#5599_09_2012_FINAL

CarolinaNCDENR
North =>. of i and Natural Resources
Beverly Eaves Perdue
Governor
5599
Mr. Jimmy Morris
Bear Grass High School WWTP
2462 Claude Green Rd
Robersonville, NC 27871
Division of Water Quality
Charles Wakild, P. E.
Director
October 30, 2012
Dee Freeman
Secretary
Subject: North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification (NC WW/GW
LC) Initial Inspection
Dear Mr. Morris:
Enclosed is a report for the inspection performed on October 4, 2012 by Nick Jones. Where
finding(s) are cited in this report, a response is required. Within thirty days of receipt, please
supply this office with a written item for item description of how these finding(s) were corrected.
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 2H .0800.
Copies of the checklists completed during the inspection may be requested from this office.
Thank you for your cooperation during the inspection. If you wish to obtain an electronic copy of
this report by email or if you have questions or need additional information, please contact us at
828-296-4677.
Sincerely,
Gary Francies
Certification Unit Supervisor
Laboratory Section
Enclosure
cc: Nick Jones
Master File
DENR DWo Laboratory Section NC Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification Branch
1623 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1623
Location: 4405 Reedy Creek Road. Raleigh, North Carolina 27607-6445
Phone: [phone] \ FAX: [phone] One
Internet: www.dwglab.org No thCarohna
An Equal Opportunity \ Affirmative Action Employer atur ' Ilf

INSPECTION REPORT ROUTING SHEET
To be attached to all inspection reports in-house only.
Laboratory Cert. #:
Laboratory Name:
Inspection Type:
Inspector Name(s):
Inspection Date:
Date Report Completed:
Date Forwarded to Reviewer:
Reviewed by:
Date Review Completed:
Cover Letter to use:
Unit Supervisor:
Date Received:
Date Forwarded to Linda:
Date Mailed:
5599
Bear Grass High School WWTP
Field Municipal Initial
Nick Jones
October 4 2012
October 29, 2012
October 29 2012
Todd Crawford
October 30 2012
® Insp. Initial ❑ Insp. Reg.
❑ Insp. No Finding ❑ Insp. CP
❑ Corrected
Gary Francies
10/25/2012
10/30/2012

On -Site Inspection Report
LABORATORY NAME:
NPDES PERMIT #:
ADDRESS:
CERTIFICATE #:
DATE OF INSPECTION:
TYPE OF INSPECTION:
AUDITOR(S):
LOCAL PERSON(S) CONTACTED:
I. INTRODUCTION:
Bear Grass High School WWTP
NCO037231
2462 Claude Green Rd
Robersonville, NC 27871
5599
October 4, 2012
Field Initial
Nick Jones
Jimmy Morris
This laboratory was inspected by a representative of the North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater
Laboratory Certification (NC WW/GW LC) program to verify its compliance with the requirements of 15A
NCAC 2H .0800 for the analysis of environmental samples.
II. GENERAL COMMENTS:
The facility has all the equipment necessary to perform the analyses. Benchsheets are easy to follow and
concise. Records are well organized and easy to retrieve.
Contracted analyses are performed by Environment 1, Inc. (Certification #10).
Copies of the following documents were given to laboratory personnel during the inspection: Quality
Assurance Policies for Field Laboratories, Approved Procedure for Field Analysis of pH, Approved
Procedure for Field Analysis of Dissolved Oxygen and Approved Procedure for Field Analysis of
Temperature.
III. FINDINGS, REQUIREMENTS, COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Documentation
Comment: The laboratory needs to increase the documentation of purchased materials and reagents.
Quality Assurance Policies for Field Laboratories states that all chemicals, reagents, standards and
consumables used by the laboratory must have the following information documented: Date Received,
Date Opened (in use), Vendor, Lot Number, and Expiration Date. A system (e.g., traceable identifiers)
must be in place that links standard/reagent preparation information to analytical batches in which the
solutions are used. Documentation of solution preparation must include the analyst's initials, date of
preparation, the volume or weight of standard(s) used, the solvent and final volume of the solution.
This information as well as the vendor and/or manufacturer. lot number. and expiration date must be
retained for chemicals, reagents, standards and consumables used for a period of five years.
Consumable materials such as DH buffers and lots of pre -made standards are included in this
requirement. Notification of acceptable corrective action (i.e., confirmation that the traceability log with
spaces for all required documentation that was provided by the auditor during the inspection had been
implemented) was received by email on 10/29/12. No further response is necessary for this finding.

