| #Q001 | administrative | reporting | mandatory | Ministry Data Quality Standards Adherence | other | Data entry to EMS requires that Ministry data quality standards are followed. | When entering data into the Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) | high |
| #Q002 | operational | operational | mandatory | Field Data QA/QC Procedures | other | Field data must always go through QA/QC procedures by the sampler prior to upload to EMS | Prior to upload to EMS | high |
| #Q003 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | EMS Site Establishment Constraints | other | Once a site is established, it should not be moved more than 5 m from the original site location, or a new EMS ID must be created. | When returning to monitor an established EMS site | high |
| #Q004 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | EMS Requisition Copies | other | Ensure you have two copies (one to send to lab, one for record keeping) of all requisitions to be used and fill in all data fields on both copies. | Lab Samples Only | high |
| #Q005 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Field Record Keeping | other | Always keep a record (hardcopy or photo of the original field sheet). | When collecting and recording field data | high |
| #Q006 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Requisition Record Keeping | other | Keep one copy of completed requisitions as this is the only way to check that all data are entered by the lab. | Lab Samples Only | high |
| #Q007 | operational | operational | mandatory | Field Instrument Calibration Records | other | Handheld field instruments used for collecting data need to have detailed calibration records (i.e., date of calibration, pre/post calibration readings, expiry data of calibration standards used) kept. | When using handheld field instruments for collecting data | high |
| #Q008 | reporting | reporting | recommended | Calibration Records Submission | other | Calibration records should be kept and submitted with data to trained personnel who are uploading field data. | When uploading field data | high |
| #Q009 | operational | operational | recommended | Field Sheet QA/QC Checks | other | Immediately after data are collected, while monitoring observations are still fresh, field sheets should be checked by the sampler for completeness, clarity, and data entry errors | Immediately after data are collected | high |
| #Q010 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Electronic Data Submission Format | other | Submission of data to ENV staff (or partner agencies trained to upload data into EMS) requires data to be in a consistent clear electronic format. | Upon submission of data to ENV staff or partner agencies | high |
| #Q011 | operational | operational | mandatory | Transcribed Data Review | other | Transcription errors can occur at this stage; review QA/QC transcribed data relative to raw field data prior to submission to ENV. | Prior to submission to ENV | high |
| #Q012 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Sample Receipt Email Retention | other | Sample receipt email - confirming the samples have been received by the lab. Review to ensure all samples were received and documented correctly. Retain this email until data have been uploaded to EMS and reviewed. | Laboratory Samples Only | high |
| #Q013 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | EMS Notification Email Review and Retention | other | EMS notification email - confirming that lab data have been successfully uploaded to EMS (if project is conducted in partnership with ENV). Review for any upload error messages as soon as possible... Keep these emails until data has been reviewed. | If project is conducted in partnership with ENV | high |
| #Q014 | operational | reporting | mandatory | Lab Certificate of Analyses Inclusion Check | other | Lab Certificate of Analyses (COA) - including the water quality sampling results and laboratory QA/QC information (in both Excel format and pdf attachments). Ensure all results and QAQC tabs are included. | Laboratory Samples Only | high |
| #Q015 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Lab Certificate of Analyses Filing | other | The attachments in the third email must be saved to the appropriate project folder; perform Step 3 | Upon receipt of Lab Certificate of Analyses | high |
| #Q016 | operational | operational | mandatory | Detection Limits Check | other | Detection Limits - Ensure detection limits are less than Water Quality Guidelines (WQG) or Water Quality Objectives (WQO), preferably by one order of magnitude. | When reviewing Detection Limits tab of Lab COA | high |
| #Q017 | corrective_action | operational | mandatory | Address Identified QC Issues | other | Prior to the next sampling date, address any identified QC issues so that they are not carried to the next set of samples. | Prior to the next sampling date | high |
| #Q018 | corrective_action | reporting | mandatory | Hold Time Exceedance Corrective Action | other | If the hold time exceedance is due to the lab, contact the lab and report it to the Senior Provincial Laboratory Specialist or other laboratory contract if not collected in partnership with ENV. | If hold time exceedance is due to the lab | high |
| #Q019 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Resolution Documentation | other | Ensure that all issues, investigation avenues, and resolutions are recorded so that information can be used when interpreting data and writing reports. | When resolving QA/QC or lab processing issues | high |
| #Q020 | operational | operational | mandatory | Data Export Format Requirements | other | Ensure that the download path is correct, and that the data are changed from their original format (.csv) to an Excel workbook (.xlsx). | When downloading data from EMS | high |
| #Q021 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Data Spreadsheet Content Requirements | other | Ensure your data spreadsheet includes the details outlined in Table 1 below. | When preparing data spreadsheet for analysis | high |
| #Q022 | operational | operational | recommended | Data Spot Checking | other | It is recommended that you do a 5 to 10% spot check of data sourced from EMS vs. the COA to ensure that the data sets are consistent. | Before any data are interpreted | high |
| #Q023 | reporting | reporting | recommended | Technical Report QA/QC Summary | other | Technical reports should include a section summarizing data QA/QC and describing how those issues have been resolved or impact the interpretation of the data. | When writing technical reports | high |
