As of January 1, 2024, every laboratory, regardless of certificate expiration date, is required to implement the 2016 TNI Standard incorporated by reference in ELAP’s regulations. ELAP will be verifying compliance! Read on to learn how and make sure your laboratory is prepared. Laboratories located in California If your laboratory has already had an assessment to...

CWEA’s Laboratory Committee Chair Josie Teller from the City of Davis led an effort to craft a comment letter regarding the State Water Board draft regulations to raise ELAP fees. In summary, CWEA’s comment letter recommends: Request to Delay the Adoption and Initiate a Collaborative Process Regulatory Language Needs Clarification Reporting Mechanism (tools) Request to...

From now until October 1, 2023, the California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) is accepting applications and nominations for five vacancies on the Environmental Laboratory Technical Advisory Committee (ELTAC). ELAP is accepting applications and nominations for Representatives, and is looking to fill positions for two Scientific Positions, two Community Implementation Advisors, and one Accreditation Advisor....

Visit CWEA’s WDR resource page supported by West Coast Safety. According to State Water Board ELAP staff members the decision to require accreditation in specific field of accreditations (FOAs) is determined by the WDR program and ELAP can provide some general guidance. The reason that ELAP has two distinct FOA tables for microbiological methods is because...

The Laboratory Analyst (LAB) certification program has undergone a comprehensive update process, spearheaded by a dedicated team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). This meticulous examination of the certification program aimed to enhance the standards and ensure that the exams accurately reflect the practical skills required in the laboratory field. The process, which spanned from July...

This April the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts announced that its laboratories have been recognized for adopting a new standard that will ensure the quality and accuracy of laboratory data. The new standard, the 2016 TNI standard, is not required to be implemented until 2024. However, the Sanitation Districts upgraded its policies and procedures early...

Letter was sent to the State Water Board on April 27, 2023 On behalf of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), the American Water Works Association California-Nevada Section (CA-NV AWWA), and the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA), we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the annual ELAP...

The updated Laboratory Analyst Candidate Handbook is here! Covering all four Grade Levels, this handbook is the go-to source for LAB Certification whether you are actively preparing for an exam, thinking about the next stage in your career, or training teammates. In it you will find everything you need to prepare for the new exams launching...

The State Water Board in early September approved a new method for testing for microplastics making California perhaps one of the first places in the world that will test for microplastics. The Board will also require 30 water agencies to start testing for microplastics in the fall of 2023. “There’s no other place in the...

Microplastics are some of the world’s most pervasive and troubling pollutants, finding their way into water, soil, air, wildlife, and humans. These tiny particles come from many sources, including larger plastic debris that breaks down into smaller pieces over time. When plastics are washed down the drain or flushed down the toilet in our service...

One of Patrick Green’s first orders of business each day is to open a tap and fill a bottle with sludge. A utilities plant operator in Modesto, a city of nearly a quarter-million people in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Green helps keep the city’s sewers flowing and its wastewater treated to acceptable levels of safety....

SCCWRP and its partners have found that variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – including mutations found in the virus’s Eta variant lineage – can be detected in wastewater influent streams across Southern California using next-generation DNA sequencing methods. The proof-of-concept study, published in September by the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, was able to strongly correlate viral levels in...

EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region announced approval of an innovative, quick turn-around DNA-based method to evaluate bacteria in San Diego County beach water. The San Diego County rapid test is the first demonstration of the use of this method for routine beach monitoring in the world. This method was developed for beach use by the Southern...

On September 15, 2021, the State Water Resources Control Board approved increases in fee structures for programs under their authority. There are several categories that affect State Water Board fees for municipal water/wastewater laboratories, such as: NPDES permit fee Waste Discharge Requirements permit fee Stormwater Permit fees ELAP Laboratory Certification fee As of September 2021,...

There are now 12 ELAP training webinar recordings available for viewing on the IAS website. Each webinar is approximately 1 ½ hours in length, including the Q&A following each session. There is no cost to view the webinars. View ELAP webinars IAS provides assessments for laboratories seeking to meet the California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP)...

