Monitoring

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-017722",
  "term": "Monitoring",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definitions": [
    "1. Testing that water systems must perform to detect and measure contaminants. A water system that does not follow USEPA's monitoring methodology or schedule is in violation, and may be subject to legal action.\n\n2. Periodic or continuous surveillance or testing to determine the level of compliance with statutory requirements and/or pollutant levels in various media or in humans, plants, and animals.\n\n3. Testing that water systems must perform to detect and measure contaminants. A water system that does not follow EPA's monitoring methodology or schedule is in violation, and may be subject to legal action.\n\n4. Measuring concentrations of substances in environmental media or in human or other biological tissues.\n\n5. An on-going process of reviewing a program's activities to determine whether set standards or requirements are being met.\n\n6. Periodic or continuous sampling and measurement to determine the physical, chemical, and biological status of a particular medium, such as air, soil or water.\n\n7. Observing the change in a geophysical, hydrogeological or geochemical measurement with time.\n\n8. In EMAP, the periodic collection of data that is used to determine the condition of ecological resources. \"Periodic or continuous surveillance or testing to determine the level of compliance with statutory requirements and/or pollutant levels in various media [air, soil, water] or in humans, plants, and animals\".\n\n9. The use of sampling and detection equipment to determine the levels of radiation or other toxic materials in land, air or water.\n\n10. Periodic or continuous physical surveillance or testing to determine pollutant levels in various environmental media or in humans, plants, and animals.\n\n11. The act of conducting a planned series of observations or measurements of operational and/or critical limits to assess whether a control point is under control.\n\n12. Collection and use of measurement data or other information to control the operation of a process or pollution control device or to verify a work practice standard relative to assuring compliance with applicable requirements. Consists of Indicator of Performance, Measurement Techniques, Monitoring Frequency, and Averaging Time\n\n13. Form of collecting data on a routine basis to determine or otherwise assess compliance with emission limitations or standards. Recordkeeping may be considered monitoring where such records are used to determine or assess compliance with an emission limitation or standard (such as records of raw material content and usage, or records documenting compliance with work practice requirements). The conduct of compliance method tests, such as the procedures in appendix A to part 60 of this chapter, on a routine periodic basis may be considered monitoring (or as a supplement to other monitoring), provided that requirements to conduct such tests on a one-time basis or at such times as a regulatory authority may require on a non-regular basis are not considered monitoring requirements for purposes of this paragraph. Monitoring may include one or more than one of the following data collection techniques, where appropriate for a particular circumstance: (1) Continuous emission or opacity monitoring systems. (2) Continuous process, capture system, control device or other relevant parameter monitoring systems or procedures, including a predictive emission monitoring system. (3) Emission estimation and calculation procedures (e.g., mass balance or stoichiometric calculations). (4) Maintenance and analysis of records of fuel or raw materials usage. (5) Recording results of a program or protocol to conduct specific operation and maintenance procedures. (6) Verification of emissions, process parameters, capture system parameters, or control device parameters using portable or in situ measurement devices. (7) Visible emission observations. (8) Any other form of measuring, recording, or verifying on a routine basis emissions, process parameters, capture system parameters, control device parameters or other factors relevant to assessing compliance with emission limitations or standards.\n\n14. Monitoring is the real-time process by which the atmospheric hazards that may confront entrants of a permit space are identified and evaluated. Monitoring includes specifying the equipment and procedures that are to be used to evaluate the permit space. Monitoring enables employers to devise and implement adequate control measures for the protection of authorized entrants and to determine if acceptable entry conditions are present immediately prior to and during entry.",
    "(monitor) Measurement of air pollution is referred to as monitoring. EPA, state, and local agencies measure the types and amounts of pollutants in community air. The 1990 Clean Air Act requires certain large polluters to perform enhanced monitoring to provide an accurate picture of their pollutant releases. Enhanced monitoring programs may include keeping records on materials used by the source, periodic inspections, and installation of continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS). Continuous emissions monitoring systems will measure, on a continuous basis, how much pollution is being released into the air. The 1990 Clean Air Act requires states to monitor community air in polluted areas to check on whether the areas are being cleaned up according to schedules set out in the law."
  ],
  "subject": [
    "Water",
    "Air"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Ambient Air Monitoring"
  ],
  "references": [
    "Safe Drinking Water Act Glossary",
    "Terms of Env; Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary; RCRA Glossary of Terms; Urban Watershed Management Research Terminology; Terms of Environment; EPA 2005b, RAIS 2004; MRA Thesaurus",
    "Drinking Water Glossary",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms",
    "Program Evaluation Glossary",
    "Total Maximum Daily Loads (303d) Glossary; Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads Glossary",
    "Environmental Geophysics Glossary",
    "EPA 1992, 18",
    "RadTown Glossary",
    "EPA 2004; MRA Thesaurus",
    "KIWA 2004; MRA Thesaurus",
    "40 CFR 63.2 (CFR 2013)",
    "40 CFR 64.1 (CFR 2018)",
    "EPA Emergency Responder Health and Safety Manual - Chapter 10: Confined Space Safety Program",
    "Air Permitting Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/monitoring/"
}