Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Palau, Yap Water Labs Certified By U.S. EPA

By David Miho in Koror
Thursday: December 13, 2007

The water analyzing laboratory of the Palau's Environmental Quality Protection Board (EQPB) has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The certification is significant as it signifies that the water analysis labs of Palau and neighboring Yap State, part of the Federated States of Micronesia, are qualified to test fresh and marine water sources for bacterial contamination.

“Certification of laboratory facilities and personnel is necessary to ensure that a laboratory produces scientifically valid and legally defensible data. This ensures that the data presented to the public is both accurate, reliable and protects people's health,” said John McCarroll, manager for the EPA Pacific Southwest region's Pacific Islands office, in a news release.

Metiek Ngirchechol, Lab supervisor; Jerome Sakurai, Senior Lab analyst; EQPB executive director Portia K. Franz. PHOTO: DAVID MIHO

The certification of the labs in Palau and Yap State are the first resulting from a special program designed for water quality laboratories in the Freely Associated Sates of Palau, the FSM, and Marshall Islands.

Labs and personnel receive the rating when they meet or exceed specific criteria established under the EPA program, including adequate lab space and facilities, properly maintained equipment, supplies and rigorous quality control procedures as well as having a certified analyst on staff.