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Course Descriptions

EPA's Unified Guidance: Statistical Analysis of Groundwater Data

EPA's Unified Guidance: Statistical Analysis of Groundwater Data
Course ID: STAT-410
Status: OPEN
Date(s): Feb 22, 2012: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Feb 23, 2012: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Feb 24, 2012: 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Woodlake Hotel
Sacramento, CA
Instructor: Kirk Cameron
Tuition: $745 / $695*

 

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This course discusses the core elements of the EPA's first major revision to its groundwater statistical guidance in almost 20 years. Presented by the primary author of the revision, this course will showcase new features of the guidance, as well as recommended changes to current statistical practice. In addition to reviewing the design and evaluation of statistical programs for groundwater monitoring, participants will also learn the benefits of checking their assumptions in order to run the most effective statistical tests.

Intended Audience: This course is intended for RCRA regulators, site operators and/or consultants responsible for compliance with regulations for groundwater monitoring. It may also be useful to parties responsible for statistical treatment of environmental data in other regulatory programs.

Prerequisites: A background in statistics, RCRA, and previous EPA guidance are helpful, though not required.

Continuing Education Units: 1.6 CEUs

Course Materials: Attendees will receive a binder containing workshop proceedings and reference material.

Reduced tuition is available to employees of Native American tribes, government agencies, and nonprofits; students; and NAEP, NEBC, NWAEP members). You may register online or by calling the Northwest Environmental Training Center at 425-270-3274.


Please wait to receive a course confirmation email, roughly one month prior to the class, before making any travel arrangements.


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Course Topics

Key Assumptions in Groundwater Testing

  • Normality, stationarity, data independence


RCRA Groundwater Statistical Framework

  • Monitoring stages
  • Balancing statistical errors
  • Statistically significant increases (SSI)
  • Power Curves


Importance of Background

  • Establishing and implementing background


Strategies for Compliance Monitoring

  • Testing under unstable conditions
  • Comparisons to background data
 

Statistical Design in Detection Monitoring

  • Multiple comparisons, site-wide false positive rates
  • Parametric vs. Non-parametric tests
  • Interwell vs. Intrawell tests
  • Incorporating Retesting


What to do with Difficult Data

  • Outliers, non-detects
  • Spatial variation, temporal correlation


Recommended statistical methods

  • Prediction limits, control charts
  • Trend tests
  • Confidence intervals

About the Instructor

Dr. Kirk Cameron is the founder and president of MacStat Consulting, Ltd. in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a statistical consulting firm specializing in environmental statistical applications and problem-solving. He has over 20 years of experience in teaching and consulting to USEPA, DoD, DoE, the US Air Force, and private environmental and medical firms. Dr. Cameron is the primary author of both USEPA's Interim Final Guidance document for the statistical analysis of groundwater monitoring data (1992) and the recently published major update to this guidance entitled the Unified Guidance (2009). He has designed training courses on the statistical analysis of groundwater monitoring data and presented to regulators, consultants, and environmental professionals around the country. He also filmed a commercial videotape training series on groundwater data analysis. More recently. Dr. Cameron developed a no-cost, publicly-available, geostatistical and statistical-based software tool (GTS v1.0) for the US Air Force and DoD to optimize sampling frequencies and locations at sites undergoing long-term ground-water monitoring (LTM).

What to Bring

Pen or pencil, coffee mug, and a water bottle (to reduce waste). Drinks and snacks will be provided each day. Lunch will be on your own.

Cancellation Policy / Disability Accommodations

Cancellation Policy:

  • 31 days prior to training -> 100% refund
  • 30-16 days prior to training -> 50% refund
  • 15 - start of course -> No refund available

Attendee replacement acceptable at anytime.

Course registration fees and cancellation policy are subject to change without notice.
 

Disability Accommodations:

To request disability accommodations, please contact us at info@nwetc.org or 425-270-3274 at least 30 days prior to the event.
 




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To: 500 Leisure Lane Sacramento, CA 95815

 



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*Reduced Rates: Reduced tuition is available to Native American Tribes;
nonprofits; government agencies; students; and NEBC, NWAEP, and NAEP members. Learn more