<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  WQX > EQuIS WQX Package Overview

•What is WQX?

•WQX Terminology in EQuIS

•General WQX Terminology

•EQuIS WQX Package

•EQuIS to WQXWeb Workflow

 

What is WQX?

 

The Water Quality eXchange (WQX) is a standardized data framework and submission mechanism for sharing water quality data that is administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Federal, state and tribal agencies monitor water bodies throughout the country as required by the Clean Water Act. Local governments, universities, non-governmental organizations and volunteers can also share their monitoring information.

 

Several options are available to prepare and submit data to WQX using different tools and technologies, allowing users to choose a method that best suits their program. WQXWeb is an online tool used to help users submit their data to WQX and document aspects of their monitoring programs. Data submitted to WQX are available via the Water Quality Portal (WQP), a data warehouse where all data submitted to WQX are combined with data collected by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and made publicly available for download and retrieval. In all, more than 430 million records have been contributed by more than 1,000 programs, organizations, Tribes, and agencies.

 

WQX Schema

 

The USEPA WQX schema is a standard set of data formats that specify the data elements and data structure required for submission of data to USEPA. The following types of data are supported by the schema:

•The physical conditions in the environment at the time of a site visit

•The chemical and bacteriological make-up of the water sampled

•Chemical analyses of fish tissue collected

•Biological Taxon Abundance data, including population census, frequency class, group summaries, and individual results

•Toxicity data

•Habitat Assessment scores and their related metric scores

•Biological Index scores and their related metric scores

 

WQX Web Template Files

 

The USEPA provides templates consisting of two Microsoft Excel spreadsheet files (data template and template data dictionary) to assist with data submission. The following are the WQX templates currently available from the USEPA:

•Physical-Chemical Results (WQX 3.0 - Physical/Chemical 7043)

•Biological Results (WQX 3.0 - Template Biological 7045)

•Habitat Results (WQX 3.0 - Template Habitat 7044)

•Continuous Monitoring Results (WQX 3.0 - Template Continuous 7047)

•Lab Results (WQX 3.0 - Template Lab 7046)

•Metric-Index (WQX 3.0 - Template BioHabitat Index 7041) and (WQX 3.0 - Template Metric 7042)

 

 

 

WQX Terminology in EQuIS

 

Understanding the differences between WQX and EQuIS terminology is key to understanding the EQuIS WQX package. The table below represents the terminology used by WQX and the equivalent term used by EQuIS.  

 

 

Organizations

 

Organizations are “The particular word(s) regularly connected with a unique framework of authority within which a person or persons act, or are designated to act, towards some purpose.” In other words, organizations are the groups responsible for submission of WQX data to EPA.

 

The WQX Organization information is mapped to the DT_FACILITY table in EQuIS.

 

Examples:

Example A: The client is submitting data to the USEPA for only one Organization, and therefore, only one EQuIS facility is used to store all water data for that Organization.

Example B: The client submits data to the USEPA from many Organizations. Thus, each organization is stored in its own facility in EQuIS and facility groups are used to report across facilities.

 

Projects

 

Projects are “A designator used to uniquely identify a data collection project within a context of an organization. Projects can have more than one sampling event over time. Some projects have approved QAPPs.”

 

WQX Projects are stored in the DT_TASK table (as PARENT_TASK_CODE) in EQuIS.

 

Monitoring Locations

 

Monitoring Locations are “A designator used to describe the unique name, number, or code assigned to identify the monitoring location. Also referred to as stations, they carry the identification and description of the physical location at which monitoring occurs.”  

 

The WQX Monitoring Locations are stored in the DT_LOCATION table in EQuIS where Station ID = SYS_LOC_CODE.

 

Examples:

Example A: The monitoring locations are Stations located throughout a facility's geographical sampling area.

Example B: Each Organization (Facility) contains many Stations (locations). Some of the stations are used by another Organization and identified with a different Station ID. It is important to know how the data will be queried/viewed for these locations so that the facilities and location groups are set up properly.

 

Activities

 

“The WQX schema and STORET Warehouse use the term "Activity" to refer to any individual action one does at a monitoring location to collect data. So, a series of field measurements or a set of habitat observations are considered activities, along with a collected water sample.”

 

WQX Activities are stored in the DT_SAMPLE and DT_BIOLOGICAL_SAMPLE tables in EQuIS.

 

WQX Activity groups are stored in the DT_TASK table in EQuIS.

 

General WQX Terminology

 

Activity Type – The text describing the type of sample collected (e.g., “N”).

 

Assemblage Sampled Name – An association of interacting populations of organisms in a given waterbody (e.g., “Benthic Macroinvertebrates”).

 

Habitat Selection Method – The monitoring approach by which each habitat was chosen to sample.

 

Collection Area Measure – The recorded dimension, capacity, quality, or amount of something ascertained by measuring or observing.

 

Gear Procedure Unit Measure – The procedural code or equipment that represents the unit for measuring the effort.

 

Sampling Component Name – Single entity within a sampling frame at which a collection procedure or protocol was performed.

 

Result Sampling Point Place in Series – The order in which a single point within a sampling frame was visited in relation to other components.

 

Sample Collection Method ID – The identification number or code assigned by the method publisher.

 

Characteristic Name – The object, property, or substance which is evaluated or enumerated by either a direct field measurement, a direct field observation, or by laboratory analysis of material collected in the field.

 

Method Speciation – Identifies the chemical speciation in which the measured result is expressed.

 

Result Sample Fraction – The text name of the portion of the sample associated with results obtained from a physically-partitioned sample.

