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State Water Board emphasizes QAPPs, lab QC and tribal data mapping in HAB training
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Summary
SWAMP staff walked attendees through Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs), lab quality control expectations for HAB analyses, tribal data mapping resources, and practical tips on drones and sample chains of custody.
Tessa Foggitt, who covers quality assurance and data management for SWAMP, told attendees that the primary goal of a QAPP is to document monitoring design elements, procedures, and data uses so results support project questions and future reproducibility. “A QAPP is a project specific plan designed to provide the type and quality of data required to answer questions posed by the project,” she said.
Foggitt urged teams to tailor the size and complexity of a QAPP to project scope, noted they often cover up to three years, and recommended using SWAMP’s “QAPPs Made Easy” workbook as a plain‑language template for required elements. She described data quality objectives as the who/what/where/when/why of a project and said teams should set acceptance criteria for quality‑control samples and discuss those requirements with laboratories before sample submission.
On laboratory analysis, Foggitt reviewed common methods (ELISA, LC‑MS/MS, qPCR) and advised selecting labs with documented data‑quality systems and clear reporting formats. She said SWAMP maintains a multi‑page cyanotoxin laboratory list showing matrix, toxin analytes, method and reporting limits to help teams choose appropriate labs. SWAMP is also developing QC guidance for qPCR and metabarcoding expected by 2026.
Anna Holder introduced a tribal data mapping tool assembled with tribal partners to aggregate public layers that tribes find useful — tribal land and geopolitical boundaries, the California Integrated Report (biennial water quality assessment), CalEnviroScreen and other environmental layers — and said the tool will eventually include SWAMP surface‑water data.
During Q&A, a participant asked about drone sensors for narrow streams. Marissa Van Dyke and Carly Nelson explained that teams can use drone photography or attach reflectance sensors to drones to capture chlorophyll signals, but cautioned that adding sensors increases cost and that low‑tech aerial surveys (or helicopters) can also be useful. Dave Karen described using drone video for Clear Lake reconnaissance.
Foggitt closed with recordkeeping and data‑lifecycle advice: keep field sheets or standardized electronic forms, preserve chain‑of‑custody records and EDDs from labs, assign staff roles for data review and long‑term storage, and document processing steps so future staff can find and reuse datasets. The team offered one‑on‑one help and said session slides/recording would be posted by May 5 and a sampling‑methods training follows on May 27.
No formal policy actions or votes were taken during the training; presenters offered follow‑up support and resources to help tribal and local partners implement monitoring and quality controls.
