Managing the Quality of Environmental Data at EPA Region 6

Environmental data of reliably high quality is the goal of the Region 6 quality program.  To achieve this, the quality assurance staff works closely with the various program staffs to insure that program and project plans submitted by the grantees are of the highest caliber. 

To set the standard, quality assurance courses are offered to all Regional project officers who review these plans throughout their careers and to the quality staffs of the states within the Region.  In addition, an annual quality assurance conference presented by experts in the field is held that is completely open to all interested parties.

Within Region 6, the Regional Quality Assurance Manager prepares a Quality Management Plan (QMP) using QA/R2 as a reference; this QMP is reviewed and approved by Headquarters.  The Quality Assurance Officer in each Division prepares a QMP for that Division which is approved by the Regional Quality Assurance Manager.

Standard Operating Procedures

EPA retains the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that differ from these guidance where appropriate. EPA may periodically revise these guidance without public notice.