INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW USEPA AND USACE INTEGRATED SAMPLINGAND ANALYSIS PLAN/QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECT PLAN (SAP/QAPP) TO ASSIST IN THE PRE-DREDGING ASSESSMENT AND PERMITTING PROCESS

摘要

The current procedure for pre-dredging assessment and dredge material disposal permitting begins with the preparation of a Scope of Work (SOW) and/or Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) prepared by the client or permit applicant and a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) prepared by the sampling contractor. The SAP is intended to provide all the necessary information about a project and allow the sampling contractor to prepare the QAPP, which explains how the work will be accomplished and how all applicable requirements, e.g. Data Quality Objectives (DQOs), Target Detection Limits (TDLs), collecting samples within the dredge prism, etc., will be met. These documents, however, have no fixed formats and are often submitted with incomplete or incorrect information, causing possible delays in the overall schedule. This paper will discuss how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 (EPA Region 4) and several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts have jointly adopted a set of protocols, combining the two documents into one and establishing a new template (Integrated SAP/QAPP) to be used for all dredged material ocean disposal projects in the southeastern United States. The new format is expected to streamline the process by generating a single comprehensive document and will eventually be incorporated into the national guidance for dredged material management. The new template was developed to be used by all permit applicants in conjunction with federal, state, and private projects. The template was recently tested in a pilot project before being released to applicants. Implementation of the new model revealed that it could easily be adapted for use in areas where environmental concerns arise due to non-standardized procedures. The Integrated SAP/QAPP incorporates easy-to-follow instructions within the document, allows for multiple authors within one document, enables integration of sections at different stages of the project, and provides a completed example to further assist the applicant in addressing relevant environmental concerns in the final document.