Frequently Asked Questions for
Submitting 2018 Season eBeaches
Notification and Monitoring Data v.3.3
August 21, 2018
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Contents
Revision History 8
Questions Relating to both Notification and Monitoring 10
1. I've already sent in a file with the "All Complete" notice. If I send another will this cause
any problems with the database? [Was Monitoring #15] 10
2. What should I do when I submit data to CDX and encounter an EARS error? [Was
Monitoring #27] 10
3. Will the 64 bit versions of Access and Windows work with EPA's Beach Access
databases? 10
4. I was wondering if EPA is considering on using a more recent version of access for the
notification and monitoring database. Currently, the access version on the EPA webpage is a
2000 version and I had some problems using it because we are using the 2010 version. I had to
have our IT person install the 2000 version for me to be able to enter my notification
data. Please let me know if this is possible. Also, are you aware of anything that would prevent
me from using Access 2016 to generate the XML files? 10
5. Has anyone reported having problems generating the XML using Access in Access 2013?
I cannot generate an XML in either the monitoring or notification databases. In the monitoring
database I get the message "Run-time error '2683': There is no object in this control". I can
ignore it by clicking "Ok" and "End" and keep going, but ultimately get "Run-time error '429':
ActiveX component can't create object." 11
6. In the Monitoring and Notification Access databases, are you able to copy/paste the
attached "ACT UID" column (xls.), for example into the ACTIVITY PROJECT table? I have
been able to do this in other tables, but it appears the ACT-UID column is locked until you
enter a specific number and won't allow me to highlight cells in the row to copy/paste from
excel. For example, someone did not enter the data into the Activity Group Detail Table for
2012 and we still had a successful submission. So is this not a mandatory reporting table? ... 11
7. When I log in to ENSC and try to submit a file it does not accept it. It says that "An error
occurred: Invalid xml file, please select correct document type!" It is an xml file (created using
XML Notepad) that I am submitting 11
8. I am using a state node to submit data to WQX. However, I do not receive status e-mails
directly to my e-mail account, since we are using a state NAAS account, and not my own. Is
there another way that I can determine the status of my transactions? 12
9. Monitoring Station ID 12
10. New Activity Type: Routine-Sample Resample 13
11. (Moved to Notification #58) What is the time period value of the Geometric Mean? ..13
Notification Data Questions 14
1. Removed older 2007 FAQ 14
2. Removed older 2009 FAQ 14
3. Removed older 2009 FAQ 14
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4. Why is mailing address information listed twice in the user guide, but there's only one
table in the database for mailing addresses? 14
5. When should I use Pollution Sources Uninvestigated and No Pollution Sources for a
beach? 14
6. I have a Tier 1 beach that is normally monitored, but it wasn't monitored this year due to
low water levels. How should this be handled? 14
7. Where did the End of Year Submission Generation form go? 14
8. Where can I find more information about notification data requirements? 14
9. Removed older 2007 FAQ 14
10. What are the appropriate values for the following data elements in the case where a
beach has an event that results in an action, but the pollution sources are uninvestigated? 15
11. In the BEACHPOLLUTION table, is it ok to document potential pollution sources at
beaches that are not identified as being polluted in the BEACHATTRIBUTE fields
NO POLLUTION SOURCE and POLLUTION SOURCES UNINVESTIGATED or should
they match one to one? 15
12. In the PROCEDURE table, what is the difference in the DC prefix codes and the RC
prefix codes? 15
13. I've made my Notification submission and the error log from PRAWN says that my
Station IDs are invalid; however, I have verified them and know that they are valid. How do I
fix this? 15
14. I get an error after submitting to CDX, The element BeachPollutionSourceDetail in
namespace 'http://www.exchangenetwork.net/schema/BEACHES/2' has incomplete content.
