The Standards and Assessment Section's mission is to provide to departmental programs technical support in the areas of experimental study design, field sampling and the review, interpretation and statistical analysis of environmental data. In addition, this section manages the Department's Quality Assurance (QA) Program for water, waste and resource management programs.  

The SAS has worked with a variety of DEP programs on a number of projects including:

• Providing assessments of the ecological health of aquatic communities adjacent to RCRA sites (Hazardous Waste Regulation Section);
• Providing technical consultation, field support and technical reporting services for TMDL  studies (Water Quality Assessment Section);
• Assisting in the assessment of laboratory data quality and providing statistical support in the assessment of periphyton community health (Everglades Technical Support Section);
• Administering the Everglades Total Phosphorus Round Robin program (Everglades Technical Support Section) and the Trace Level Mercury Round Robin Program (Office of the Mercury Coordinator);
• Supporting the DEP district offices with the generation of reports for mini-basin studies;
• Assisting in the study design, field work, data interpretation and report generation for the Forestry BMP Study (Stormwater/Nonpoint Source Management Section);
• Providing field support and technical guidance in support of the Ichetucknee Springs project (Office of Ecosystem Management);
• Developing the DEP's Quality Assurance Management Plan.

Additionally, the Standards and Assessment Section is coordinating the Bureau's Environmental Education Program, which operates in conjunction with the DEP Office of Environmental Education. The Section also offers area schools the opportunity to participate in environmental education field trips.