Arkansas DEQ and ADH
Arkansas environmental lab accreditation, DEQ and the Health Department.
Which Arkansas agency accredits your lab, which labs the statute covers, how proficiency testing and renewal work, and what the DEQ booklet says about calibration standards.
At a glance
How environmental lab accreditation works in Arkansas.
Arkansas is not a NELAP state. The Division of Environmental Quality runs its own accreditation program under state statute, and the Department of Health certifies public water utility labs for drinking water microbiology.
State program (non-NELAP)
- Environmental labs
- Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment
- Legal basis
- Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program Act, Ark. Code Ann. 8-2-201 and following. DEQ states that accreditation fees are based on APC&EC Rule 9.801 through 9.803.
- Who needs DEQ accreditation
- Consulting laboratories, meaning labs that perform analyses for any person other than themselves, must be accredited when their results are submitted to DEQ. The statute states accreditation is not mandatory for other labs, and DEQ’s program page states that information permittees submit must come from DEQ-certified laboratories.
- Scope
- The statute defines a laboratory as a facility that analyzes the chemical, physical, or biological properties of air, water and other media, and excludes evaluations of the engineering properties related to soil mechanics.
- Drinking water
- The Water Microbiology Laboratory of the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory, Arkansas Department of Health, offers EPA lab certification for public water utility laboratories in Arkansas, for microbiology testing.
- NELAP status
- Not a NELAP accreditation body as of October 2026. The DEQ booklet mentions TNI in requiring PT samples from a TNI approved PT provider and refers to NELAC on-site inspections, but DEQ is not a NELAP body.
- Out-of-state labs
- The DEQ booklet asks applicants for copies of certifications from other states, and DEQ may accept on-site inspection reports from EPA or other states in place of its own on-site evaluation. The booklet does not describe a formal reciprocity agreement.
The accreditation cycle
The DEQ accreditation cycle.
The steps below summarize Ark. Code Ann. 8-2-201 and following and the DEQ Laboratory Certification Program booklet. Drinking water microbiology labs follow the Department of Health’s separate three-year certification.
-
Apply by parameter
Submit the application with analyst resumes, one parameter sheet for each parameter requested, the lab’s quality assurance plan, and performance sample results from the previous year.
-
On-site evaluation
Successfully complete an on-site evaluation by a representative of DEQ. DEQ may accept on-site inspection reports from EPA or other states instead.
-
Proficiency testing
At least two unique PT samples per calendar year for each certified parameter, analyzed five to seven months apart, from a TNI approved PT provider. Whole effluent toxicity requires an annual PT with 100 percent passing.
-
Annual renewal
Certificates are effective for one year from issuance. Renewal requests, with a revised quality assurance manual, must reach DEQ at least 30 days before expiration.
Initial calibration
What auditors check in your initial calibrations.
Arkansas sets no numeric calibration criteria of its own. The DEQ booklet asks how calibration standards are prepared and run, and the acceptance criteria come from the methods your lab is certified for.
A range that brackets what you report
The lowest standard should sit at or below your reporting limit and the highest at or above the top concentration you report. Results outside the calibrated range need to be qualified.
Error at the low end, not r² alone
A correlation coefficient of 0.999 can still hide a low standard that back-calculates 30 percent off. Auditors look at relative error, especially at the lowest levels.
Records that rebuild the curve
Raw responses, the model and weighting used, any excluded points with the reason, and the verification that followed. An auditor should be able to reconstruct every initial calibration from the record.
Calibration standards your records describe
The DEQ Laboratory Certification Program booklet asks for information on the preparation and frequency of analysis of calibration standards such as ICV, CCV and CCB, and for calibration records and maintenance logs for all instruments and support equipment.
Source: Arkansas DEQ Laboratory Certification Program booklet, Revision 2, April 24, 2015
The booklet does not set a number of standards or a correlation coefficient limit. An auditor can compare your calibration records to your method SOPs and the methods themselves, so keep the record complete for every curve.
Self-check
Are your initial calibrations ready for an Arkansas assessment?
Tick what your lab could show an auditor today. Nothing you select is saved or sent anywhere.
6Checks to work through
Select each item your lab could show an auditor today.
A self-assessment to help you prepare, not a compliance determination.
