Status: In Production
data exchange description
This exchange enables participants to submit through the Exchange Network water quality assessment and spatial data associated with Integrated Reporting (303(d)/305(b)) under the Clean Water Act. The exchange was developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Administration’s Land Management Information Center, partnering with the EPA’s Office of Water and the United States Geological Survey.
There are two parts to this data flow:
- Integrated Reporting of water quality assessment data. This data set is taken from the state’s Assessment Database and submitted through the state Exchange Network node for inclusion in EPA’s Assessment, TMDL Tracking And ImplementatioN System.
- Spatial representations of the water assessment reporting units, which link to the underlying National Hydrography Dataset. These spatial data are submitted through the Exchange Network for inclusion in EPA’s Reach Address Database.
Major Components
The state Assessment Database (ADB) contains information on the assessment and impairment listing of state waters, which are required by the Clean Water Act Sections 305(b) and 303(d), respectively, to be reported to the EPA on a biennial basis.
The EPA Assessment, TMDL Tracking And ImplementatioN System (ATTAINS) contains these state-reported water quality assessment and impairment data.
The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data that contains information about surface water features, such as rivers and lakes. The NHD provides a spatial framework for integrating water resources information such as water quality assessments and impairments, gaging stations, and monitoring sites. The EPA Reach Address Database (RAD) contains a copy of the NHD and spatial representations of water-related activities, such as assessments and impairments, for many EPA Office of Water programs. For more information, see http://www.epa.gov/waters.
The spatial submission employed the GeoToolkit node client software developed for a different Exchange Network project led by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and EPA Region V.
Project Goals
- To develop the data exchanges to enable both general and 303(d)-specific programmatic and hydrography-related spatial data to be shared through the Exchange Network.
- To develop a local authoritative source of the NHD for Minnesota, working in partnership with the USGS.
- To develop a common repository of features and activities that relate to or affect the surface waters represented in the NHD. This develops a Minnesota Reach Address Database, similar in concept to EPA’s Reach Address Database.
- To develop statewide policies and procedures for the maintenance and distribution of NHD features and water-related activities (assessments, etc.) that have been linked to them.
- To demonstrate the ability to transfer 303(d)/305(b) Integrated Reporting results via the Exchange Network.
Project Summary and Future Directions
This implementation resulted in the development of a Minnesota Reach Address Database (MnRAD), incorporating data models and practices of both USGS NHD and EPA’s RAD. The data flow also pioneered an Integrated Reporting process for delivering 305(b) and 303(d) programmatic data from the state to the EPA. Previously, these data were reported by states to separate EPA databases that are now integrated into ATTAINS.
The project that developed this initial schema was completed prior to the deployment of the ATTAINS database. EPA is currently working to update the schema to meet the current reporting specifications and to automate the receipt, review, and processing of assessment decision data received via this flow.
In the fall of 2009, EPA will begin working on the Water Quality Conditions and Integrated Reporting Data Standard. During this effort, EPA will solicit feedback from the states on the data standard and the updated schema that will be developed upon completion of the data standard.
implementation resources
The OWIR documentation package has been received and reviewed by the NTG Conformance Committee. The Committee has deemed the schema and supporting flow documentation acceptable for use on the Exchange Network. The most recent version of the OWIR data exchange is version 1.1.
contact information
For more information on this data exchange from the state, please contact:
Mark Olsen
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
(651) 757-2624
Mark.olsen@pca.state.mn.us
Susanne Maeder
Minnesota Land Management Information Center
(651) 201-2488
Susanne.maeder@state.mn.us
For more information on this data exchange and future direction from U.S EPA, please contact:
Charles Kovatch
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(202) 566-0399
kovatch.charles@epa.gov
Shera Reems
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(202) 566-1264
reems.shera@epa.gov
|
