This Network Update was distributed via the Exchange Network email alerts list on August 12, 2008.

Version 2.0 of the Water Quality Exchange (WQX) Now Available

Version 2.0 of the XML schema and other resources for the Water Quality Exchange (WQX) are now available for Exchange Network partners. Links to these resources are posted on the WQX page of the Exchange Network website at http://www.exchangenetwork.net/exchanges/water/wqx.htm. The WQX allows Network partners to share ambient water quality data with the U.S. EPA. WQX represents the next evolution for EPA's STORET model for sharing water quality data. EPA will transition away from a distributed database model towards the Exchange Network model for the sharing of data. This transition is expected to be fully completed in 2009.

Version 1.0 of the WQX provides the means for partners to share the following types of data:

  • 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.

Version 2.0 of the WQX expands on WQX v1.0 and provides the means for partners to share all v1.0 data types as well as the following:

  • Biological Taxon Abundance data, including population census, frequency class, group summaries, and individual results;
  • Toxicity data;
  • Habitat Assesment scores and their related metric scores;
  • Biological Index scores and their related metric scores.

U.S. EPA is now ready to accept test and production submissions using version 2.0 of the WQX schema. Network partners interested in doing so should contact the WQX team at storet@epa.gov. Please note that EPA will continue to support both versions of the schema, so current v1.0 users will not need to transition to v2.0. EPA does not currently have plans to discontinue support of v1.0.

Because many water monitoring programs use biological and habitat data as the basis for assessing water quality, WQX version 2.0 enhances the richness of information available for data sharing, analysis, and improved decision making by watershed managers. All data shared using the WQX framework can be accessed on-line in the STORET Data Warehouse, EPA's repository for water quality data. Please visit http://www.epa.gov/storet/wqx.html for more information.