Since reopening campus at the University of California-San Diego last summer, university officials have relied on the tried-and-true public health strategies of testing and contact tracing. But they have also added a new tool to their arsenal: excrement. That tool alerted researchers to about 85% of cases in dorms before they were diagnosed, according to...

Make sure to grab your spot in the 2016 TNI Quality System Documentation Workshop! Registration is currently limited to one person from each laboratory because we want every California laboratory to have a chance to attend. Seats are available in the August, September, October, November and December sessions. This is a free training designed specifically for...

SCCWRP and its partners have developed an improved understanding of what contributes to sources of variability in methods for measuring COVID-19 virus levels in wastewater streams – key insights that can help water-quality managers use wastewater influent to track the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in communities. The SARS-CoV-2 measurement methods comparison study, completed in April,...

 This UC Berkeley webinar features CWEA-WEF member Dr. Kara Nelson Professor from their  Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Did you know that you have been helping to manage the COVID pandemic, just by going to the bathroom? Since April 2020, a large team of researchers at U.C. Berkeley has been working with local...

 Here’s to you! Thank you to the participants of the first ever ELAP Laboratory Conference. It was a huge success! Around 500 of you joined us each day for talks about the accreditation process, emerging contaminants and technologies, and laboratory efficiency. We hope you found the presentations beneficial and have been able to take...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected the Water Environment Federation to develop, manage, and provide training for a nationwide network of water utilities, public health agencies, and laboratories participating in wastewater-based disease surveillance. Wastewater-based disease surveillance involves the testing of wastewater to evaluate the presence of pathogens among a population....

Healthy Davis Together wastewater monitoring operations, led by UC Davis researchers with support from the city’s Department of Public Works, has deployed newly arrived wastewater sampling equipment to 15 additional sample collection locations (nodes), expanding monitoring to more neighborhoods served by the city wastewater collection system. The virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can be shed in...

California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) has opened registration for fourteen sessions of the 2016 TNI Quality System Documentation Workshop in partnership with A2LA Workplace Training. Register here today! The workshop runs from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm (PT) with a break from noon to 1:00 pm on both days. This is a standalone training...

In earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, before diagnostic testing was widely available, it was difficult for public health officials to keep track of the infection’s spread, or predict where outbreaks were likely to occur. Attempts to get ahead of the virus are still complicated by the fact that people can be infected and spread...

Announcement from the State Water Board ELAP office. This is a State Water Board sponsored training event, it is not organized by CWEA. ELAP and A2LA Workplace Training are excited to announce the 2016 TNI Quality System Documentation Workshop as part of ELAP’s compliance assistance initiative, the Roadmap to ELAP Accreditation. This training is designed to help laboratories implement the 2016 TNI Quality...

Announcement from the State Water Board ELAP office. This is a State Water Board sponsored training event, it is not organized by CWEA. The California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) team is excited to announce the first ever ELAP Conference! We are looking forward to offering you the opportunity to engage with the laboratory community,...

From the State Water Board… The State Water Board’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) Regulations were filed with the California Secretary of State by the Office of Administrative Law on November 19, 2020 and will become effective on January 1, 2021. This completes the final step in the rulemaking process. ELAP is committed to supporting the...

Announcement from the State Water Board’s ELAP office… Announcing the 2021-2022 Environmental Laboratory Technical Advisory Committee (ELTAC) Voting Members ELTAC provides constructive scientific advice and feedback to ELAP and the California regulatory agencies who use laboratory data to make decisions to protect the state’s environmental and public health. The 2021-2022 Committee has been built to...

In Los Angeles County, few resources are as precious to and connected with residents as water. In addition to being necessary to civil success in a desert, the contents of the county’s water tell the story of every life that touches it. The Los Angeles County Sanitation District (LACSD) works to protect and monitor Los...

