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Lake Pocotopaug Lake and Watershed Restoration Evaluation ...

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4.0 METHODS AND APPROACH4.1 Quality Control <strong>and</strong> Quality AssuranceThis Section presents the organization <strong>and</strong> objectives of the sampling activities <strong>and</strong> proceduresassociated with the <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Pocotopaug</strong>, <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Watershed</strong> <strong>Restoration</strong> <strong>Evaluation</strong>. Specificprotocols for sampling, sample h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>and</strong> storage, <strong>and</strong> laboratory <strong>and</strong> field analyses aredescribed. All QA/QC procedures were structured in accordance with applicable technicalst<strong>and</strong>ards.All sampling was carried out in order to assure sample precision, accuracy, completeness, <strong>and</strong>representativeness. Precision is a measure of the degree to which two or more measurementsare in agreement, <strong>and</strong> was assessed through the determination of duplicate samples, collectedor measured r<strong>and</strong>omly, representing about 10% of the actual number of samples. Precisionwas measured as the relative percent difference (RPD) between sets of values:( Amount in Sample1−Amount in Sample 2)RPD =x1000.5 ( Amount in Sample1+Amount in Sample 2)A total of seven duplicate samples were collected for tributaries <strong>and</strong> storm drains, <strong>and</strong> seven forin-lake stations during the sampling period of April-December 2001. RPD values for waterquality ranged from 0% to 67%, for in-lake samples <strong>and</strong> 0% to 100% for tributaries <strong>and</strong> stormdrains (Table 6). In-lake RPD values higher than 20% resulted from small differences in resultsnear the detection limit for dissolved phosphorus (DP). Tributary <strong>and</strong> storm drain RPD valueswere much higher. Tributary samples were not “duplicates”; they were a second bottle placedon the same stake or in the same general area in an effort to collect first flush stormwater.Unattended stormwater sampling results in high variability.Accuracy or percent error is the degree of agreement between the observed value (i.e.,measured, estimated, or calculated) <strong>and</strong> an accepted reference or true value (i.e., the realvalue). The laboratory employed to analyze samples performs such tests on a regular basis.Percent error was below 10% for most of the accuracy samples (Table 7).( True−Observed)PercentError=x100( True)<strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Pocotopaug</strong> <strong>Restoration</strong> <strong>Evaluation</strong> 17May 2002

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