[en] The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) philosophy and approach to quality assurance (QA) for effluent and environmental monitoring is discussed. QA is considered an integral part of any comprehensive monitoring program. The NRC and other regulatory agencies are recognizing the importance of QA and are devoting more effort to incorporating QA programs into all monitoring programs. The rationale and the necessity for QA in the various monitoring programs are discussed. Current and proposed NRC quality-assurance requirements and technical specifications implementing those requirements are reviewed. The NRC staff has developed a regulatory guide which covers generally accepted elements of QA for monitoring programs from sampling through analysis to reporting. A description of the proposed NRC Regulatory Guide 4.15, Quality Assurance for Radiological Monitoring Programs: effluent streams and the environment, is presented