 

Result Status ID – Indicates acceptability of the result with respect to QA/QC criteria.

 

Statistical Base Code – The code for the method used to calculate derived results.

 

Result Value Type – A name that qualifies the process which was used in the determination of the result value (i.e., actual, estimated, calculated).

 

Result Weight Basis – The name that represents the form of the sample or portion of the sample which is associated with the result value (e.g., wet weight, dry weight, ash-free dry weight).

 

Result Sampling Point Name – Single point name within a sampling frame or protocol that is associated with the reported result.

 

Result Sampling Point Type – Location of a Single point within a sampling frame or position that is associated with the reported result.

 

Biological Intent – The primary reason the biological monitoring has occurred.

 

Unidentified Species ID – A number or name assigned as a part of a taxonomic identification. Used with a valid genus name to indicate a unique species has been observed but not taxonomically identified.

 

Group Summary Weight Measure – Captures the weight of a Group Summary.

 

Group Summary Count – Captures the total count for a Group Summary.

 

Proportion Sample Processed Numeric – This field captures the proportion of the sample processed. Proportion is stored as a number between 0 and 1. Large/rare count would be documented as 1 (100%).

 

 

EQuIS WQX Package

 

The EQuIS WQX package (EQEDD_WQX_FormatPackage.zip) allows EarthSoft clients to collect, store, and manage WQX data in EQuIS and export the data into USEPA-required file structures. EQuIS formats have been created for use with the EQuIS Data Processor (EDP) to upload reference values associated with WQX as well as import WQX data. A variety of reports and views are available to export data from EQuIS for upload to WQX.

 

The EQuIS WQX package includes the following:

•EQuIS WQX Schema – Provides a basic structure to store and organize WQX data in EQuIS.

•WQX-refvals Format – Used to populate the reference tables and fields added by the EQuIS WQX Schema as well as relevant standard reference tables.

•EQEDD_WQX Format – EQuIS format is used to load data into EQuIS with the purpose of being uploaded to WQXWeb with EQuIS WQX reports. This format replaces the old EQuIS WQX format.

•EQuIS WQX Reports and Views – Used to export various types of WQX data from EQuIS in the appropriate structure to load to the USEPA’s WQX data warehouse via WQXWeb. Certain reports are configured to support the WQX data templates provided by the USEPA.

•Example Files – Example EDD files provide example data to assist users with importing WQX data and setting up reference values in an EQuIS database.

 

The complete list of files included in the EQuIS WQX package is provided in the WQX Package Installation and Configuration article.

 

The EQuIS WQX package is available to clients with EQuIS Enterprise Premium licensing and the EQuIS Professional PlusD library licensing. For licensing information, contact the EarthSoft Sales Team (sales@earthsoft.com). Contact EarthSoft Support for any technical questions about using this package.

 

 

EQuIS to WQXWeb Workflow

 

The EQEDD_WQX format package is optimized to utilize the EQuIS Schema to export data to the USEPA’s WQX data warehouse via WQXWeb. WQXWeb is an online tool for USEPA data partners to upload and share data with the USEPA and the public. More information on WQXWeb can be accessed from Water Quality Data Upload with WQX | US EPA.

 

 

 

The general workflow meant to be implemented using the EQEDD_WQX format is outlined as follows:

1.Ensure the EQuIS WQX Schema has been implemented in the EQuIS database where WQX data will be stored. The EQuIS WQX Schema includes several reports and view tables that are exclusive to WQX data. These are prefixed with “WQX” to easily distinguish them from the other reports and view tables.

2.Water quality data from the lab or collected in the field can be imported into EDP using the EQEDD_WQX format.

3.Once processed and loaded, the data can then be exported as a report or a view table from Professional to WQXWeb as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file or text file.

4.Choose a report in Professional to export WQX data:

a.The USEPA provides assistance with formatting by providing templates as a guide to submit data to WQXWeb. The following are supported by WQX as Water Quality Exchange Web Templates:

i.WQX: PhysicalChemical_Result config7043 Report – Physical and chemical result data that have been sampled and analyzed.

ii.WQX: Habitat_Result config7044 Report – Habitat results data that have been analyzed or observed.

iii.WQX: Biological_Result config7045 Report – Biological results data that have been observed or analyzed in either a lab or field. (Note: This does not include data elements for submitting biological metrics or indices.)

b.The EQuIS WQX reports are based on the required sections in each of the Water Quality Exchange Web Templates. The “config” number next to the WQX report name indicates to which WQX template it correlates (e.g., config7043 is specific to the WQX Physical-Chemical Results Template).  

c.The type of data being submitted to WQXWeb is the key factor in deciding which report to run and export. It is encouraged to review the data types and fields in the USEPA’s WQXWeb Templates to better understand which WQX EQuIS report to use. More information on WQXWeb Exchange Template files can be accessed from Water Quality eXchange Web Template Files | US EPA.

d.Review the data and save the spreadsheet as any of the following file types:

•CSV (Comma delimited)  

•Microsoft Excel (xlsx)  

•Microsoft Excel 97-2003 (xls)  

•Text (Pipe delimited)  

•Text (Tab delimited)  

•Text (Tilde delimited)  

5.After a report or view table has been chosen and the output has been prepared as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file or text file, the file can then be uploaded to WQXWeb. Users must be registered for WQXWeb to be able to upload their data. More information on WQXWeb account registration can be accessed from WQXWeb Account Registration | US EPA.

6.Data submitted to WQX can then be retrieved through the Water Quality Portal (WQP). The WQP can return either site information or sample results. More information on WQP can be access from the WQP User Guide (waterqualitydata.us).