Watewatch Victoria’s Statewide QA/QC Week 2007 July 23-29 Process, expectations and outcomes

1. Watewatch Victoria’s Statewide QA/QC Week 2007 July 23-29 Process, expectations and outcomes

2. QA/QC Week is an opportunity to: • Self-assess your and your monitor’s techniques and instrument accuracies against known standards for pH/EC/turbidity/ortho-phosphorus • Encourage ‘best practice’ monitoring • Review training and equipment needs in the region • Promote the monitoring strengths of the program to stakeholders

3. QA/QC Week is: • An expensive annual event • A logistical challenge just getting the samples to you (last year = 520 litres of mystery solutions, plus 100 sets of macroinvertebrates) • hours of work providing feedback on statewide and regional results

4. QA/QC Week is NOT: • An activity between your monitors and the state office. The samples are free for YOU to support YOUR monitors. • A random activity. It’s in your regional DC Plans as one of two QA-checks each year (Std 3 and 4). • Compulsory, however you will then need to provide a second QA-check/event for your monitors at your own expense.

5. We use QA/QC Week to: • Undertake M&E of the Watewatch program’s monitoring activities • Review state performance from year to year. • Review statewide training needs and educational resources • Promote the program’s monitoring improvements and achievements.

6. Who should be involved? • ALL Waterwatch Coordinators • Waterwatch monitors (Standard 3 and 4) • Monitoring/Water Quality Staff at your CMA/Water Authority (a great way for them to see what QCs Waterwatch uses, while checking their own equipment /practices)

7. Why is this year’s process changing: • In 2006 the program wasted (i.e. did not submit results sheets for): • 35% of phys-chem samples • 35% of macroinvertebrate samples • More than $2700 worth of samples

8. Post-QAQC Week Survey • YOU identified the following main reasons for sample wastage: • Poor regional planning and implementation • Too little time/few resources to engage monitors

9. Post-QAQC Week Survey Your preferred means of reducing wastage in 2007 were? • - Investigate sample stability for a longer QA/QC Week time period • Smaller quantity of samples provided to each region, to be stretched further • Regional orders for individual sample needs • Charge regions for wasted samples

10. Strategy for 2007: • Move QA/QC Week dates back to July, to avoid busy May and allow regional programs time to PLAN • Reduced sample volumes (250mL bottles, plus 100mL for phosphate curves) • 2 ranges of solutions – • Range A = low range (EC < 2000, pH < 7, turbidity <50, ortho-P <0.2mg/L P) • Range B = high range (EC >2000, pH >7, turbidity >50, ortho-P >0.2mg/L P)

11. Strategy for 2007: Regions to seriously start planning: • engagement strategy/ies (mail outs, regional QA/QC events, individual events) • the number of samples they’ll need for this strategy • how you’ll distribute samples to local coordinators and/or individuals in a timely manner • how you’ll starting preparing your monitors for the activity.

12. Strategy for 2007: • Samples to be prepared by a NATA-accredited lab (we will not repeat the pH problems of last year) • Batch information will be recorded for all batches • 10% samples checked in lab during QA/QC week (all batches checked) • Statewide and regionally-specific reports will be prepared again, based on results.

13. Key dates – put them in your diary NOW: Regional Orders for samples (Range A and B, macros and P-curve standards): 12 June 2007 Samples distributed from state to regional head offices: Wed 18th July 2007 QA/QC Week: 23 – 29 July 2007 Datasheets for reporting purposes MUST be returned by Monday 6th August 2007

14. I will be watching wastage like a hawk!