Water  Quality Exchange
What  Is Water Quality Exchange (WQX)?

• The next evolution of the STORET system and a new way of sharing ambient water quality
  data with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• A system that facilitates the submission of water quality and related environmental monitoring
  data between EPA and its partners  over the Internet.
• The WQX schema is a standard set of data formats that specify the data elements and data
  structure required for submission of data to EPA. The WQX schema is an implementation
  of the Environmental Sampling, Analysis, and Results (ESAR) data standard, developed by
  states and EPA.

How Does the WQX Data  Flow Work?
   WQX Exchange
    Network Data
      Submitter
XML Sent via Internet
                     Mapping
                    Applications
                    [EM, WME]
Central Data
 Exchange
  (CDX)
Processing Software
 WQX
Database
                                                                  ••
                                             National STORET
                                             Data Warehouse

    Data are submitted to the WQX system using XML in the format of the WQX schema.

    Alternatively, users may submit data using a Web submission tool that generates XML.

    WQX data come in to EPA through the Central Data Exchange (CDX). CDX is EPA's
    presence on the Exchange Network, and all data submitted to EPA must come through
    CDX for user authentication and data validation.

    The WQX database receives the data after they are processed to fit into the database format.

  | The data are then put into the Water Quality Monitoring Data Warehouse, where they can
    be accessed for data  retrieval through:

    the updated STORET homepage, mapping applications such as EnviroMapper and
    Window to My Environment, Web services, and other tools for data analysis.

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The WQX  Schema
          Organization
  ORG Description
  ORG Electronic Address
  ORG Phone
  ORG Address
          Project
      Project Description
      Project Binary
      Object
 Monitoring Location
Monitoring Location
Identity
Monitoring Location
Geospatial
Monitoring Location
Binary Object

                                        Activity Group
                                     Activity Group Name
                                     Activity Group Type
                                     Activity IDs
 Monitoring Activity
Activity Description
Activity Location
Sample Description
Sample Prep
Subsample Description
Activity Binary Object
                                                                  I  I           I
                                                                            Result
                                                                      Result Description
                                                                      Result Binary Object
                                                                      Result Analytical Method
                                                                      Result Lab Info
                                                                      Result Detection
                                                                      Quantitation Level
                                                                      Lab Sample Prep

                                                                   ••*••-•
  The WQX schema represents a more streamlined set of data elements than STORET yet
  still provides for complete reporting of water quality monitoring, from field measurements
  and observations to samples and subsamples.
  The major components of the WQX schema follow the ESAR data standard closely,
  and many of the data elements in WQX share the same names and definitions as the
  data elements in ESAR.
  The WQX schema accommodates the sharing of physical, chemical, and fish tissue results
  data.  In the future, WQX will also accommodate the sharing of biological and habitat data.
WQX Milestones
                WQX System ready to receive chemical,                   February 2007
                physical and fish tissue data

                Begin Bio/Habitat WQX Pilot                          March 2007

                Finalize WQX Bio/Habitat Schema                      January 2008

                WQX System ready to receive biological and habitat data     June 2008

                Final WQX web tool (including bio/habitat) available         September 2008
What About STORET?
                 STORET is the currently distributed suite of data management tools that
                 facilitate water quality monitoring data submittal to EPA for placement in
                 the STORET Central Warehouse.
                 Over the next 3 to 4 years, WQX will become the primary means of
                 submitting water quality monitoring data to EPA as support for STORET-
                 distributed tools will be discontinued in September 2009.
                 The STORET Central Warehouse will be enhanced to accommodate
                 WQX data and will still serve as the national repository of water quality data.
                                                                        Web Resources
                                                                        and Additional
                                                                        Information
                                                                        For additional information about
                                                                        WQX, visit
                                                                        www.epa .gov/storet/wqx
                                                                        or contact
                                                                        Kristen Gunthardt
                                                                        gunthardt.kristen@epa.gov
                                                                        Dwane Young
                                                                        young.dwane@epa.gov
                                                                        For additional information about
                                                                        the Exchange Network, visit
                                                                        www.exchangenetwork.net
                                                                        For additional information about
                                                                        CDX, visit www.epa.gov/cdx

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