Quality Assurance Organization

The Quality Assurance Program consists of an internal EPA component within the Chesapeake Bay Program Office and several external workgroups within the Chesapeake Bay Program Subcommittee structure. EPA quality assurance (QA) responsibilities are divided among the following staff.

• U.S. EPA Project Officers ensure that recipients of federal funds implement the quality assurance activities required by EPA and are ultimately responsible for resolving problems and deficiencies identified in technical reviews, audits and data analysis. (For additional information, see Grant Guidance.)
• Rich Batiuk, QA Officer, has the authority and responsibility for managing quality assurance activities within the U.S. EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office.
• Mary Ellen Ley, QA Coordinator, coordinates efforts relating to environmental data quality, reviews quality assurance project plans, audits field and laboratory operations, and assesses laboratory performance.
• Brian Burch, Data Center Manager, is responsible for ensuring all the environmental data generated through EPA funded monitoring programs have been subjected to an audit of data quality prior to being released on the Chesapeake Information Management System.
• Terry Simpson, EPA Region 3 QA Manager, reviews and approves quality management plans submitted to the Chesapeake Bay Program Office.
• See the The Chesapeake Bay Program Office Quality Management Plan (2.4 MB) for more information on the Chesapeake Bay Program Office quality system.

Subcommittees delegate QA responsibilities to the following workgroups:

• The Analytical Methods and Quality Assurance Workgroup addresses field and analytical methodology and quality assurance issues for tidal and non-tidal water quality. (Contact: Bruce Michael, Maryland DNR)
• The ad-hoc Plankton Methods and QA Task Group addresses field and laboratory methods for phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic monitoring. (Contact: Mary Ellen Ley, USGS/Chesapeake Bay Program)
• The Toxics Characterization Workgroup covers metal and organic contaminant methods, quality assurance and data management issues as part of their characterization efforts. (Contact: Greg Allen, Chesapeake Bay Program Office)