Managing the Quality of Environmental Data at EPA Region 8

About the Region 8 Quality Assurance Program 

 On this page:

• Program Guidance & Requirements

• Quality Assurance Tools
  • R8 Document Crosswalks
  • R8 Quality Assurance Project Plan Templates

The Region 8 Quality Assurance Branch is located in the Laboratory Services & Applied Sciences Division. (LSASD)

The Quality Assurance Branch administers the EPA Region 8 Quality Management Plan (QMP) and assures that Region 8 and the 6 encompassing states and 28 tribes follow and uphold EPA’s quality standards thus contributing to the development of sound science to preserve and improve Region 8’s diverse environmental landscapes.

The primary goal of the EPA Region 8 Quality Management Plan is to assure that environmental information produced and used are of known and documented quality that are suitable for their intended use. 

National Quality Program Guidance & Requirements

EPA Quality Policies and Procedures define the quality specifications for organizations that produce or use environmental information for or on behalf of the EPA:

• Environmental Information Quality Policy CIO 2105
• Environmental Information Quality Procedure-CIO 2105-P-01

 Find these and other EPA Agency-wide Quality Program Documents including information such as:

• Specifications for EPA Organizations
• Specifications for Non-EPA Organizations
• General Quality Assurance Guidance

 Notice: The Agency is transitioning to a new numbering scheme for the EPA Quality Policy and Quality Manual documents. 

Quality Management Plan Requirements: Use the EPA QA/S-1 and Region 8 QMP Crosswalk to develop your QMP. All QMPs submitted to the Region for approval must be accompanied by a completed QMP Crosswalk.

• EPA Standards for Quality Management Plans, QA/S-1 
• Region 8 Quality Management Plan (QMP) Crosswalk for S1 Standard (2023)

 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Requirements: Use the EPA QA/S-2, QA/G-5, and Region 8 QA Document Review Crosswalk to develop your QAPP. All QAPPs submitted to the Region for approval must be accompanied by a completed QA Document Review Crosswalk.

• EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Plans, QA/S2 
• EPA Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans, QA/G-5
• Guidance on Systematic Planning using the Data Quality Objectives Process (QA/G-4)
• Uniform Federal Policy for Quality Assurance Project Plans (UFP-QAPP) Resources and Template
• Guidance for Geospatial Data Quality Assurance Project Plans (QA/G-5G)
• Guidance for Preparing Standard Operating Procedures (QA/G-6)
• Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling (QA/G-5M)
• Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data Collection for use in Developing a QAPP (QA/G-5S)
• EPA Historical Requirements for Quality Assurance Plans, QA/R-5 

• R8 QA Document Crosswalks 

  • Region 8 QA/S-2 QAPP Document Review Crosswalk (docx) (05/2024)
  • UFP-QAPPs ONLY: Region 8 CERCLA Optimized UFP-QAPP Crosswalk (09/2024)
  • Brownfields Projects ONLY: Brownfields QAPP Crosswalk Region 8 QA Document Review Crosswalk (01/2023)
  • Region 8 Quality Management Plan (QMP) Crosswalk for S1 Standard (2023)
  • Region 8 Historical QA/R-5 QAPP Document Review Crosswalk (docx) (07/2017)

• R8 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Templates

  • R8 Environmental Justice and Environmental Education Grants--QAPP Template (2023) 
  • R8 Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR ) Grants -- QAPP Template (2023)
  • R8 Water Infrastructure Community Grants -- Construction QA Plan Template (for construction only) (2024)
  • R8 Water Infrastructure Community Grants -- Construction QA Plan Template (for construction with analytical sampling) (2024) 
  • R8 Water Infrastructure Community Grants -- Construction QA Plan Template (for construction with design) (2024)

 Region 8 Quality Assurance Branch Contacts

Representative	Phone	Email	Focus Areas
Mary Goldade, QA Branch Manager and Regional QA Manager	(303) 312-7024	Goldade.Mary@epa.gov	RQAM; QA Document Review Requests
Teresa Williams	(303) 312-6892	Williams.Teresa@epa.gov	Deputy RQAM; QAFAP/Field Operations Program; DAO Program; State Depts of Ag QA Lead
Chad Franzen	(303) 312-6846	Franzen.Chad@epa.gov	PQAO Program and State DEQs QA Lead
Nathan Delhierro	(303) 312-6352	Delhierro.Nathan@epa.gov	Contracts, Interagency Agreements
Erick Zacher	(303) 312-6220	Zacher.Erick@epa.gov	Air Special Grants (CPRG, ARP)
Nikki Thomsen	(303) 312-6423	Thomsen.Nikki@epa.gov	Environmental Justice Grants
Questions / Request		R8QABranch@epa.gov	Region 8 Quality Assurance