STORETWQX Users Conference

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Tribal Water Quality Data Management

• STORET/WQX Users Conference
• November 29, 2007

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Overview

• Take a closer look at tribal water quality data
  management and sharing data with EPA
• Annual Tribal Assessment Reports require
  electronic copies of surface water quality data
  in a STORET compatible format
• Options for sending data to EPA

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Essentials of Data Management

• Water quality monitoring data consists of
• Where sample/measurement was collected
• When it was collected
• What was collected
• How it was collected
• Why it was collected
• Who collected it
• Regional work with tribes has emphasized data
  management as part of the overall process of
  water quality monitoring and assessment

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How EPA Describes Monitoring Data
Three categories of data

• Projects (Why data was collected)
• - Brief summary of monitoring plan
• Stations (Where data was collected)
• - Describe where monitoring takes place
• Results (When, How and What was collected)
• - Measurements of what was monitored

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More Essentials of Data Management

• Local system that can help you track your data
• Paper files
• Excel spreadsheets
• Access databases
• Oracle or SQL Server databases
• How many people are doing data management?
• Who needs to know stuff about the data, and how
  do they want to see the information?

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Tribal 106 Guidance Requirement

• All tribes must submit a TAR (Tribal Assessment
  Report) to continue eligibility for 106 funds
  (Page 8-3 in the Tribal 106 Guidance)
• Monitoring Strategy
• Water Quality Assessment
• STORET-compatible electronic data

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106 Guidance parameters Fundamental Programs -
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) - Temperature - pH -
Turbidity Intermediate Programs - Nitrogen -
Phosphorus Mature Programs - Pathogens -
Macroinvertebrates - Physical Habitat indicators
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10 Elements of a Tribal Monitoring Strategy
I. Monitoring Strategy II. Monitoring
Objectives III. Monitoring Design IV. Core
Indicators V. Quality Assurance VI. Data
Management VII. Data Analysis/Assessment
VIII. Reporting IX. Programmatic
Evaluation X. General Support and
Infrastructure
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Tribal 106 Guidance Requirement

• All tribes must submit a TAR (Tribal Assessment
  Report) to continue eligibility for 106 funds
  (Page 8-3 in the Tribal 106 Guidance)
• Monitoring Strategy
• Water Quality Assessment
• STORET-compatible electronic data

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Options

• Submit data through National WebSIM
• Web based user interface for uploading files
• Interim solution until web based XML Generation
  Tool is available (available mid 2008)
• Submit data through WQX
• Primary means of data submission for EN Grant
  Recipients
• In the future, submit data using the XML
  Generation Tool (available in mid 2008)
• Work with your EPA regional monitoring
  coordinator and tribal 106 person

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National WebSIM or WQX

• 106 recipients are encouraged to use the
  templates available to submit data through
  National WebSIM now
• Tribes without an Exchange Network grant now
  should look towards using WQX in the future (over
  the next 2-3 years)

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National WebSIM

• Tribes without Exchange Network capability can
  send data through National WebSIM, available now
• Interim solution for tribes until XML Generation
  Tool is available
• Tribes are encouraged to use the Region 5 STORET
  Data Template to format and prepare data for
  submission through WebSIM
• http//www.epa.gov/storet/national_websim.html

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Submitting Data through WebSIM
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Submitting data using WQX

• Water Quality Exchange (WQX) uses the Exchange
  Network to flow physical, chemical and fish
  tissue data from an tribes own database to the
  existing STORET Warehouse
• Tribes that have been awarded Exchange Network
  Grants submit data through WQX
• Yurok, Wind River, St. Regis Mohawk Tribes
  participated in testing WQX

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XML Generation Tool

• EPA is currently developing a web based XML
  Generation Tool that will allow tribes to send
  their data to the STORET Warehouse using the
  Exchange Network
• This tool will replace the use of National
  WebSIM, but will work in much the same way
• Tribes will be able to transition easily from
  WebSIM to the XML Generation Tool because they
  are already used to formatting and preparing data
  for submission using a web based tool

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Whats Next?

• Camille will walk through the STORET Data
  Template
• Please contact us (storet_at_epa.gov) to get set up
  with National WebSIM
• Remember this URL
• www.epa.gov/storet/national_websim.html

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More Web Resources

• www.r5storet.com
• www.tribalstoret.com