Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
"Water Lab"

Lab Director: Jim Thomas
Lab Manager: Mary Miller
Chemist: Pati McQueen

Summary

The Desert Research Institute's Analytical Chemistry Laboratory in Reno, Nevada, was established to provide DRI research scientists with reliable high quality chemical analysis for a wide variety of sample media. The laboratory has over 30 years of experience and provides analytical services for a wide variety of customers, including federal, local and state government agencies, private industry and other commercial laboratories. The staff also help train graduate and undergraduate students in the use of analytical and field instrumentation along with proper sampling methods.

Laboratory

Due to the wide variety of interests and expertise within DRI's Division of Hydrologic Sciences, personnel have gained valuable knowledge and experience in the analysis of many different sample types. The laboratory has participated in projects ranging from precipitation chemistry to playa lake characterization studies. While the majority of the analyses have been on water samples; the laboratory has also analyzed snow, soils, sands, evaporation salts, geothermal deposits, and animal and plant material.

Scientific Details

Certification
The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory is EPA-Certified in Nevada through the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) Bureau of Water Quality Planning, Carson City, Nevada for parameters regulated under the Safe and Clean Water Acts.

As a requirement for certification, the laboratory has participated in quarterly performance evaluation studies (analyzing blind samples for certified analytes) for over 20 years.
The laboratory has also participated in the USGS Standard Reference Sample Project (analyzing blind samples prepared from natural-matrix waters) in the spring and fall each year for over 20 years.

Capabilities

Anions and Nutrients:Alpkem RFA 300 and Technicon Automated Colorimetric Analyzers are used routinely for the analysis of: NO2, NO3, NH4, TKN, TPO4, OPO4, and SiO2. The Alpkem RFA is equipped with an Astoria-Pacific 305D high sensitivity photometer detector. Both systems are controlled by Windows-based operating systems.

Dionex Model ICS 2000 Ion Chromatograph is used for the automated analysis of Cl, Br, SO4. This instrument has the capability of simultaneously determining all of the anions mentioned using less than a milliliter of sample to the parts per billion level.

Brinkmann Metrohm Titrando Automated Titrator capable of potentiometric titrations to fixed or inflection end points is used in the determination of CO3, HCO3, pH, EC, and F.

Astro 2001 Carbon Analyzer is routinely used for determination of DOC and TOC in water samples. It is also capable of analyzing TIC in low TDS waters and TOC in sediments.

Trace Metals and Major Cations:Thermo Elemental SOLAAR M5 Atomic Absorption Spectrometer with air-acetylene flame and vapor generation capabilities is used for major cation and many trace metal analyses.

Thermo Jarrell Ash AtomScan 25 Sequential Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES) complements the capabilities of the atomic absorption spectrometer and permits lower detection limits for many trace metals.

A partial list includes: Al, Sb, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Ca, Cs, Cr, Co, Cu, Au, Fe, Pb, Li, Mg, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, K, Se, Ag, Na, Sr, Te, TI, Sn, Ti, W, U, V, and Zn.

Finnegan Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) permits simultaneous analysis for most trace metals with parts per billion to parts per trillion detection limit.

Environmental Tritium
Tritium in natural waters can be measured following electrolytic enrichment with a detection limit of 5 pCi/l. Final measurement of tritium is done with a Packard Model 2560TR/XL liquid scintillation counter.

Quality Assurance
The laboratory maintains an extensive quality control program to ensure data integrity, precision and reliability of its activities. Program objectives include: maintaining a continuing assessment of the accuracy and precision of data generated; providing a record of instrument performance for data validation and maintenance; ensuring sampling integrity; maintaining accurate records; and producing high quality analytical results. The following describes only a portion of the quality control program.

• Full-time laboratory personnel have a minimum of a bachelor degree in a scientific area and five years of experience in chemical analysis.
• EPA-approved procedures are used for all drinking water and wastewater samples. The laboratory participates in USGS and EPA analytical evaluation programs several times each year to confirm the accuracy of its analytical procedures. Precision is monitored by multi-point calibration curves and by conducting spiked and duplicate analyses on ten percent of all samples analyzed.
• Standard operating procedures include test descriptions, equipment, calibration requirements, analytical procedures, quantification procedures and acceptance criteria. These procedures are reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect regulatory requirements and feedback from field and laboratory audit results.
• Laboratory data are stored on secure Sun file server systems that provide a central area for storage of all field and laboratory data. All databases are structured to permit easy output and comparison of the various databases.