Laboratory Services
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

The Department of Laboratory Services at MWRA consists of 59 employees working at five laboratory locations: drinking water laboratories in Chelsea, Southborough, and at the Quabbin Reservoir; a wastewater laboratory at the Clinton Treatment Plant, and the Central Laboratory at Deer Island.

We support regular monitoring and special projects throughout the MWRA. The department's goals are to:

• Provide quality and responsive laboratory services to the MWRA's drinking water and wastewater treatment programs,
• Conduct timely and cost-effective laboratory tests to meet the strict testing guidelines required by all regulatory programs and permits, including the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and Clean Water Act (NPDES) permits.

  Harbor seals enjoy the view in Boston’s outer harbor.

  
  

Laboratory Services supports the laboratory sampling, testing, and consultingneeds of various client groups primarily in the Operations Division. This includes drinking water transmission and treatment, wastewater collection and treatment, wastewater residuals management, industrial-pretreatment monitoring, and environmental quality.

We conduct harbor sampling and laboratory testing for the Boston Harbor monitoring program, which involves regular sampling for nutrients, bacteria, and water quality parameters throughout Boston Harbor.

We monitor drinking water treatment effectiveness, providing a variety of laboratory services in support of drinking water treatment and special studies.

We test reservoir and community water systems for regulatory compliance with bacterial levels, chemical parameters such as chlorine residuals, and algae. Results are tracked and compliance reports are sent to the EPA and DEP.

We test Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoir and tributary samples for the Department of Recreation and Conservation (DCR).

Back to top

MISSION

• High quality data
• Prompt laboratory results
• Appropriate and approved methods
• Easy to understand reports
• Compliance with state, federal and local regulations
• Reported quality control results
• Technical support
  

Back to top

VISION

Our vision is to be recognized both within the MWRA and throughout the professional and public community as a successful, productive, and talented scientific establishment capable of providing high quality, legally defensible, and timely environmental laboratory data and related services. Our ultimate strength will be derived from the successes of individuals shared within a unified organization.

Back to top

ETHICS

Lab Services pledges to manage its business according to the following principles:

• To produce results that are accurate and defensible.
• To present services in a confidential, honest and forthright manner.
• To provide staff members with guidelines and an understanding of the ethical and quality standards required to work in the laboratory.
• To have a clear understanding with the client as to the extent and the kind of service to be rendered, especially in fields where different grades or characters of services are offered.
• To operate facilities in a manner that protects the environment and the health and safety of employees and the public.
• To oppose and refrain from incompetent and fraudulent inspection, sampling, analysis, testing, consultation, development and research work.
• To obey all pertinent federal, state and local laws and regulations.

Back to top

CAPABILITIES/SERVICES

Laboratory Services is a full service analytical testing and consulting group within the MWRA. We primarily serve client groups primarily within the Operations Division. The analytical services that Laboratory Services provides include wet chemistry, metals, organics, and microbiology testing. Related services include field sampling, technical consultation, and contract laboratory management.

Back to top

CERTIFICATIONS

Laboratory Services is certified by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for drinking water and waste water testing:

• Central Laboratory – drinking water and waste water, chemistry and microbiology;
• Chelsea Laboratory – microbiology;
• Southborough Laboratory – microbiology; and
• Quabbin Laboratory – microbiology.

Back to top

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS

In fiscal year 2010, Laboratory Services had the following performance highlights:

• 95% of lab results were completed on-time (goal >95%).
• Turnaround time averaged 6.9 days (goal <9).
• 99.9% tests had valid results (goal >99%).
• 98% compliance on rolling Quality Assurance audits (goal >95%).
• Completed 243,000 tests (target was 250,000).
  Note: the test counting approach changed when our new Laboratory Information System (LIMS) was implemented.

Back to top

TEAM STRUCTURE

Laboratory staff work side by side to get the job done.

Laboratory Services is organized into teams (seven operations teams, three support teams and one management team) and operates out of five locations. The operations teams are flexible, interdisciplinary groups of certified staff who perform testing procedures from start to finish, including: scheduling, sample preparation, sample analysis, data review, data entry; and data validation. The support teams consist of client services, quality assurance, and administrative services. The client services team interacts closely with the laboratory’s clients ensuring that appropriate and timely testing is provided. The quality assurance team provides oversight and functions independently from the analyses operations teams. The QA team recommends policy guidelines and ensures that the quality standards meet both the required applicable regulations. The administrative systems team provides administrative support to management and teams in such areas as maintaining personnel files, purchasing of supplies and equipment, hiring, and records management. The management team is responsible for policy development and approval, project review and oversight, and resource allocation.

Back to top

Back to top

Updated July 13, 2010