Arkansas Water Resources Center

Water Quality Laboratory

Statement of Qualifications

2019

1371 W. Alteimer Drive

Room 133

Fayetteville, AR 72704

479-502-9843

awrcwql@uark.edu

Visit our website at:

arkansas-water-center.uark.edu

Table of Contents

1 - Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

2 - Facilities and Equipment ................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

3 - Analytical Services ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

4 - Personnel Qualifications ................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

5 - Certification and Data Quality ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

1 - Introduction

The Arkansas Water Resources Center (AWRC) Water

Quality Laboratory (WQL) specializes in the analysis of

chemical, physical, and biological parameters in water

samples. The Lab has been in operation by the AWRC

at the University of Arkansas since 1991, and is

currently directed by Dr. Brian Haggard.

The Lab is located at the Don Tyson Center for

Agricultural Sciences at the University of Arkansas in

Fayetteville. The state-of-the-art laboratory is home

to over $200,000 worth of equipment and covers

approximately 2,500 square feet of total lab space.

We service a range of clientele, including researchers,

agricultural producers, water treatment facilities,

consulting firms, students, and interested citizens.

The WQL operates under an approved Quality

Assurance Plan that meets or exceeds all requirements

for certification by the Arkansas Department of

Environmental Quality. We are committed to providing

high-quality defensible data, whether it’s testing

pond water quality for a cattle farmer or stream

water quality for potential legal cases.

About the AWRC

The AWRC is part of the National Institutes for Water

Resources (NIWR), a nation-wide program put into place

by Congress in 1964 by the Water Resources Research

Act (WRRA). The purpose of the WRRA was to establish

water research institutions in each state and some

territories to help inform water resource managers at the

local, state, and national level, to train future water

scientists, and to transfer research results and best

practices to water stakeholders and the public.

We make our information available to the public by

publishing fact sheets, technical reports, data reports

and more on our website:

https://arkansas-water-center.uark.edu/publications/

index.php

Photo by Mark Corder

“Pointing to Sunset” at Lake Ouachita, Arkansas.

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2 - Facilities and Equipment

The AWRC WQL is in a state-of-the-art facility and is

dedicated to providing clients with high quality data.

Lab personnel are trained to operate all necessary

laboratory equipment to analyze water samples

quickly and accuartely. A list of analytical equipment

is shown in table 2.1.

The Lab is spread across multiple analytical rooms

to reduce the chances of contamination and to

facilitate a smooth flow of operational procedures.

Chemistry Room

Most lab work is done in this room and most of the

analytical equipment is here. This room is equiped

with fume hoods and plenty of counter space for

sample processing.

“Dirty” Room

This room is designed to accomodate in-house

experiments that could potentially contaminate the

air. It can also be used to process unusually “dirty”

samples, such as samples high in sediments.

Bacteria Room

The bacteria room provides space for processing

biologically sensitive samples, such as testing for

bacteria, where sterile supplies are needed.

Storage Room

The storage room houses several refrigerators and

freezers for sample storage in a cold dark place.

Samples might be stored for up to a few months

even after analysis has been done.

Table 2.1 List of analytical equipment.

Skalar San++ System Autoanalyzer for TOC

Skalar San++ System Autoanalyzer for

Nutrients Skalar Formacs HT TOC Analyzer

Dionex Ion Chromatography System 1600

Beckman Coulter UV/Vis

Spectrophotometer Lachat QuikChem 8500

Spectro Genesis ICP

Turner Designs Trilogy Fluorometer

Thermo Scientific Orion

WTW Turb 550

VWR Symphony B10C

Mettler Toledo AX205 Balance

Mettler Toledo XP203S Balance

Steris Amsco Century SV-120 Scientific

Autoclave Beckman Coulter Allegra 6 Centrifuge

Barnstead Thermodyne 30400 Furnace

VWR Drying Oven

Idexx Quanti-Tray Sealer

Thermo Scientific Incubator

Siemens Modulab High Flow DI Water System

Refrigerators and Freezers for Sample Storage

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3 - Analytical Services

The AWRC WQL specializes in the

analysis of water samples for

chemical, physical, and biological

parameters. The Lab follows standard

methods of analysis including EPA

and APHA methods. Table 3.1 shows

the list of analyses that the Lab offers

and the associated methods used.

In addition to the individual or

groups of parameters listed in Table

3.1, the Lab offers other analytical

“packages” that include common

parameters of interest for a specific

use, such as for watering livestock

or irrigating crops.

The Lab might also be able to

conduct analyses not listed in Table

3.1, if requested by the client.

Once the analyses and data

processing are complete, lab staff

will email the analytical report to

the client; clients can choose to

receive a hard copy report via

regular mail if they prefer.

The report includes the results of the

analyses, the methods used, and

quality assurance and quality control

(QAQC) information. The lab provides

information about the reporting limit,

method detection limit, standard

checks, lab duplicates, and lab spikes,

all of which help to demonstrate the

precision and accuracy of the data.

The Lab also helps clients

understand what their results mean.

Each report includes the URL to our

website where clients can find fact

sheets that describe the acceptable

ranges of certain parameters that are

important for an intended use.

https://arkansas-water-center.uark.

edu/publications/factsheets.php

3.1 List of parameters and methods for water sample analysis by the

AWRC WQL. Units are in mg/L unless otherwise specified.

