Pacific EcoRisk Quality Assurance/
Quality Control (QA/QC) Policy Statement

Pacific EcoRisk maintains a QA Plan that provides a detailed description of quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for all biological testing and chemical analyses performed. These procedures address all aspects of testing and analyses that can potentially affect data quality and interpretation, including sample collection and handling of test materials, holding and conditioning of test organisms, test conditions and procedures, calibration of instruments, experimental design, reference toxicant testing, record keeping, and statistical analyses of data.

Pacific EcoRisk follows Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures in accordance to methods established by the U.S. EPA, ASTM, and Standard Methods. QC procedures are documented and follow EPA protocols. As a result of the quality of the data provided, Pacific EcoRisk is able to provide support for technically rigorous and complex projects, including NPDES, Water Quality Criteria Development, (Dredging) 404 Certification, and Ecological Risk Assessments.

The primary objective of the Pacific EcoRisk QA Plan is to ensure that all of the data generated and reported are scientifically valid, legally defensible and of known accuracy, precision, representativeness, and comparability.

All of the testing performed at Pacific EcoRisk meet the following Criteria:

	Methods and procedures conform to the specifications and requirements of the appropriate regulatory agencies (EPA, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, U.S. ACOE, DTSC, etc.);
	When applicable, all measures of precision, accuracy, representativeness, and comparability are reported in the data package;
	All data are reviewed relative to the QA Plan. Corrective actions are implemented when data fail to meet established quality control criteria;
	Standard operating procedures have been developed and are used in order to ensure that the highest quality data are collected;
	All final reports are reviewed in order to meet our clients’ objectives with respect to quality and completeness.

The content of the QA Plan is reviewed and revised on a regular basis.