Section 465.120  Definitions

For purposes of this Part, unless otherwise specifically defined or the context clearly requires a different meaning:

"Act" means Section 4(o) and (p) of the Environmental Protection Act.

"Analyst" means any person who performs analyses for certain or all parameters on samples submitted to the environmental laboratory and who meets the qualifications set forth in Section 465.310(c).

"Annual" means a twelve-month interval.

"ASTM International" or "ASTM" means a not-for-profit, voluntary standards development organization (American Society for Testing and Materials) located at 100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA.

"Certification" means a status of approval granted to an environmental laboratory that meets the criteria established by this Part or in accordance with a reciprocity agreement entered into pursuant to Section 465.240. Certification is not a guarantee of the validity of the data generated.

"Certification Officer" means any person who is designated by the Department to inspect and evaluate environmental laboratories for compliance in meeting the criteria set forth in this Part and who meets the educational and experience qualifications set forth in Section 465.310(j).

"Day" means calendar day.

"Department" means the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"Deficiency" means a failure of an environmental laboratory to meet any requirement of this Part.

"Director" means the Director or the designee of the Director of the Department of Public Health.

"Environmental Laboratory" means any facility that performs analyses on environmental samples to determine the quality of food, milk, public water supplies, surface water, ground water, recreational waters, wastewater, air or land.

"Laboratory Pure Water" means water meeting the standards set forth in Section 465.380.

"Laboratory Supervisor" means a person who supervises the performance of the analytical procedures within an environmental laboratory and who meets the qualifications set forth in Section 465.310(a).

"Major Remodeling" means any remodeling of the laboratory facility that requires the acquisition of a local building permit.

"Principal State Laboratory" means the designated State facility that performs analyses on environmental samples to determine the quality of public water supplies in compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (40 CFR 141). Principal State Laboratory is exempt from this Part and is certified by the regional USEPA administrator.

"Proficiency Testing Samples" or "PTs" means samples provided to a laboratory for the purpose of demonstrating that the laboratory can successfully analyze the sample within acceptance limits specified in National Standards for Water Proficiency Testing Studies Criteria Document, US EPA, January 31, 2001.  The composition of the reference material is unknown to the laboratory at the time of the analysis. 

"Program Certification Manager" means a person responsible for managing the drinking water laboratory certification activities within the Department. The Manager establishes one or more teams of Certification Officers to audit drinking water laboratories.  A Program Certification Manager shall meet the educational and experience qualifications set forth in Section 465.310(k) or must have served or be serving as a program certification manager prior to November 1, 2022.

"Provisional Certification" means a certification status granted to an environmental laboratory to allow time for the correction of serious deficiencies.  Failure to correct a deficiency during the provisional certification period allows the Department to revoke certification as specified in Section 465.180.  While on provisional certification, an environmental laboratory remains approved for the analyses covered by its certification.

"Public Water Supply" means all mains, pipes and structures through which water is obtained and distributed to the public, including wells and well structures, intakes and cribs, pumping stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, storage tanks and appurtenances, collectively or severally, actually used or intended for use for the purpose of furnishing water for drinking or general domestic use and that serve at least 15 service connections or that regularly serve at least 25 persons at least 60 days per year.

"Quality Assurance" means an integrated system of management activities involving planning, quality control, quality assessment, reporting and quality improvement to ensure that a product or service meets defined standards of quality with a stated level of confidence.

"Quality Assurance Plan" means a comprehensive plan detailing the aspects of quality assurance needed to adequately fulfill the data needs of a program.  This document is required before the laboratory is certified.

"Quality Control" means the overall system of technical activities whose purpose is to measure and control the quality of a product or service so that it meets the needs of the users; operational techniques and activities that are used to fulfill requirements for quality.

"Quarterly" means a three-month interval.

"Readily Accessible" means that the referenced item is located upon the premises.

"Semi-annual" means a six-month interval.

"Standard Operating Procedure" means a written document that details the method of an operation, analysis or action, the techniques and procedures of which are thoroughly prescribed and that is officially approved as the method for performing certain routine or repetitive tasks.

"The NELAC Institute" or "TNI" is an organization (National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program) that recognizes associations that offer accreditation of microbiology drinking water proficiency testing providers, located at P.O. Box 2439, Weatherford TX 76086, 817-598-1624.

"Too Numerous to Count" or "TNTC" means greater than 200 colonies on the membrane filter in the absence of detectable coliforms when analyzing drinking water for total coliforms.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 19150, effective November 17, 2022)