What does this mean? 16
15. I would like to edit and/or delete activities and their reasons from a previous
submission. How should I go about doing this? 17
16. Where do I find the domain values for Horizontal Collection Method Name and
Horizontal Collection Reference Datum Name? 18
17. I have an advisory/closure that starts in one year and stops in another. How should I
report this? 18
18. How do I change, e.g. "merge", "split", or "delete", the ID for a beach in PRAWN? ..18
19. How do I list cladophora / nuisance algae as a cause for beach closure when reporting
beach data? 19
20. How do I populate and change attribute data concerning beach tiers? 19
21. How do I test the validity of my XML in CDX before submitting it to PRAWN or
WQX? 19
22. What is BEACON? 19
23. What information does BEACON access? 20
24. What is the relationship between BEACON and PRAWN? 20
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25. How does the Beach Program define 'beach'? 20
26. How does the Beach Program define 'closure' and 'advisory'? 20
27. How does the Beach Program define 'private'? 20
28. How does the Beach Program define 'freshwater'? 20
29. How should states report "Dormant beaches" if the waters are used for swimming? ... 20
30. When is it appropriate to submit Beach Attribute data to PRAWN? 20
31. Dormant vs. Non-Reporting vs. Historical Beach 21
32. Beach Tier and Operational Status (See Question 31 for additional Tier information). 22
33. Regarding the Pollution Source options for the Notification data, does ALGAE refer to
presence of seaweeds on the beach, or should it focus on toxic algae? 22
34. For beaches that people swam at but were not monitored (but had been monitored in the
past) do I still submit beginning and ending swim season dates? I think that might actually be
a required field in the XML document validation, but I am not sure 22
35. I am comparing the list of beaches on a state website with the list on BEACON and see
differences, why? 23
36. For the Profile Report, the WQS and Website information, can you please tell me what
format is needed? 23
37. Will a link to a pdf on our State Beach Program webpage be sufficient? We already list
beach contact addresses and web addresses? 23
38. Activity (Advisory/Closure) Comments 23
39. Local Action Decision Procedure 24
40. Removed 24
41. Effective Year Attribute 24
42. Partial Day Value 24
43. In the PROCEDURE table, what is the difference in the DC prefix codes and the RC
prefix codes? 24
44. All of the Beach Criterion Detail fields, which are being required for the 2016 Season
data submission, are not currently in our proprietary database. Will the XML submission be
rejected if this information is not included (both the fields themselves and data in the fields
would be absent)? If the submittal wouldn't be rejected, is this something we'd be able to add
post-submittal via the verification tool? 25
45. Beach Length 25
46. If I submit contact data using the access database, will that overwrite what's been
submitted by the state node or create duplicates? 25
47. I attempted to register with CDX so that I could check out the link to the vT. It asks to
fill in the 'Active Program Services List' from a bunch of choices. What is the correct choice
for us? 25
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48. We have data that resides in a customized database application. That data is then sent
via XML through nodes. So if I make a correction using the new Beach Verification tool, I
will essentially get myself out of sync with the source data in our customized database. Does
that sound correct? 25
49. (New) We have a few swimming areas that are "off shore". It's where people boat out to
an area and then swim and hang out in the water. So, they won't have a shoreline measurement
and they don't have an obvious start and end point. So, how do I represent these correctly in
the PRAWN submission? 26
50. (New) I'm going through the verification process and can't seem to find anything with
the "alternate Contact Information" report referenced in the "Beach Profile" section of the
Suggested Report Review Sequence in the 2017 Season Verification Process 12-20-17
document. Is this just the Organization Role Assign and Beach Role Assign sections of the
Beach Profile? I've noticed that in individual beach profiles in BEACON that the only item
completed in the Contact Information section is Beach Website Address. But where do the
"Beach Contact" fields pull from? Does it not display because we do not link a person to a
beach using "Beach Role Person Identifier" (not a required field) 26
51. (New) Jurisdiction's website address is not showing up correctly on the beach profile
page. 31
52. (New) Where do I find PollutionSourcesInvestigated in the xml file? It is showing
incorrectly as No, and we want to change it to Yes 31
53. (New) Is there somewhere that provides operational guidance for Local Action
Decision Procedures? For instance, what is the information used for or what is the intention of
its use? 31
a. Is this information required in the data submission? 31
b. Should we include all possible procedures they might use? For example, if there is
flooding and the beach is closed for a long period of time they might use other advisory
procedures that are different from the "usual" ones that they would use for the routine
closures/advisories/openings? 31
c. There are categories of "ADVISORY, CLOSING, and COMBINED". What does
