive Lenoir City, TN 37772 Subject: North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification Branch (NC WW/GW LCB) Maintenance Inspection Dear Mr. Kerr: Enclosed is a report for the inspection performed on October 25, 2023, by Jason Smith. Where Finding(s) are cited in this report, a response is required. Within thirty days, please supply this office with a written item for item description of how these Finding(s) were corrected. Please describe the steps taken to prevent recurrence and include an implementation date for each corrective action. If the Finding(s) cited in the enclosed report are not corrected, enforcement actions may be recommended. For Certification maintenance, your laboratory must continue to carry out the requirements set forth in 15A NCAC 02H .0800. A copy of the laboratory’s Certified Parameter List at the time of the audit is attached. This list will not reflect any changes made during the audit. Copies of the checklists completed during the inspection may be requested from this office. Thank you for your cooperation during the inspection. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact me at (919) 733- 3908 Ext. 251. Sincerely, Anna Ostendorff Technical Assistance & Compliance Specialist Division of Water Resources Attachment cc: Todd Crawford, Jason Smith, Master File #5777 On-Site Inspection Report LABORATORY NAME: TVA Fort Loudon Dam NPDES PERMIT #: NC0027341 ADDRESS: 11517 Fontana Dam Road Fontana, NC 28733 CERTIFICATE #: 5777 DATE OF INSPECTION: October 25, 2023 TYPE OF INSPECTION: Field Initial AUDITOR(S): Jason Smith LOCAL PERSON(S) CONTACTED: Jacob Kerr, Brad Love and Steve Keenum I. INTRODUCTION: This laboratory was inspected by a representative of the North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification Branch (NC WW/GW LCB) to verify its compliance with the requirements of 15A NCAC 02H .0800 for the analysis of compliance monitoring samples. II. GENERAL COMMENTS: The analyst was forthcoming and responded well to suggestions from the auditor. The laboratory has all the equipment necessary to perform the analyses. All required Proficiency Testing (PT) Samples have been analyzed for the 2023 PT Calendar Year and the graded results were 100% acceptable. Any time changes are made to laboratory procedures, Quality Assurance (QA) and/or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document(s) must be updated and relevant staff retrained. Staff must acknowledge that they have read and understand the changes as part of the documented training program. The same requirements apply when changes are made in response to Findings, Recommendations or Comments listed in this report, to ensure the methods are being performed as stated, references to methods are accurate, and the QA and/or SOP document(s) is in agreement with each approved practice, test, analysis, measurement, monitoring procedure or regulatory requirement being used in the laboratory. In some instances, the laboratory may need to create an SOP to document how new functions or policies will be implemented. Revisions to the SOPs, based on the Findings, Comments and Recommendations within this report must be submitted to this office by March 1, 2023. The laboratory is reminded that SOPs are intended to describe procedures exactly as they are to be performed. Use of the word “should” is not appropriate when describing requirements (e.g., Quality Control (QC) frequency, acceptance criteria, etc.). Evaluate all SOPs for the proper use of the word “should”. Contracted analyses are performed by Earth Environmental Services (Certification #352). Page 2 #5777 TVA Fort Loudon Dam III. FINDINGS, REQUIREMENTS, COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Documentation A. Finding: Chemical containers are not dated when received and when opened. Requirement: Chemical containers shall be dated when received and when opened. Ref: 15A NCAC 02H .0805 (g) (7). Comment: This information is recorded on the benchsheet and was documented on the pH buffer containers at the time of the inspection. pH – Standard Methods, 4500 H+ B-2011 (Aqueous) B. Finding: Values were reported that exceed the method specified accuracy of 0.1 units. Requirement: By careful use of a laboratory pH meter with good electrodes, a precision of ±0.02 unit and an accuracy of ±0.05 unit can be achieved. However, ± 0.1 pH unit represents the limit of accuracy under normal conditions, especially for measurement of water and poorly buffered solutions. For this reason, report pH values to the nearest 0.1 pH unit. Ref: Standard Methods, 4500 H+ B-2011. (6). Comment: Per PT Vendor instructions, the PT Sample results should be reported to two decimal places, which is an exception to the requirement for Compliance Samples. IV. CONCLUSIONS: Correcting the above-cited Findings will help this laboratory to produce quality data and meet Certification requirements. The inspector would like to thank the staff for their assistance during the inspection and data review process. Please respond to all Findings and include supporting documentation, implementation dates and steps taken to prevent recurrence for each corrective action. Report prepared by: Jason Smith Date: November 6, 2023 Report reviewed by: Jill Puff Date: November 6, 2023 Certificate Number:5777 Effective Date:6/22/2023 Expiration Date:12/31/2023 Lab Name:TVA Fort Loudon Dam Address:1280 City Park Drive Lenoir City, TN 37772 North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification Certified Parameters Listing Date of Last Amendment: The above named laboratory, having duly met the requirements of 15A NCAC 2H.0800, is hereby certified for the measurement of the parameters listed below. CERTIFIED PARAMETERS INORGANIC pH SM 4500 H+B-2011 (Aqueous) TEMPERATURE SM 2550 B-2010 (Aqueous) This certification requires maintance of an acceptable quality assurance program, use of approved methodology, and satisfactory performance on evaluation samples. Laboratories are subject to civil penalties and/or decertification for infractions as set forth in 15A NCAC 2H.0807.