Laserfiche WebLink
also offers some useful graphical displays including histograms, multiple quantile-quantile (Q-Q) <br /> plots, and side-by-side box plots for data sets with and without ND observations. The graphical <br /> displays provide additional insight and information contained in data sets that cannot be revealed <br /> by the use of estimates (e.g., 95%UCLs) and test statistics such as goodness-of-fit(GOF)test <br /> statistics, t-test statistic, Rosner test, and various other statistics. In addition to providing <br /> information about the data distributions(e.g.,normal, lognormal, gamma),the graphical Q-Q <br /> plots are very useful to identify potential outliers and the presence of mixture samples (if any) in <br /> a data set. Side-by-side box plots and multiple Q-Q plots are quite useful to visually compare <br /> two or more data sets such as site versus background contaminant concentrations, monitoring <br /> well (MW) concentrations, and so on. Therefore, it is desirable and suggested that the <br /> conclusions derived using estimates (e.g., 95%UCL) and test statistics (e.g.,t-test) should <br /> always be supplemented with graphical displays. <br /> ProUCL 4.0 serves as a companion software package for the UCL Computation Guidance <br /> Document for Hazardous Waste Sites (EPA,2002a) and the Background Guidance Document <br /> (currently under revision) for CERCLA Sites (EPA, 2002b). Most of the statistical and graphical <br /> methods described and recommended in these two EPA guidance documents have been <br /> incorporated in ProUCL 4.0. It should be noted that ProUCL 4.0 also has some parametric and <br /> nonparametric single sample hypotheses approaches that may be used to compare site mean <br /> concentrations (or some site threshold value such as an upper percentile)with some average <br /> cleanup standards, C,(with a not-to-exceed limit, AO)to verify the attainment of cleanup levels <br /> (EPA, 1989, and EPA, 2006) after some remediation activities have been performed at <br /> potentially impacted site areas. Several of the statistical methods as incorporated in ProUCL 4.0 <br /> can be used in groundwater(GW) monitoring applications(EPA, 1992). <br /> Two reference guides: 1) ProUCL 4.0 User Guide and 2)ProUCL 4.0 Technical Guide have also <br /> been developed for ProUCL 4.0 software package. The User Guide describes and illustrates the <br /> uses of the various menu items and options as incorporated in ProUCL 4.0. The ProUCL 4.0 <br /> Technical Guide describes the theory (with references)behind the statistical methods as <br /> incorporated in ProUCL 4.0. These two documents can be downloaded from the EPA website fon <br /> ProUCL 4.0. ProUCL 4.0 also provides Online Help for the various methods available in <br /> ProUCL 4.0. <br /> Data Requirements <br /> Statistical methods (e.g., upper limits) as incorporated in ProUCL 4.0 (and also in other software <br /> packages such as SAS and Minitab) assume that the user has collected an adequate amount of <br /> data of good quality, perhaps using appropriate data quality objectives (DQOs) as described in <br /> EPA, 2006. However,many times (e.g.,using the available historical data, or due to budgetary <br /> and time constraints), it may not be possible to collect data sets based upon specified <br /> performance measures (e.g., decision errors) and other DQOs. It is noted that many times, <br /> administrators and decision makers do not want to collect many samples, especially background <br /> samples. Therefore,when it may not be possible to collect adequate amount of data using DQOs <br /> (EPA, 2006), Chapter 1 of the two ProUCL 4.0 reference guides can be used to determine the <br /> minimum sample size requirements associated with the various estimation and hypotheses <br /> testing approaches available in ProUCL 4.0. The suggested minimum sample size requirements <br /> as described in Chapter 1 are made based upon the practical applicability of the procedures <br /> incorporated in ProUCL 4.0. Those suggestions are particularly useful when the data are sparse <br /> and it may not be feasible to collect additional data based upon DQOs. However, it should be <br />