NADP Update: December, 2017
Dear NADP Participants:

I’m pleased to provide you with an update on the move of the NADP Program Office (PO) and Central Analytical Lab (CAL) from the University of Illinois (U of I) to its new home at the University of Wisconsin’s State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) in Madison, WI. The Program Office will transfer Feb 28, 2018; and the CAL will transfer in late spring or early summer, 2018. Note that the mercury analytical lab (HAL) will not move at this time (mercury wet deposition sample shipping and receiving will remain the same). Teams comprised of staff from the PO, CAL, University of Illinois, NADP Executive Committee, and the WSLH have been formed and are meeting regularly and developing plans and checklists for the transition of the Lab, Site Support, IT/Web Functions, Finances, and Communication functions of NADP. WSLH Director Jamie Schauer reports that in addition to the many conference calls and emails, WSLH, PO, CAL and NED staff met in person at U of I on Dec. 14th.

“Six of our staff representing scientific lab leadership, sample receiving/LIMS, finance, building services, and shipping & receiving spent nearly a full day meeting with Chris Lehmann and staff in the CAL and David Gay and Lisa Volk in the PO. They were able to see the whole CAL operation – from sample receipt, to processing, analysis and LIMS entry - as well as the NED and sample storage,” Jamie said. “This is the first of many visits WSLH staff will be taking to U of I and was invaluable in giving our staff a better visual idea for how these operations will work in our facilities.”

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding the NADP move and transition:

Q1: How will we make sure that the NADP data will be comparable between the old and new labs?
A: QA Staff from the Program Office and USGS are currently preparing a “Performance Verification Plan” which will describe a number of steps that will be taken to ensure that sampling at the new WSLH lab meets NADP data quality objectives. The “switchover” to the new lab will take place after we are satisfied that the data quality objectives can be met. This is anticipated to occur in summer 2018.

Q2: When should my site begin sending samples to and receiving supplies from the new lab at WSLH?
A: The current CAL lab at the U of I will continue to send supplies and receive NTN samples until site operators are notified otherwise. This will likely be in summer 2018. Please continue to operate as usual until otherwise notified. Note that the mercury lab (HAL) will remain the same through 2018, so no changes in shipping or receiving of MDN samples and supplies is anticipated at this time.

Q3: How will arrangements be made for the funding for my site to switch from U of I to WSLH?
A: The NADP receives funding from hundreds of individual agreements and/or contracts to operate the monitoring networks and the Program Office. Each of these funding instruments will end at U of I by February, 2018, and will need to be reinitiated at the WSLH before that date. NADP Site Supporters (funders) will be individually contacted by WSLH financial staff in the near future, to help determine which funding mechanism would work best for each situation. There are more options than ever before, and in many cases, the funding paperwork should be easier and more streamlined than in the past.

Q4: Who do I contact with site support questions?
A: Please use the same phone numbers and contact information as in the past, until otherwise notified. If you have further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the NADP Program Office at 217-333-7871 or email nadp@isws.illinois.edu.

We will continue to update you as we move forward.
Regards,
Tamara Blett
Chair, NADP Executive Committee