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TE News v.14--
Changes in radchem data reporting

To: nawqa 91pc, nawqa 94pc, nawqa 97pc, wqspecs
Cc: nawqa nst, ahwelch, pcvanmet, rdeweese, dpkrabbe, sjryker, cory,
    mkoterba, nawqa nlt,
    Thomas J Maloney, Ann H Mullin, Jeanne L Hatcher, L. DeWayne Cecil,
    owq, Zoltan Szabo, Stephen R Glodt, Robert S Williams Jr
From:  Dennis R Helsel
Date:  09/29/00 11:36 AM
Subject: changes to radchem data reporting

Several items relating to radiochemical results (radium, radon, tritium) will be changing on October 1st. Look for the official memos that will be forthcoming. These are encouraging changes that should greatly simplify data handling, and allow better data analysis, for radchem data.

A. Results for radium, radon and tritium were previously censored by the NWQL during the reporting process. Beginning October 1, uncensored values will be reported to NWIS. This should eliminate the need for much of the paper reports now being sent individually to NAWQA and other project chiefs. An NWQL memo announcing the change will be released today.

B. Results for radium, radon and tritium previously reported as censored will be gradually reloaded as uncensored values by the NWQL. Expect the process to be completed by the end of calendar year 2000. This should eliminate the need for hand-entering results reported on paper by NWQL into an Excel spreadsheet or other software in order to do data analysis.

C. Paper packets sent to the study units will be much smaller in size. The radchem group at NWQL will continue to review complete packets for data quality issues, but they will pass on to users only the QC narrative for each set, plus a page for each environmental result and each QC result. Once any wrinkles in electronic reporting of environmental results are worked out, paper packets may be reduced to only the QC narrative and results.

D. An Office of Water Quality tech memo will be released soon providing guidance for interpreting uncensored radchem results. It is currently in review. Briefly, uncensored results can include very small numbers and negative numbers, which complicates publication of results. This is pushing us to adopt a general policy of comparing all uncensored results to the Minimum Detectable Concentration (MDC) reported by the lab to determine if the reported value is above background radiation in blanks. Look for the details on how to do this comparison in the memo.

Contacts for questions:

  NAWQA info:         Dennis Helsel
  Lab (@NWQL):        Ann Mullin
  Comparison method:  Sarah Ryker
  WRD Policy:         OWQ (Mike Focazio)

Ann Mullin has reported to me that the contract labs performing the analysis have been extremely impressed with the care taken in labeling and shipping bottles. SU field personnel are doing a great job. Even bottles sent straight to Duke Labs without first being assigned an NWQL login-id have been very easy to track. Keep up the good work -- the reputation of USGS has been enhanced by your attention to detail!

Visit the TE external page at: http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/trace for up to date info on regulations, publications, etc.

The TE synthesis internal page has much info for study units: http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa-only/trace/ including all TE News. The previous four were:

v.10  Info for '94 Study-Unit Summary Reports     11/24/99
v.11  TE Schedule change to 2710                   2/07/00
v.12  Results of TE Blanks from 91 Study Units     2/09/00
v.13  Arsenic in Groundwater; new proposed MCL     5/30/00

Trace Element National Synthesis internal homepage - Archive of 'TE News'
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