COMBINED mean? 31
d. If we "Post advisory or closing on the Internet", should we include: 32
54. (New) Where can I find a cumulative list of "Local Action Decision Procedures"? 32
55. (New) Which year should our 2017 sampling show in - 2017 or 2018? 33
56. (New) Why does BEACON show 2018 data when no 2018 data has been submitted? 33
57. (New) How do I update or add state contact? 33
58. (Was "Both" 11) What is the time period value of the Geometric Mean? 37
Definitions 37
Monitoring Data Questions 41
1. Removed older 2009 FAQ 41
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2. Removed older 2009 FAQ 41
3. Removed older 2009 FAQ 41
4. Removed older 2009 FAQ 41
5. Can I use the same Activity ID from year to year or from station to station? 41
6. Where can I find more information about monitoring data requirements? 41
7. What is the MONITORING LOCATION ALTERNATE table for? 41
8. Our lab receives a sample and splits it into 2 samples for their own quality check. Do I
use: "Quality Control Sample-Inter4ab Split" or "Quality Control Sample-Lab Duplicate" for
the Activity Type Code? 41
9. What Activity Type Codes do I use for the following situation: Sample 1 is a regular grab
sample, Sample 2 is a replicate grab sample for quality control of sample 1, and Sample 2 is
split into Sample 2A and Sample 2B by the lab? 41
10. When is it appropriate to fill in the field in the Activity table called
AC T_S AMCHEMIC ALPRE SERVATIVE? 42
11. How do I use the ACTIVITY GROUP table? Should each of these IDs be unique?
Should I just use my ACT_ID values? 42
12. Removed older 2008 FAQ 42
13. Should I use Method Detection Level (MDL) for RESULT DETECT QUANT LIMIT
when using the enterolert method? 42
14. How do I handle laboratory results where the value is less than or greater than the
laboratory reporting limit? 42
15. I've already sent in a file with the "All Complete" notice. If I send another will this
cause any problems with the database? [Moved to combined #1] 43
16. How do I delete un-needed or incorrect data from WQX? 43
17. How do I update incorrect data in WQX? 43
18. I submitted my WQX monitoring data for my beaches through CDX. I have received
an e-mail stating that my submission failed and that the process report is ready to be
downloaded. Where do I go to see what the errors were in my file? 44
19. Removed older 2007 FAQ 44
20. When entering monitoring data through WQX, what is the correct entry for the
ResultStatusIdentifier data element? 44
21. How do I determine whether to use Final, Accepted, or Validated for
REF STATUS IDENTIFIER NAME? Will I be expected to update this later? 44
22. When submitting an XML file containing Beach Monitoring Data, how do I properly
reference the correct XML schemas for validation purposes? 44
23. When I submit Beaches Monitoring Data, does my XML file have to contain the
primary components (Project, Monitoring locations, Activity, Activity Group) and data
elements in any certain order? 45
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24. I have heard that I need to associate my beaches monitoring activities with a project
called "EPABEACH" in addition to the Project representing the appropriate beach id. Why do
I need to do this? What is the proper way to do this? 45
25. Can EPA help with the process of verifying that a state's monitoring data are complete
and correct? 46
26. How do I change the project ID of activities already submitted to the WQX? 46
27. What should I do when I submit data to CDX and encounter an EARS error? [Moved to
combined #2] 46
28. How do I populate the Analytical Methods data in the Access database? 46
29. I have heard that I need to assign my BEACH monitoring locations BEACH program
specific Monitoring Location Type Names. Why do I need to do this? What is the proper way
to do this? 47
30. I am using a state node to submit data to WQX. [Moved to General #8] 47
31. Dormant vs. Historical Beach [Moved to Notification] 47
32. Beach Tier and Operational Status [Moved to Notification] 47
33. Are all 17 Forms required? And if so the #14 and the right side of #9 look exactly the
same, so would I need to fill out #14 again after filling in #9? 48
34. I've been using User Guide Beach Monitoring Data V2.2.1 to understand what needs to
be filled out and Appendix D seems to be missing some fields and have some fields listed that
are not on the forms and I don't understand the descriptions on some of the fields. So I was
wondering if there is another guide that I should be using for reference 48
35. I am wondering; what is the best way to pull from WQP all actual and calculated results
dated 10/3/13 through 12/26/13 and resubmit the correct data from that same time frame. I
found several errors in the 2013 beach monitoring data downloaded from WQP. There are 43
incorrectly entered WQX stations. These stations have the correct data but incorrect station ID
and Lat/long. It looks like the Beach IDs were assigned a Lat/Long point and used as stations
IDs. I found 3 'actual' results errors and about 225 'calculated' results errors. Also, the
sampling date 10/31/13 should be 10/30/13? 48
36. Why are the monitoring data we submitted to WQX not showing in the BEACON
Water Quality Report? 49
37. Do you know what the preferred WQX Analysis Method Type and Context values are
for reporting beach water quality results using newer rapid methods for e.coli and enterococci?
