10-28-12 (Draft Please Do Not Cite Or Quote)

10-28-12 (Draft – Please do not cite or quote)

Quality Assurance Project Plan

Spokane River Toxics Fish Tissue and Preliminary Monitoring in Fiscal Year 2013 - In Support of the Long-term Toxics Monitoring Strategy

October 2012

Publication No. 12-03-1xx

Publication Information

Each study conducted by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) must have an approved Quality Assurance Project Plan. The plan describes the objectives of the study and the procedures to be followed to achieve those objectives. After completing the study, Ecology will post the final report of the study to the Internet.

The plan for this study is available on Ecology’s website at www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/12031??.html. (Jean Maust will add this number)

Ecology’s Activity Tracker Code for this study is TBD.

Waterbody Number: WA-57-1010: Middle Spokane River; WA-54-1010 and WA-54-1020: Lower Spokane River; WA-54-9040 Lake Spokane.

Author and Contact Information

Brandee Era-Miller

P.O. Box 47600

Environmental Assessment Program

Washington State Department of Ecology

Olympia, WA 98504-7710

For more information contact: Communications Consultant, phone 360-407-6834.

Washington State Department of Ecology - www.ecy.wa.gov/

o  Headquarters, Olympia 360-407-6000

o  Northwest Regional Office, Bellevue 425-649-7000

o  Southwest Regional Office, Olympia 360-407-6300

o  Central Regional Office, Yakima 509-575-2490

o  Eastern Regional Office, Spokane 509-329-3400

Any use of product or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only
and does not imply endorsement by the author or the Department of Ecology.

If you need this document in a format for the visually impaired, call 360-407-6834.

Persons with hearing loss can call 711 for Washington Relay Service.

Persons with a speech disability can call 877- 833-6341.

Quality Assurance Project Plan

Spokane River Toxics Fish Tissue and Preliminary Monitoring in Fiscal Year 2013 - In Support of the Long-term Toxics Monitoring Strategy

October 2012

Approved by:

Signature: / Date:
Adriane Borgias, Client, Water Quality Program, Eastern Regional Office
Signature: / Date:
David T. Knight, Client’s Unit Supervisor, Water Quality Program, Eastern Regional Office
Signature: / Date:
Jim Bellatty, Client’s Section Manager, Water Quality Program, Eastern Regional Office
Signature: / Date:
Brandee Era-Miller, Author / Project Manager, EAP
Signature: / Date:
Dale Norton, Author’s Unit Supervisor, EAP
Signature: / Date:
Will Kendra, Author’s Section Manager, EAP
Signature: / Date:
Jennifer Parsons, Section Manager for Project Study Area, EAP
Signature: / Date:
Joel Bird, Director, Manchester Environmental Laboratory
Signature: / Date:
Bill Kammin, Ecology Quality Assurance Officer

Signatures are not available on the Internet version.

EAP: Environmental Assessment Program

EIM: Environmental Information Management database

Table of Contents

Page

List of Figures and Tables 3

Abstract 4

Background 4

Project Description 5

Organization and Schedule 6

Quality Objectives 8

Sampling Process Design (Experimental Design) 10

Surface Water 10

CLAM 11

Particulates 12

Fish 12

Sampling Procedures 15

Surface Water 15

CLAM 16

Particulates 17

Fish 20

Measurement Procedures 21

Budget 23

Quality Control Procedures 25

Field 25

Laboratory 26

Data Management Procedures 27

Audits and Reports 27

Data Verification 28

Data Quality (Usability) Assessment 28

References 29

Appendices 31

Appendix A. Figures Showing Monitoring Locations 32

Appendix B. Glossary, Acronyms, and Abbreviations 35

List of Figures and Tables

Page

Figures

Figure 1. CLAM Monitoring Plan for Spokane River, October 2012. 17

Figure 2. Schematic of Sediment Trap Design and Deployment Configuration (Norton, 1996). 19

Tables

Table 1. Organization of project staff and responsibilities. 6

Table 2. Proposed schedule for completing field and laboratory work and reports. 7

Table 3. Measurement Quality Objectives for Toxics Parameters. 9

Table 4. Sampling Design for Spokane Toxics in FY13. 10

Table 5. Fish Composite Samples for PCB Aroclor Analysis. 13

Table 6. Sample Containers, Preservations, and Holding Times. 15

Table 7. Parameters, Reporting Limits, Expected Concentrations and Analytical Methods. 22

Table 8. Funding for the Spokane River Toxics FY13 Project. 23

Table 9. Estimated Laboratory Analysis Budget for the Spokane River Toxics FY13 Project†. 24

Table 10. Field Quality Control Samples. 25

Table 11. Laboratory Quality Control Samples. 26

Abstract

The Department of Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program Toxics Studies Unit (TSU) will conduct a comprehensive survey of toxics in fish tissue and some limited preliminary sampling of toxics in surface water and suspended particulates in the Spokane River during the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013. The purpose of preliminary sampling is to aid in developing a long-term monitoring plan for the mainstem Spokane River.

