Andy Eaton tells us what's new in the latest edition of Standard Methods.
The 23rd edition of Standard Methods was recently published again by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and WEF, the culmination of a lot of effort by a lot of volunteers (and a few paid staff). There are some brand new things in the 23rd edition (although many have been available online for a while now). Most notable are continued updates to the QC sections (the 020 sections in each part) to continue to help make Standard Methods more relevant for compliance monitoring. Additionally, for those who remember the line drawings for plankton identification, those are now replaced by actual photos!
While there are lots of minor changes to methods throughout the book, some represent true technical changes. You can differentiate those changes by reviewing the footnotes in the methods for the approval dates. Just because we printed a new edition does not mean that there is not still more work continuing in Standard Methods. For example one new method, gross alpha beta by liquid scintillation, was completed after the 23rd Edition was printed, and is already approved by U.S. EPA for drinking water compliance. A Standard Methods version of the enzymatic method for nitrate analysis is soon to be balloted for approval.
Many folks are asking whether they can use the 23rd edition for compliance monitoring. The simple answer is “it depends.” If a method has the same approval date as one that is already approved, it is of course still approved. If a method has a new date on it, it may not be used for compliance monitoring under either 40 CFR Part 136 or 141 until it is specifically cited in the appropriate regulations. Note that some methods found in the 23rd Edition that were completed before EPA proposed the latest Methods Update Rule may indeed be used, but it is method specific.
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Andy Eaton, Ph.D., BCES, is a member of the Joint Editorial Board of Standard Methods. He is responsible for overseeing the part coordinators for parts 3000, 4000, 5000, and 6000. He has been involved with Standard Methods for more than 30 years, beginning as a Joint Task Group member. Dr. Eaton has a doctorate from Harvard in geochemistry, and serves as the technical director/vice president for Eurofins Eaton Analytical in Monrovia, Calif.