"Unrelenting pressure, short staffing, low morale and internal management tensions have plagued a premier U.S. Geological Survey science lab in Colorado, auditors found in a withering evaluation made public today.
The systemic problems at the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory in Lakewood, Colo., were laid out in an assessment prompted by an earlier review that found one lab analyst had falsified thousands of test results (Greenwire, Jan. 3).
When the outside auditors with Neptune, Inc. dug deeper, they found a number of problems across the lab.
“Lack of resources is a large concern at NWQL,” the auditors found, noting that “29% of 83 staff positions as identified by organization charts are vacant, and an additional 7% of staff have retired or are retiring in 2022 … This translates to the NWQL being staffed at approximately half capacity. “"
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