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#5599 Bear Grass High School WWTP
A. Finding: The laboratory is not documenting Proficiency Testing (PT) sample analyses in the
same manner as environmental samples.
Requirement: All PT sample analyses must be recorded in the daily analysis records as for any
environmental sample. This serves as the permanent laboratory record. Ref: Proficiency
Testing Requirements, February 20, 2012, Revision 1.2.
Dissolved Oxygen — Standard Methods, 4500 O G-2001
Comment: The meter calibration and calibration times were not being documented. The NC WW/GW
LC Approved Procedure for Field Analysis of Dissolved Oxygen states: The calibration and time of
calibration must be documented whenever sample analysis is performed. A customized benchsheets
with spaces for all required documentation was provided by the auditor during the inspection.
Notification of acceptable corrective action (i.e., confirmation that the customized benchsheets with
spaces for all required documentation that was provided by the auditor during the inspection had been
implemented) was received by email on 10/29/12. No further response is necessary for this finding.
PH — Standard Methods, 4500 H+ B-2000
Temperature — Standard Methods, 2550 B-2000
Dissolved Oxygen — Standard Methods, 4500 O G-2001
Comment: The units of measure are not documented. The North Carolina Administrative Code, 15A
NCAC 2H .0805 (g) (1) states: Data pertinent to each analysis must be maintained for five years.
Certified Data must consist of date collected, time collected, sample site, sample collector, and sample
analysis time. The field benchsheets must provide a space for the signature or initials of the analyst, and
proper units of measure for all analyses. Notification of acceptable corrective action (i.e., confirmation
that the customized benchsheets with spaces for all required documentation that was provided by the
auditor during the inspection had been implemented) was received by email on 10/29/12. No further
response is necessary for this finding.
pH, - Standard Methods, 4500 H+ B-2000
E. 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-2000 (6).
Temperature — Standard Methods, 2550 B-2000
F. Finding: The temperature sensor (i.e. an inline thermocouple with a digital display also
attached to a circular chart recorder) used to obtain reported temperature values has not been
checked against a NIST thermometer.
Requirement: Thermometers and temperature measuring devices, used to measure
temperature for compliance monitoring, must be checked every 12 months against a NIST
traceable thermometer. The thermometer/meter readings must be less than or equal to 1°C
from the NIST traceable thermometer reading. The documentation must include the serial
number of the NIST traceable thermometer that was used in the comparison. Document any
correction that applies on both the thermometer/meter and on a separate sheet to be filed.

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#5599 Bear Grass High School WWTP
Ref: Technical Assistance for Field Analysis of Temperature. Please send a copy of the NIST
thermometer verification upon completion with the response to this report.
IV. PAPER TRAIL INVESTIGATION:
The paper trail consisted of comparing field testing records 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 Columbia (NPDES # NC0037231) for June, July and August 2012. No
transcription errors were detected. The facility appears to be doing a good job of accurately
transcribing data.
V. CONCLUSIONS:
Correcting the above -cited findings will help this lab to produce quality data and meet certification
requirements. The inspector would like to thank the staff for its assistance during the inspection and
data review process. Please respond to all findings.
Report prepared by: Nick Jones
Report reviewed by: Todd Crawford
Date: October 29, 2012
Date: October 30, 2012