How to Tabulate Lab EDDs for Environmental Reports
Every Phase II ESA, site investigation and monitoring report needs the same thing: laboratory results in a clean, consistent table. Here is how to get from a raw electronic data deliverable (EDD) to a report-ready table without errors.
1. Start from the EDD, not the PDF
Labs deliver results as a PDF report and as an EDD, usually an Excel file with one row per analyte per sample. Always tabulate from the EDD: it avoids transcription errors and carries the CAS number, units, reporting limit, detection limit and qualifiers for every result.
2. Match analytes by CAS number
Different labs name the same compound differently (trichloroethene, trichloroethylene, TCE). The CAS number is the reliable key. Matching on CAS and then applying one standard name keeps tables consistent across labs and sampling events.
3. Use consistent units for each matrix
- Groundwater: micrograms per liter (µg/L)
- Soil: milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg)
- Soil vapor and indoor air: micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³)
Vapor and air EDDs often report each analyte twice, in µg/m³ and in ppbv or ppmv. Pick one unit and drop the duplicate rows, otherwise results are double counted or mislabeled.
4. Report non-detects against the reporting limit
Two limits matter. The method detection limit (MDL) is the lowest concentration the lab can detect with 99% confidence that it is above zero. The reporting limit (RL), also called the practical or method quantitation limit, is the lowest concentration the lab can measure with acceptable precision and accuracy, typically several times the MDL. The standard convention is to show non-detects as ND<RL. Use the MDL only when your project or regulator specifically asks for it.
5. Keep the lab qualifiers
- J: estimated value, detected above the MDL but below the RL
- E: estimated value, above the calibration range
- B: the analyte was also found in the blank
- D: the result is from a diluted analysis
- U / ND: not detected
Print qualifiers next to detected values and define them in the table notes. Codes vary by lab, so confirm meanings in each lab report.
6. Compare to screening levels
Add screening level rows (for example San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board ESLs or LTCP levels) beneath the data and shade any detected result that exceeds a level. This lets reviewers see exceedances at a glance.
Skip the manual work
Eulallia does all of the above automatically: upload your EDDs, choose a template, and download a formatted Excel table or Word summary. Request access.