Water Quality Database

The water quality database contains both daily samples and grab samples for ground and surface water locations. For every site sampled for water quality, a header is stored with location defined in terms of latitude-longitude, township-range, city, county-state and elevation. The type of site, use of the water, source organization, source organization station number, and WRDS station number are also present in each header. Drainage basin code and drainage area (both total and non-contributing) are given for stream locations when known; aquifer, well depth, and well permit number are given for wells when known. There are currently over 8000 water quality sites in the database; for many, not all header information is known. For location, latitude-longitude is the most complete header item. Site type and use are usually known, but the aquifer has not been identified for most wells.

Two types of temporal water quality data, daily and grab samples, reside on the system. Parameters currently stored for daily sample, by water year, are listed below.

Daily Sample Data

Parameters:

Temperature (degrees centigrade)

Maximum

Minimum

Once daily
Mean streamflow (cubic feet per second)
Specific conductance (Micromhos per centimeter at 25 C)
Mean suspended sediment concentration (milligrams per liter)
Mean suspended sediment discharge (tons per day)

The monthly and annual mean of the above values are also stored for daily samples.

There are more than 400,000 grab samples in the system. For each, the following information may be available: the date, the time, the sample collector, the testing laboratory, and the way the water was originally treated. There are over 800 possible grab samples water quality parameters available to select. Only a few parameters are available for each grab sample.

Search the Water Quality Database

To Database Metadata Page