Name: Lisa Boyko-Davidson Title/Agency: Laboratory Technician, City of Livermore Certifications: CWEA Laboratory Analyst Grade IV, CWEA Environmental Compliance Inspector Grade I Lisa Boyko-Davidson had an early start in the science field. “Growing up, my dad worked in an environmental laboratory and I remember helping him run biochemical oxygen demand tests when I was six years...

City if LA’s main environmental laboratory has ramped-up production of hand sanitizer to help their fellow team members on the front lines during the pandemic. LASANitizer HAND SANITIZER To make 10 L of hand sanitizer, mix the following according to instructions below: 500 mL         100% Glycerin 8420 mL       95% Ethanol (EtOH) 1040 mL       Deionized...

By Paula Hansen and Artem Dyachenko East Bay Municipal Utility District Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UVC – approximately 254 nm) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, molds, and other pathogens). It destroys nucleic acids of the microorganisms and disrupts their DNA, leaving them unable...

View our complete coverage of coronavirus worker safety > Facing an extreme shortage of hand sanitizer in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) produced its own. This was especially important for water and wastewater workers who often do not have access to soap and running water in...

Our coverage of new ELAP regulations is sponsored by LabWork From the State Water Board Top 5 Questions People are Asking about the New California ELAP Regulations When will the new regulations take effect?  The regulations become effective on October 1, 2020. However, several new provisions will not be required immediately. Read on for more...

Our coverage of new ELAP regulations is sponsored by LabWork State Water Board press release… All accredited labs will be required to meet a national standard The State Water Resources Control Board today adopted comprehensive regulations to modernize the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP), which oversees more than 650 laboratories that regulate testing of drinking...

A Chino environmental testing laboratory has been fined $90,000 and denied renewal accreditation by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) for making false representations about a wastewater treatment facility’s compliance with permit requirements. Adopted Tuesday by the State Water Board, the fine stems from an investigation that found privately owned...

The State Water Resources Control Board will vote on adoption of the proposed Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program regulations at the May 5, 2020 Board Meeting. As a result of the COVID-19 emergency and the Governor’s Executive Orders to protect public health by limiting public gatherings and requiring social distancing, this meeting will occur via video and teleconference only. Instructions...

  Updates 4/16/20 New! Guidance on how to respond to a positive coronavirus case in the laboratory Updated! Schedules for EPA’s DMR-QA Study Updated! List of laboratories with emergency capacity Updated! Information about supply and equipment vendors State Water Board launches new website… waterboards.ca.gov/elap-covid19  The information on this webpage is based on the latest statewide and national...

View our full coverage of new ELAP regulations. 03/17/20 update from the SWRCB…. The COVID-19 emergency has resulted in the recent cancellation of the State Water Resources Control Board meeting on the Proposed Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program Regulations.  Consistent with these actions and Water Board guidance, the Division of Administrative Services, Fee Branch is cancelling...

View our full coverage of new ELAP regulations > CWEA Lab Community, This is a critical time in the world of California Lab Regulations.  With the latest regulations package being published on October 11th, we are down to the wire with having our voices heard of how these regulations will affect our labs, our agencies...

Click here to open the November 2019 digital edition Articles include: One Way or Another Your Local Utility Lab Will Likely Soon Change Forever – an interview with three municipal California labs Profile of Lab Professional of the Year How to Get a Job in a Water Laboratory The Road Together, by Christine Sotelo, SWRCB...

Coverage of new ELAP regulations supported by LabWorks, waterLIMS™ ELAP will be one of several hot topics at AC20 in Reno. This year we are joining with the Nevada Water Environment Association in Reno to co-host several events. Reno is a fantastic city with affordable hotel rates and restaurants. This might be one of the...

Thanks to everyone who was able to join us for Wednesday’s August 22nd lab webinar. Sorry we had some tech problems. We’re new to the Zoom system and working out the bugs. Thank you Lab Committee Chair Sara Burke for hosting and Keith and Stephen for presenting! Here are the follow-up items as we promised:...