Toxic chemicals to be sampled include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc).

Background

The Spokane River contains elevated levels of a number of toxic chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dioxins/furans and metals. These contaminants are prevalent in water, sediment, and fish tissue. Numerous studies and clean-up activities to address contamination are ongoing in the Spokane River watershed.

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF). The mission of this regional task force is to work collaboratively to characterize the sources of toxics in the Spokane River and identify and implement appropriate actions needed to make measurable progress towards meeting applicable water quality standards. Applicable standards include those promulgated by the State of Washington, State of Idaho, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians.

To assist the regional task force in accomplishing their mission, Ecology’s Environmental Assessment (EA) Program – Toxics Studies Unit (TSU) recently drafted recommendations for a long-term monitoring plan for toxics in the mainstem of the Spokane River (Era-Miller, 2012). These recommendations describe a multiple lines of evidence approach to long-term monitoring that focuses on surface water, bottom sediments, suspended particulates, fish tissue and osprey eggs from the mainstem Spokane River. Recommendations also included a plan for some preliminary monitoring to be conducted during the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013to aid designing a long term monitoring program for the mainstem Spokane River. Monitoring to be conducted in 2012 and 2013 is described in the current Quality Assurance (QA) Project Plan.

Project Description

Long-term environmental toxics monitoring in the Spokane River will focus on the mainstem of the river, while at the same time numerous other efforts will be focused on source identification and control. Toxics monitoring to be conducted during the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013 will aid in designing a long-term monitoring program for the mainstem Spokane River.

Toxics monitoring during the fall of 2012 and spring of 2013 will include a comprehensive survey of toxics in fish tissue and some limited preliminary sampling of toxics in surface water and suspended particulates. For the purposes of this study, “toxics” will be defined as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) and metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc) unless otherwise specified.

The fish tissue monitoring will be included as part of the Washington State Toxics Monitoring Program (WSTMP) – Long Term Trends effort. The WSTMP will lead the fish tissue monitoring with the goal of developing a baseline program for detecting long-term trends for toxics in fish in the Spokane River. The fish tissue monitoring will also meet the needs of the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), so that they can review and potentially update the current fish consumption advisories on the Spokane River.

Preliminary sampling of toxics in surface water and suspended particulates is not intended to represent comprehensive monitoring. Instead, it is designed to test different sample collection methods and analytical reporting limits. The goal of collecting this preliminary data is to help Ecology, SRRTTF, and other entities design future monitoring plans for toxic chemicals in the Spokane River. A separate QAPP will be prepared to describe Ecology’s long-term monitoring effort in the mainstem of the Spokane River.

Organization and Schedule

Table 1 lists the people involved in this project. All are employees of the Washington State Department of Ecology. Table 2 presents the proposed schedule for this project.

Table 1. Organization of project staff and responsibilities.

Staff
(all are EAP except client) / Title / Responsibilities /
Adrian Borgias
Water Quality Program
Eastern Regional Office
Phone: 509-329-3515 / EAP Client / Clarifies scopes of the project. Provides internal review of the QAPP and approves the final QAPP.
Brandee Era-Miller
Toxics Studies Unit
Statewide Coordination Section
Phone: 360-407-6771 / Project Manager/Principal Investigator / Writes the QAPP. Oversees field sampling and transportation of samples to the laboratory. Conducts QA review of data, analyzes and interprets data, and enters data into EIM. Writes the draft technical memo and final technical memo.
Dale Norton
Toxics Studies Unit
Statewide Coordination Section
Phone: 360-407-6765 / Unit Supervisor for the Project Manager / Provides internal review of the QAPP, approves the budget, and approves the final QAPP.
Will Kendra
Statewide Coordination Section
Phone: 360-407-6698 / Section Manager for the Project Manager / Reviews the project scope and budget, tracks progress, reviews the draft QAPP, and approves the final QAPP.
Jennifer Parsons
Eastern Operations Section
Phone: 509-457-7136 / Acting EAP Section Manager for the Study Area / Reviews the project scope and budget, tracks progress, reviews the draft QAPP, and approves the final QAPP.
Joel Bird
Manchester Environmental Laboratory
Phone: 360-871-8801 / Director / Approves the final QAPP.
William R. Kammin
Phone: 360-407-6964 / Ecology Quality Assurance
Officer / Reviews the draft QAPP and approves the final QAPP.

EAP: Environmental Assessment Program

EIM: Environmental Information Management database

QAPP: Quality Assurance Project Plan

Table 2. Proposed schedule for completing field and laboratory work and reports.

