HW Quality Assurance
Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)
The Hazardous Waste section’s updated Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), approved by EPA Region 9 on November 29, 2022, describes how regulated facilities and their contractors, independent laboratories, and Hazardous Waste section staff work together to ensure that waste management and regulatory decisions are made based on environmental data of known quality and scientific validity. The plan provides guidance for regulated facilities, their contractors, and independent laboratories to ensure that their quality assurance and quality control planning and documentation meet Hazardous Waste section standards. It includes:
- Field data sheet and chain of custody form templates which can be used by regulated facilities and their contractors when taking samples
- References to additional guidance documents linked below and live in-text links to additional resources
- Clickable navigation table of contents
- Glossary of key quality assurance terms
Note that the Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch (SHWB) has adopted the Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) Office’s Technical Guidance Manual (TGM) for use in appropriate situations, including the TGM guidance for multi-incremental sampling (MIS) to characterize contaminated soil (SHWB policy memo, September 2019). Please see the HEER Office’s new (December 2020) page on MIS for additional guidance.
Additional guidance documents
Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data Collection (EPA QA, updated 2002)
Waste Analysis at Facilities that Generate, Treat, Store, and Dispose of HW (EPA ORCR, updated 2015)
EPA Emergency Response Team SOPs
EPA Publication Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste: Physical/Chemical Methods SW-846
For questions about environmental data quality assurance and quality control pertaining to Hazardous Waste, please contact the Hazardous Waste section at 808-586-4226.