The U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, has a policy that each District Office is required to prepare a District Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plan. The plan for each District describes the policies and procedures that ensure high quality in the collection, processing, analysis, computer storage, and publication of surface-water data. The guidelines presented in this report are structured as a workbook to provide a specific framework for Districts in preparing their District Surface Water Quality-Assurance Plans.