Field and laboratory work / Due date / Lead staff
Field work completed / May 2013 / Brandee Era-Miller
Laboratory analyses completed / July 2013
Final Technical Memo
Author lead / Support staff / Brandee Era-Miller
Schedule
Draft due to supervisor / August 2013
Draft due to client/peer reviewer / September 2013
Draft due to external reviewer(s) / October 2013
Final due / December 2013

Quality Objectives

Quality objectives for this project are to obtain data of sufficient quality and to minimize uncertainty. For fish tissue data, the objective is to produce results comparable to data from past, present, and future studies on the Spokane River. For preliminary monitoring using CLAM (continuous low-level monitors) samplers, the objective is also to produce enough field duplicate data and laboratory quality assurance (QA) data to evaluate the precision and accuracy of the collection method and analytical methods for this new technology.

These objectives will be achieved by carefully following the Sampling Procedures and Quality Control Procedures described in this QA Project Plan. This plan was written following the guidance document: Guidelines for Preparing Quality Assurance Project Plans for Environmental Studies (Lombard, S. and C. Kirchmer, 2004).

Ecology’s Manchester Environmental laboratory (MEL) and laboratories contracted by MEL for analysis of project samples are expected to meet the measurement quality objectives (MQOs) selected for the project. The MQOs that will be used for the project are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Measurement Quality Objectives for Toxics Parameters.

Parameter / Lab Control Samples
(% Recovery) / Duplicate samples (RPD) / Matrix
Spike
(% Recovery) / Matrix Spike Duplicates (RPD) / Surrogate Recoveries
(% Recovery)
Water
TOC & DOC / 80 – 120 / ≤20% / 75 – 125 / 20% / NA
TSS / 80 – 120 / ≤20% / NA / NA / NA
PCB congeners / 50 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a
PBDEs – HR / 50 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a,b
CLAM
PCB congeners / 50 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a
PCB Aroclors / 50 – 150 / ≤40% / 50 – 150 / 40% / 50 – 150
PBDEs – HR / 50 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a,b
PBDEs / 40 – 175c / ≤40% / 40 – 175c / ≤40% / 10 – 130
PCDD/Fs / 25 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a
Particulates
% Solids / NA / ≤20% / NA / NA / NA
TOC / 80 – 120 / ≤20% / NA / NA / NA
Cd, Pb, & Zn / 85 – 115 / ≤20% / 75 – 125 / 20% / NA
PCB congeners / 50 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a
PBDEs – HR / 50 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a,b
PCDD/Fs / 25 – 150† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a
Fish
Lipids / NA / ≤20% / NA / NA / NA
As, Cd, Pb, & Zn / 85 – 115 / ≤20% / 75 – 125 / 20% / NA
Hg / 80 – 120 / ≤20% / 75 – 125 / 20% / NA
PCB Aroclors / 50 – 150 / ≤40% / 50 – 150 / 40% / 50 – 150
PCB congeners / compound specific† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a
PBDEs / 50 – 150 / ≤40% / 50 – 150 / 40% / 50 – 150
PCDD/Fs / compound specific† / ≤50% / NA / NA / 25 – 150a

CLAM = Continuous Low-Level Aqueous Monitoring device

HR = high resolution (isotopic dilution) methods (method EPA 1614 for PBDEs)

RPD = Relative percent difference

TOC = total organic carbon

DOC = dissolved organic carbon

PCDD/Fs = dioxins and furans

† = Per Method for OPR, internal standards, and labeled compounds

a = labeled congeners

b = BDE 209 recovery between 20 – 200%

c = BDE 191 and 209 LCS recovery between 40 – 225%

Sampling Process Design (Experimental Design)

The design for toxics monitoring in the Spokane River is shown in Table 4. Monitoring includes a comprehensive fish tissue study and preliminary sampling of surface water and particulates using several collection methods.

Table 4. Sampling Design for Spokane Toxics in FY13.

Monitoring Component / Toxics Parameters Analyzed / Monitoring Sites / Sample Collection Dates
Surface Water / PCBs and PBDEs (high resolution methods for congeners only) / Stateline, Upriver Dam, Above Latah, Ninemile Dam, and Above Chamokane / October 23-25, 2012 and again in May 2013
CLAM / PCBs (Aroclors and congeners), PBDEs (EPA Method 8270 and high resolution method EPA 1614), and PCDD/Fs / Upriver Dam and Ninemile Dam / October 23-25, 2012
Particulates / PCBs, PBDEs, PCDD/Fs (high resolution methods only) and metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn) / Upriver Dam and Ninemile Dam / October 2012 –
April 2013 (deployment period)
Fish / PCBs (Aroclors and congeners), PBDEs (EPA method 8270), PCDD/Fs, and Metals (As, Cd, Pb, Zn, & Hg) / Stateline, Upriver, Mission Park, Ninemile, Upper Long Lake, Little Falls Pool, and below Little Falls / September 17 – October 12, 2012

CLAM = Continuous Low-Level Aqueous Monitoring device