Methods Board Meeting: Madison, WI
June 4-6, 2001
Summary Minutes

Participants

Announcements

2. National Water Quality Monitoring Conference in Madison, WI, May 21-23, 2002. Abstracts due October 12, 2001.

Workgroup: Accreditation

Meeting Date: 6/4/01

Chair: Harold Aroudel

Discussion at meeting:

. Response from ACWI on white paper

. NELAC meeting

. NACLA and NIST coordination

. Field survey next steps

. PT sample issue

Status of Open Projects:

. White paper needs to be revised and accompanying explanatory materials developed for ACWI.

. Need continued coordination with NELAC

. Need meeting with NIST

. Field survey form results in - need to determine next steps

. Harold stepping down - need new Chair

Next Steps:

. White paper will be revised by Tetra Tech, Herb, and others and sent to ACWI by July

. Herb and Tetra Tech will draft explanatory materials for review as well for ACWI

. Jerry Parr and Bart will continue acting as liaisons with NELAC

. Will set up a meeting with NIST

. Develop a framework for field accreditation next steps

. NIST will have first PT workshop at WQTA August 15, Arlington, VA

. Bart named Chair

. Need outreach strategy

. Develop better process for bringing products/recommendations to ACWI

. Herb will talk to NELAP Executive Board

Workgroup: Water Quality Data Elements

Meeting Date: 6/5/01

Chair: Chuck Job

Discussion at meeting:

. Develop outreach plan

. Chemical and micro implementation plans developed

. Pilot test development

. Plans for Biology WQDE list

Status of Open Projects:

. Outreach plan to be finalized

. Level 1 and 2 updates to be resolved

. Proposed changes discussed

. Bias versus accuracy?

. Outreach handout to be finalized

. Objectives and needs for pilot tests

Next Steps:

. 2.2 definition revised

. Analyte name changed to "taxon, metric, or index"

. Audience for handout needs to be refined

. Survey of labs regarding "onerous" nature of WQDE

. Pilots identified include: NY, WDNR, Florida, MMSD and others. Chuck to coordinate summaries for each pilot and distribute for discussion.

. Glen Patterson (USGS) will be co-chair and outreach liaison

. Agreed on pilot objectives: (1) audit - which elements are utilized; (2) incorporate data elements to developing databases; and (3) evaluate cost of using data elements.

Workgroup: NEMI

Meeting Date: 6/4/01

Chair: Larry Keith

Discussion at meeting:

. Resolve Phase 1 issues: business rules, prototype framework, method summaries, presentations to agencies.

. Phase 2: add additional methods, review and revise database

. Keywords - resolve what goes in this field

. Old versus new methods - how to handle older methods when a more current version is also in the database

. Reviewer comments

. Biological methods to be added in Phase 2

Status of Open Projects:

. Phase 1 business rules need to be finalized

. Presentations to EPA and ASTM need to be done

. Getting additional methods for Phase 2

. Bio methods and business rules still needed

Next Steps:

. Larry, Dan, Jim will finalize business rules

. Larry, Herb will talk with ASTM and EPA

. Keep all methods, new and old - have links to old methods

. Initial keyword selection was agreed to be okay

. Review comments evaluated and NEMI format will be refined by Dan, Jim based on comments

. Jerry, Mike, and Katherine will work with Dan to get rules for bio methods

. Add category for sample preparation

. Request method sources to add field methods for Phase 2

. Develop Phase 3 plan

Workgroup: Biology

Meeting Date: 6/4/01

Chair: Katherine Alben

Discussion at meeting:

. Microbiological and immunoassay methods/business rules for NEMI

. Briefing of EPA's bio-criteria group and Biological Advisory Committee

. Reviewed Tetra Tech's WERF DQO project for toxicity and field community relationships

. Water quality data element presentations by USGS, EPA, WDNR

Status of Open Projects:

. Micro and immunoassay methods and rules nearly final - need finalization with NEMI

. Board needs to provide input on WERF study design and DQOs

. WQDE for biology needs to be initiated

. Tox and field methods need business rules

Next Steps

. Katherine will finalize micro and immunoassay NEMI rules and some examples based on most recent NEMI info from Larry

. Gil Dichter will provide Idexx and other micro NEMI tables

. Jerry will draft rules and some examples for Tox testing methods

. Mike Miller will draft examples for field macroinvertebrate collection methods. Mike and Jerry will draft rules.

. Charlie will take lead on collating WQDE examples.

. Jerry will get draft summary of performance information for tox and field collection methods.

Outreach needs:

Workgroup: PBMS

Meeting Date: 6/4/01

Chair: Cliff Annis

Discussion at meeting:

. Need liaison to outreach

. Move to take out matrix spikes by some organizations - need to address with paper

. Tetra Tech revise paper

. Matrix spikes extremely important

. Extract paper for managers

. What is future of PBMS given pilot? What do you recommend to Council? Other pilots?

Status of Open Projects:

. Next steps - training essential

. Develop PBMS Implementation Paper - Workplan #2

. Regulatory implementation of PBMS - Bart, Andy

. Nutrient and Biology PBMS pilots

Next Steps:

. Cliff and Jerry to go over current workgroup roster

. Rock will serve as outreach liaison? Confirm with Rock.

. Jerry will prepare Executive Summary and Abstract for COD Pilot Report

. Jerry will prepare ES&T manuscript of Pilot and distribute for comment

. Distribute Pilot Report with Abstract and Executive Summary to Council

Workgroup: Nutrients

Meeting Date: 6/4/01

Chair: Ed Santoro/Ron Jones

Discussion at meeting:

. Potential PBMS actions: (1) TKN versus total Nitrogen and use of high temp catalytic assessment of total nitrogen versus (2) Enzymatic assay of nitrates

. Follow-up on new technology related to electrode determination of nitrogen

Status of Open Projects:

. Get Council approval of Nutrient Criteria white paper

. Develop strategy for working with EPA on MDCB recommendations

Next Steps:

. Avenues to elevate nutrient memo and attachment that can be used by the MDCB and Council

. NEMI field nutrient methods

. Use of WQDE to track nutrient data

. Use of nutrient memo and attachment as an "umbrella"

. Examine Everglades nitrogen data as possible PBMS pilot - Ron Jones

. Examine Florida DEP study for total Phosphorous as possible PBMS pilot; comparability study. Ellen McCarron can help obtain data.

. Need to get nutrient method information collected by Tetra Tech into NEMI - Jerry and Larry.

. Publish Tetra Tech's nutrient method discussion

Workgroup: Outreach

Meeting Date: 9/4/01

Chair: Charlie Peters, temporary chair

Discussion at meeting:

. NWQM conference in 2002 in Madison

. Workgroup liaisons

. Outreach strategy/framework

Status of Open Projects:

. Need outreach liaisons for PBMS, Accreditation, WQDE, and NEMI.

. Need more discussion on conference planning with respect to Board activities: abstracts, themes, special workshops?

. Need a new Outreach Chair

Next Steps:

. Abby will develop a draft framework and distribute to Workgroup chairs

. Council and Board framework need to be intertwined and used for conference as well as next version of fact sheet, Information Packet.