Arkansas specifics
Accreditation in Arkansas runs one year at a time.
The Arkansas statute requires accreditation for consulting laboratories, labs that analyze samples for someone other than themselves, when their results go to DEQ, and makes it optional for others. DEQ’s program page adds that information permittees submit must come from DEQ-certified labs. Certificates last one year from issuance, and renewal requests must reach DEQ at least 30 days before expiration.
Proficiency testing is frequent. The DEQ booklet calls for at least two unique PT samples per calendar year for each certified parameter, five to seven months apart, from a TNI approved provider. On calibration the booklet asks how ICV, CCV and CCB standards are prepared and how often they are analyzed, and leaves the acceptance criteria to the methods.
As of October 2026, DEQ’s program page states that the program is transitioning from ePortal to SEEK. The booklet DEQ publishes is Revision 2, dated April 24, 2015, and still carries the former Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality name, which is now the Division of Environmental Quality within the Department of Energy and Environment.
How WLTR helps
Calibration evidence ready for an Arkansas evaluation.
WLTR independently reviews the calibration your instrument software produced. Your analyst still makes the final call. What changes is that the evidence is complete, consistent across analysts, and ready before the auditor asks for it.
- Each analyte reviewed one at a time in the instrument software.
- The model and weighting are whatever the batch was processed with.
- r² is the number most people look at, even though it does not measure error at the low end.
- QA signs off without an independent check on the curve.
- Every analyte and every candidate model side by side in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard.
- Diagnostics run automatically and the best fit curve is identified, with the reasons recorded.
- Relative error at every level, including the lowest standard, shown on one screen.
- A traceable record your QA manager can review, sign and hand to a state auditor.
See how your own ICAL data looks when every analyte and model is laid out for review.
Questions
Arkansas accreditation FAQs
Is Arkansas a NELAP state?
No. Arkansas is not on TNI’s list of NELAP accreditation bodies as of October 2026. The Division of Environmental Quality accredits labs under its own statute, Ark. Code Ann. 8-2-201 and following.
Which labs need DEQ accreditation?
Consulting laboratories, meaning labs that perform analyses for any person other than themselves, must hold DEQ accreditation when their results are submitted to DEQ, and DEQ may refuse results from a consulting lab that does not. The statute makes accreditation optional for other labs.
Who certifies drinking water labs in Arkansas?
The Water Microbiology Laboratory of the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory, Arkansas Department of Health, offers EPA lab certification for public water utility laboratories for microbiology testing. Certification is effective for three years while the lab maintains all requirements.
How long does DEQ accreditation last?
One year from the date of issuance, renewable for one-year periods (Ark. Code Ann. 8-2-207). Renewal requests must reach DEQ at least 30 days before expiration, and labs analyze at least two PT samples per calendar year for each certified parameter.
Does Arkansas have its own initial calibration rule?
No numeric rule. The DEQ booklet asks for information on how calibration standards such as ICV, CCV and CCB are prepared and how often they are analyzed, along with calibration records for all instruments. Acceptance criteria come from the methods the lab is certified for.
Sources
Primary sources for this page.
- Arkansas DEQ, Laboratory Accreditation Program (opens in a new tab)
- Arkansas DEQ, Laboratory Certification Program booklet (Rev. 2, 2015) (opens in a new tab)
- Arkansas DEQ, application for certification (opens in a new tab)
- Ark. Code Ann. 8-2-201 et seq., DEQ copy (2017) (opens in a new tab)
- Ark. Code Ann. 8-2-207, accreditation duration (Justia, secondary copy) (opens in a new tab)
- Arkansas Department of Health, Water Microbiology Laboratory (opens in a new tab)
- TNI, NELAP accreditation bodies (opens in a new tab)
This page summarizes public program information to help labs prepare. Requirements change, and the agency’s current rules and guidance always take precedence. WLTR is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality or the Arkansas Department of Health. Spot something out of date? Tell us at admin@wltr.tech.
Before your next assessment
See your Arkansas ICALs the way an auditor will.
Bring a recent initial calibration. We will walk you through every analyte and candidate model in the Calibration Intelligence dashboard, the best fit, and the record your QA manager would sign.
Request a demoHow the methodology works
Running environmental methods? See how WLTR works for environmental testing labs and water and wastewater utility labs.