#5298- 09 - 2010 - FINAL

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 Alberta:
5298
Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe Co
Field Maintenance
Jason Smith
September 9, 2010
October 14 2010
October 14 2010
Tonja Springer
November 4 2010
Insp. Initial X Insp. Reg. _ Insp. No Finding _ Insp. CP
Gary Francies
November 12 2010
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Beverly Eaves Perdue
Governor
5298
Mr. Wayne Tipton
MSD of Buncombe Co.
2028 Riverside Drive
Asheville, NC 28804
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NCDENR
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Water Quality
Coleen H. Sullins
Director
November 22, 2010
SUBJECT: North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification (NC WW/GW LC)
Maintenance Inspection
Dear Mr. Tipton:
Dee Freeman
Secretary
Enclosed is a report for the inspection performed on September 9, 2010 by Jason Smith. 1 apologize for the
delay in getting this report to you. Where finding(s) are cited in this report, a response is required. Within 30
days of receipt, please supply this office with a written item for item description of how these finding(s) were
corrected. For certification maintenance, your laboratory must continue to carry out the requirements set forth
in 15A NCAC 21-1.0800.
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 me at 828-296-4677.
Sincerely,
C- `Q�
Gary Francies
Unit Supervisor
Laboratory Section
CC: Jason Smith
Master files
DENR DWQ Laboratory Section NC WastewaterlGroundwater Laboratory Certification Branch
1623 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1623
Location:4405 Reedy Creek Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607-6445
Phone: [phone] k FAX: [phone]
Inieraet wmv.dwglab.org
An Equal'Opporlunity 1 Af;rrmaGve Action Employer Customer Service: 1-877-623-6748 mvw.nmaterquality.org
One
NorthiCarolina
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LABORATORY NAME: Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe Co.
NPDES PERMIT #: NCO024911
ADDRESS: 2028 Riverside Drive
Asheville, NC 28804
CERTIFICATE #: 5298
DATE OF INSPECTION: September 9, 2010
TYPE OF INSPECTION: Field Maintenance
AUDITOR(S): Jason Smith
LOCAL PERSON(S) CONTACTED: Wayne Tipton
INTRODUCTION:
This laboratory was inspected to verify its compliance with the requirements of 15A NCAC 2H .0800 for
the analysis of environmental samples.
GENERAL COMMENTS:
The laboratory was clean and well organized. The facility has all the equipment necessary to perform the
analyses. Although certified for Total Residual Chlorine and Dissolved Oxygen, the laboratory does not
currently analyze samples for these parameters. Proficiency testing samples have been analyzed for all
certified parameters for the 2010 proficiency testing calendar year and the graded results were 100%
acceptable. Finding A is a new policy that has been implemented by our program since the last
inspection.
r - � • r - • s. s
General Laboraton/
Recommendation: The laboratory identifies data that does not meet quality control criteria on the
Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR); however, the specific quality control failure is not documented on the
DMR. It is recommended that further information be provided to include what the quality control failure
was.
A. Finding: The laboratory needs to increase the documentation of purchased materials and
.reagents. .
Requirement:. 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 pH buffers and lots of pre -made

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#5298 Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe Co.
standards are included in this requirement. Ref: Quality Assurance Policies for Field
Laboratories.
pHH, — Standard Methods, 18th Edition, 4500 H+ B
Temperature — Standard Methods, 181h Edition, 2550 B
B. ,Finding: The time of collection/analysis is not clearly documented.
Requirement: 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. Ref: 15A NCAC 2H .0805 (g) (1).
Comment: Since pH and Temperature are analyzed in situ (in stream or on site), a general
statement reflecting this may be added to the benchsheet and/or the "time" may be modified to
"collection/analysis time".
pH — Standard Methods, 181h Edition, 4500 H+ B
Comment: Verification of the Automatic Temperature Compensator is no longer required. However, the
temperature sensor must still be checked against an MIST certified or MIST traceable thermometer
annually.
C. Finding: The laboratory is using an acceptance criterion of ± 10% for the check buffer.
Requirement: The reading should be within 0.1 unit for the pH of the third buffer. If the meter
response shows a difference greater than 0.1 pH unit from the expected value, look for trouble
with the electrodes or potentiometer. Ref: Standard Methods, 181h Edition, 4500 H+ B. (4) (a).
Requirement: For routine work, use a pH meter accurate and reproducible to 0.1 pH unit. Ref:
Technical Assistance for Field Analysis of pH.
Comment: Since the laboratory is analyzing a 4 S.U, check buffer, the acceptance criterion was
±0A S.U..
D. Finding: When analyzing samples throughout the day, a post analysis check is not analyzed.
Requirement: If compliance samples are analyzed throughout the day, a post calibration check
must be analyzed mid -day and at the end of the run (i.e,, roughly every 4 hours based on an eight
hour day). Ref: Technical Assistance for Field Analysis of pH.
E. Finding: Data values are reported to 0.01 S.U., not 0.1 S. U. as required by the method.
Requirement: A variance of ± 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, 181h Edition, 4500 H+ B. (6).
Total Residual Chlorine —Standard Methods, 18th Edition, 4500 Cl G
Recommendation: The laboratory documents the absorbance of the standards when verifying the
manufacturer's internal curve. It is recommended that the laboratory document the values obtained (in
pg/L) of the standards in order to better evaluate the curve. The acceptance criteria is ± 10% for values
>50 pg/L and ± 25% for values _<50 pg/L.

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#5298 Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe Co.
F. Finding: The gel standard has not been assigned a true value.
Requirement: Purchased "Gel -type" or sealed liquid ampoule standards may be used for daily
calibration verification only, These standards must be verified initially and every 12 months
thereafter, with the standard curve. The assigned values will be used for the next twelve months,
or until a new curve verification is performed. The gel standard verification must be performed for
each instrument on which they are to be used. If multiple instruments and/or standard sets are
used, each must have assigned values specific for the instrument and standard set. Ref:
Technical Assistance for Field Analysis of Total Residual Chlorine
No paper trail performed.
V, CONCLUSIONS:
Correcting the above -cited findings and implementing the recommendations 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: Jason Smith Date: October 14, 2010
Report reviewed by: Tonja Springer Date: November 4, 2010