Parameter Method RL MDL

pH EPA 150.1 NA NA

Conductivity EPA 120.1 (µS/cm) NA 2.3

Alkalinity APHA 2320 B NA NA

Hardness EPA 130.2, APHA 2340 B NA NA

Turbidity EPA 180.1 NA NA

Chlorophyll a, b, and c APHA 10200 H1 & 2C (µg/L) NA 0.22

Total Dissolved Solids EPA 160.1 18 NA

Total Suspended Solids EPA 160.2 2 NA

Total Solids EPA 160.3 23 NA

Fixed and Volatile Solids APHA 2540 E NA NA

Aluminum EPA 200.7 0.100 0.034

Arsenic EPA 200.7 0.050 0.012

Boron EPA 200.7 0.100 0.030

Barium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.004

Calcium EPA 200.7 0.250 0.119

Cadmium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.013

Cobalt EPA 200.7 0.050 0.008

Chromium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.008

Copper EPA 200.7 0.050 0.009

Iron EPA 200.7 0.050 0.026

Potassium EPA 200.7 0.25 0.14

Magnesium EPA 200.7 0.250 0.032

Manganese EPA 200.7 0.050 0.006

Molybdenum EPA 200.7 0.050 0.008

Sodium EPA 200.7 0.250 0.120

Nickel EPA 200.7 0.050 0.020

Lead EPA 200.7 0.050 0.020

Selenium EPA 200.7 0.25 0.03

Titanium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.007

Vanadium EPA 200.7 0.050 0.008

Zinc EPA 200.7 0.050 0.009

Chloride EPA 300.0 0.500 0.112

Fluoride EPA 300.0 0.100 0.016

Sulfate EPA 300.0 0.500 0.041

Soluble Reactive Phosphorus EPA 365.1, EPA 365.2 0.005 0.005

Total Phosphorus APHA 4500-P J; EPA 365.1 0.020 0.008

Nitrate-Nitrogen EPA 300.0 0.050 0.006

Nitrite-Nitrogen EPA 354.1 0.010 0.003

Nitrate plus Nitrite-Nitrogen EPA 353.2 0.010 0.003

Ammonium-Nitrogen EPA 351.2 0.025 0.020

Total Nitrogen APHA 4500-P J; EPA 353.2 0.02 0.01

Dissolved Organic Carbon EPA 412.1 0.50 0.20

Total Organic Carbon EPA 412.1 0.50 0.20

Total Inorganic Carbon EPA 412.1 0.50 0.15

E. coli and Total Coliform APHA 9223 B (MPN/100 mL) <1 NA

*RL is the Reporting Limit, which is the lowest non-zero standard used in the

calibration, or the lowest repotable value identified by th emethod.

*MDL is the Method Detection Limit, which is the lowest concentration that

can be detected using the given methods and equipment.

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4 - Personnel Qualifications

Brian Haggard, Ph.D., is the director of the AWRC and the

WQL. He is also a professor of Biological and Agricultural

AWRC WQL Organizational Structure

Engineering at the University of Arkansas. Brian has

been managing laboratory activities throughout his

career, beginning during his graduate studies at the Director

University of Arkansas and Oklahoma State University. Dr. Brian E. Haggard

Erin Scott, M.S., is the lab supervisor, overseeing lab Program Manager and Quality Assurance Officer

operations and the quality assurance plan (QAP). She Erin E. Scott

reviews and revises the QAP as needed and reviews

analytical data before results are sent to the client. Laboratory Technician and Safety Officer

Keith Trost, M.S., Jennifer Purtle, and Brina Smith

Keith Trost

(pictured below) are responsible for the daily operations Laboratory Technician and Accountant

of the Lab. With a combined lab experience of 64 years, Jennifer Purtle

they are well-versed on analytical procedures needed to

analyze water samples. Laboratory and Field Technician

Bradley Austin, Ph.D., is the field services technician and

Brina Smith

a quality assurance officer. He collects water samples Post-doctoral Research Associate

from over 30 stream sites in Arkansas and Oklahoma Dr. Bradley J. Austin

and returns them to the Lab for analysis. He assists lab

personnel with analysis as needed.

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5 - Certification and Data Quality

The AWRC WQL is certified by the Arkansas

Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), which

is the agency responsible for administering the State

Environmental Laboratory Certification Program.

Certification criteria includes a requirement that the Lab

operates under a quality assurance plan (QAP). The

purpose of the QAP is to ensure that all laboratory

testing and activities are performed according to best

lab practices. This means that all data generated by the

Lab will be scientifically valid, legally defensible, and

have acceptable precision and accuracy.

The Lab’s QAP contains detailed descriptions of QA

objectives, sampling procedures, calibration and

analytical procedures, data analysis and reporting,

procedures to evaluate QA objectives, and a

protocol for taking corrective action when needed.

The Lab consistently passes the profiency testing

required for certification. Proficiency testing involves

analyzing “unknown” concentrations of each parameter

and submitting results to ADEQ. We pass the

testing when our results are within the acceptable

range of the actual value.

The Lab also partcipates in the U.S. Geological Survey’s

Standard Reference Sample Project. The purpose is to

evaluate the anlaytical performance of labs that analyze

chemical constituents in environmental water samples.

Participation is required by any lab that provides water-

quality data to the USGS.

To ensure that clients receive the most accurate data, we

operate under a rigorous process of data management

and review before sending the report to the client. We use

the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)

to store data and generate reports. Most of the data entry

is automated, reducing the chances of human error. All of

the data are verified for accuracy by a trained data

verifier, who was not involved in the laboratory analysis.

The data are then reviewed by the QA officer before

results are sent to the client.

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Arkansas Water Resources Center

Water Quality Laboratory

Test your water with us!

1371 W. Alteimer Drive 479-502-9843

Room 133 awrcwql@uark.edu

Fayetteville, AR 72704

Visit our website at:

arkansas-water-center.uark.edu

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