The Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPrP) serves as an umbrella document for use by each of SWAMP’s contributing projects. It describes the program’s quality system in terms of organizational structure; the functional responsibilities of management and staff; the lines of authority; and the interfaces for those planning, implementing, and assessing all activities conducted. Its primary purpose is to:

Ensure that SWAMP activities adhere to the quality assurance (QA) policies in the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Board’s) draft quality management plan (QMP);
Specify the quality systems of SWAMP; and
Serve as a guidance document for projects that are required to be or desire to be SWAMP-comparable

This document applies to the collection of surface water ambient monitoring data, and addresses neither ambient groundwater data, nor effluent data collected as part of National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting or waste discharge requirements. Use of the QAPrP is:

Required for SWAMP-funded projects
Required for state programs with a SWAMP-comparability mandate
Encouraged for projects external to SWAMP

Projects already funded by pre-FY 2008-2009 SWAMP budget allocations may continue to completion under the Quality Assurance Management Plan for the State of California’s Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (QAMP). Projects sponsored by the State Board’s Division of Financial Assistance (DFA) are required to use either of the above documents. However, the State Board strongly encourages the use of the QAPrP for all forthcoming projects.