| #Q024 | corrective_action | reporting | mandatory | Old Data Error Reporting | other | If downloading old data and there is a potential error, contact ENV water quality staff to try to locate the original results in ENV archives... Any errors should be corrected in EMS by ENV staff. | If downloading old data and there is a potential error | high |
| #Q025 | monitoring | operational | recommended | Latitude and Longitude Formatting | other | Latitude (lat) and longitude (long) should be expressed as Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) systems (Easting and Northing) or decimal degrees, both of which are accepted by EMS. | When recording EMS site coordinates | high |
| #Q026 | administrative | operational | mandatory | Restricted Manual Requisition Entry | other | The only data that gets filled in the requisition/chain of custody form by hand are the field recorded measurements such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductance. | When filling out EMS requisition or lab Chain of Custody forms | high |
| #Q027 | reporting | operational | mandatory | Manual Transcription of Field Data | other | Date (yyyy-mm-dd), time (24 hour) and sample depth are transcribed from field notes and added manually on the EMS requisition form/chain of custody forms prior to sending samples away. | Prior to sending samples to the laboratory | high |
| #Q028 | corrective_action | reporting | guidance | Laboratory Upload Confirmation Follow-up | other | If you do not receive an email confirming a successful (re)upload, please contact the lab to ensure the errors were corrected. | If no email confirming successful upload or re-upload is received | high |
| #Q029 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | QC and Hold Time Evaluation Review | other | Review any results that have a red X in the QC Evaluation or Hold Time Evaluation columns. | When reviewing the Detailed report sheet of the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q030 | operational | operational | mandatory | Laboratory Data Quality Objectives Compliance | other | ensure that the lab data quality objectives have been met and are consistent with the ENV Lab Manual for those tests. | When reviewing lab duplicates in the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q031 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | BC Field Sampling Guide Reference Requirement | other | Check the BC Sampling Guide for information in regards to blank and replicate samples BC Field Sampling Guide | When performing QA/QC checks for blank and replicate samples | high |
| #Q032 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Site Coordinate Verification | other | Use GPS, then confirm coordinates with Google Earth to prevent transcription errors when creating new EMS monitoring sites. | When creating new EMS monitoring sites | high |
| #Q033 | administrative | operational | mandatory | Field Sheet Design | other | Prepare handwritten or digital field sheets so data are entered in a consistent format and samplers have fields in which to record site information (e.g., EMS ID, Site name), date/time, sampler names, conditions (changes site to site, note any obvious influence on water quality), weather, units, field instruments used to collect data (identify with unit serial #), and any additional notes. | When preparing for field data entry | high |
| #Q034 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Lab Transcription Check | other | Check that field results and dates/times have been transcribed correctly by the lab against field sheets or requisitions. | When reviewing the Results summary sheet of the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q035 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Detection Limit Qualifier Review | other | Review any detection limits that have qualifiers. | When reviewing the Detailed report sheet of the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q036 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Data Range Verification | other | Check to see if the data are within range of what you would expect to see of the water body. | When reviewing the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q037 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Outlier Review | other | Review the results for obvious outliers. | When reviewing the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q038 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | QC Assessment of Blanks and Replicates | other | Assess results for any blanks, replicates, or split samples to identify potential sample contamination, field sampling, or lab processing issues. | When reviewing the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q039 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Field and Lab Results Comparison | other | Compare any field results with lab results for similar parameters to identify if results appear to be compatible or within acceptable ranges. | When reviewing the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q040 | corrective_action | operational | mandatory | EMS Data Update Post-Reanalysis | other | Ensure that EMS data are updated and corrected if needed following re-analysis of samples or extra field sampling. | Following re-analysis of samples or extra field sampling | high |
| #Q041 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | COA Cover Page Review | other | Ensure the dates and site information are correct for the job referenced. | When reviewing the Cover page of the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q042 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Lab QC Evaluation Check | other | The lab's QC plot and evaluation legend is at the bottom of the page; check these to ensure they have been met. | When reviewing the Quality Control tab of the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q043 | monitoring | operational | mandatory | Analytical Method Consistency Check | other | When working with more than one lab, for split sampling or when there are multiple sampling parameters, use this information to ensure consistent analysis methods are being used. | When reviewing the Method tab of the Laboratory Certificate of Analyses (COA) | high |
| #Q044 | corrective_action | operational | mandatory | Hold Time Exceedance Verification with Shipper | other | If the hold times are exceeded because of the date received, verify with the shipper. | If hold times are exceeded due to the date received | high |
| #Q045 | administrative | operational | recommended | Manual Spreadsheet Creation Recommendation | other | Higher data transcription error rates occur when manually creating your own project Excel spreadsheet using the COA as the source, thus this is not recommended. | When setting up data for further analysis | high |