#5601_08_2012_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 Linda:
Date Mailed:
5601
Town of Columbia
Field Municipal Initial
Nick Jones
August 25, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
Jason Smith
September 19, 2012
® Insp. Initial ❑ Insp. Reg.
❑ Insp. No Finding ❑ Insp. CP
❑ Corrected
Gary Francies
9/20/2012
9/24/2012

NCDENR
Northi Department of i and Natural Resources
Division of r
Beverly Eaves Perdue
Governor
5601
Mr. Rhett White
Town of Columbia
P.O. Box 361
Columbia, NC 27925
Charles Wakild, P. E.
Director
September 24, 2012
Dee Freeman
Secretary
Subject: North Carolina Wastewater/Groundwater Laboratory Certification (NC WW/GW LC)
Initial Field Inspection
Dear Mr. White:
Enclosed is a report for the inspection performed on August 22, 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,
C , � "
Gary Francies
Certification Unit Supervisor
Laboratory Section
Enclosure
cc: Nick Jones
Master File
DENR DWO Laboratory Section NC WastewatedGroundwater 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]
Internet: www.dwglab.org
One
NorthCarolina
An Equal Opportunity \ Affirmative Action Employer

LABORATORY NAME:
NPDES PERMIT #:
ADDRESS:
CERTIFICATE #:
DATE OF INSPECTION:
TYPE OF INSPECTION:
AUDITOR(S):
LOCAL PERSON(S) CONTACTED:
I. INTRODUCTION:
On -Site Inspection Report
Town of Columbia
NC0007510 and NCO020443
P.O. Box 361
Columbia, NC 27925
5601
August 25, 2012
Field Initial
Nick Jones
Rhett White and Tim Oliver
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 well designed,
easy to follow and concise. Records are well organized and easy to retrieve.
Contracted analyses are performed by Environment 1, Inc. (Certification #10).
Current quality assurance policies for Field laboratories and the approved procedures for the analysis
of the facility's currently certified parameters were provided at the time of the inspection.
III. FINDINGS REQUIREMENTS COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Documentation
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.
B. Finding: The preparation of Proficiency Testing (PT) samples is not documented.
Requirement: PT samples received as ampules must be diluted according to the PT provider's
instructions. The preparation of PT samples must be documented in a traceable log or other
traceable format. The diluted PT sample becomes a routine environmental sample and is added
to a routine sample batch for analysis. Ref: Proficiency Testing Requirements, February 20,
2012, Revision 1.2.

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#5601 Town of Columbia
C. 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
standards are included in this requirement. Ref: Quality Assurance Policies for Field
Laboratories.
D. Finding: The lab is not documenting the following:
1. Meter Calibration Time (pH and Dissolved Oxygen [DO])
2. Check Standard Analysis Time (Total Residual Chlorine [TRC])
3. Analysts Initials (pH, TRC and Temperature)
4. Collection and Analysis Times (Temperature)
5. Units of Measure (pH, DO, Temperature)
Requirement: The following must be documented whenever sample analysis is performed.
Time of Calibration Ref: NC WW/GW LC Approved Procedure for Field Analysis of pH and NC
WW/GW LC Approved Procedure for Field Analysis of DO.
Requirement: The following must be documented whenever sample analysis is performed.
Value obtained for the check standard (verification of ± 10% recovery). Ref: NC WW/GW LC
Approved Procedure for Field Analysis of Total Residual Chlorine.
Requirement: Data pertinent to each analysis must be maintained for five years. Certified data
must consist of date collected, time collected, samples site, sample collector, and sample
analysis time. The field bench sheets must provide a space for the signature of the analyst, and
proper units of measure for all analyses. Ref: 15A NCAC 2H .0805 (g) (1).
Comment: The auditor supplied example benchsheets via email on September 19, 2012. If
these benchsheets are put into use, then they will correct this finding.
pH - Standard Methods, 18th Edition, 4500 H+ B
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).
F. Finding: The pH 10 buffer solution exceeded the manufacturer's expiration date (exp. 6/12, lot
# A1154).
Requirement: Adherence to manufacturer expiration dates is required. Chemicals, reagents,
standards, consumables exceeding the expiration date can no longer be considered reliable. If

[l1
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#5601 Town of Columbia
the expiration is only listed as a month and year (with no specific day of the month), the last day
of the month will be considered the actual date of expiration. Monitor materials for changes in
appearance or consistency. Any changes may indicate potential contamination and the item
should be discarded, even if the expiration date is not exceeded. If no expiration date is given,
the laboratory must have a policy for assigning an expiration date. If no date received or
expiration date can be determined, the item should be discarded. Ref: Quality Assurance
Policies for Field Laboratories.
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 #s NC0020443 and NC0007510) for April, May, and June,
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: Jason Smith
Date: September 18, 2012
Date: September 19, 2012