The two specific methods are IMS-ATP and qPCR. I can't find good matches in theexisting
WQX lookup tables available for download from EPA 49
38. In the documentation, I see WQXBEACHDemotestDelete.xml. In this example,
what would be deleted? Would all the 2016 monitoring data under that project (beach) and
monitoring location be deleted? Or would just the organization information, that specific
project (beach) information, and specific monitoring location be deleted (leaving the
monitoring results)? 49
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Revision History
Date
Author
Description
3.3
2018-8-18
Chris Stevenson
Added Notification questions 49 -57
Added two new definitions.
Moved # 11 from 'Both' section to #58 'Notification section'
3.2
2017-8-18
Chris Stevenson
Added Access 2016 information to General Questions 4.
Added additional information to Notification Question 15.
Added additional information to Notification Question 18.
Merged Notification Questions 31 and 32.
Added Notification Questions; 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48.
Added Monitoring Questions: 37, 38.
3.1
2016-12-13
Chris Stevenson
Minor editorial and web address revisions throughout.
Added:
Section 3, questions 9-11.
Section 7, Added additional info to question 18.
Section 12, questions 38-40.
3.0
2015-11-27
Bill Kramer
Minor editorial and web address revisions throughout. Added new
Questions related to: beach status , e.g.: Active, Dormant, Historical,
added Non-reporting; updated definitions for private, primary contact,
points-of-access; added monitoring location access types
2.9
2014-09-30
Bill Kramer
Minor editorial and web address revisions throughout. Added new
section "Questions relating to both Notification and Monitoring" and
added Questions 3-7. Moved into Notification from after Monitoring
questions 31 & 32, and definitions; added questions 33 & 34. Added
Monitoring questions 33 - 35.
2.8
2012-04-17
Erik Richards
Added Notification Question 30
Added Monitoring Questions 30, 31 & 32
2.7
2010-06-30
Erik Richards
Added Notification Questions 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29.
Updated Monitoring Questions 2, 3, 4, 6, 20, 21, 25, & 27
Added Monitoring Question 29
2.6
2010-02-03
Erik Richards
Added Notification Question 21
Added Monitoring Question 28
2.5
2009-12-04
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Question 27
2.4
2009-09-24
Erik Richards
Added Notification Questions 18,19 & 20
Added Monitoring Question 26
Removed '08 Monitoring Question 12
2.3
2009-03-02
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Question 25
2.2
2009-02-02
Erik Richards
Added Notification Question 17
Added Monitoring Questions 23 & 24
2.1
2009-01-08
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Question 22
2.0
2008-10-16
Erik Richards
Added Notification Question 16
Updated '07 Notification Questions 1, 7 & 11
Removed '07 Notification Questions 3 & 9
Combined '07 Monitoring Questions 12 & 20 into '08 Monitoring
Question 21
Removed '07 Monitoring Questions 1 & 19
1.6
2008-09-30
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Question 20
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1.5
2008-05-28
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Question 19
1.4
2008-05-05
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Question 18
1.3
2008-05-02
Erik Richards
Added Monitoring Questions 16 & 17
1.2
2008-03-27
Erik Richards
Added Notification Questions 14 & 15
1.1
2008-02-04
Erik Richards
Added Notification Questions 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13
Added Monitoring Questions 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15
1.0
~
Andrew Hampton
Initial Document
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Questions Relating to both Notification and Monitoring
[Note: the terms "Activity" and "Action" are currently used interchangeably]
1. I've already sent in a file with the "All Complete" notice. If I send another
will this cause any problems with the database? [Was Monitoring #15]
No this will not cause any problems in the database. However, if a report was run prior to the
additional data, and you can notify that person, you should tell them of the new data.
2. What should I do when I submit data to CDX and encounter an EARS
error? [Was Monitoring #27]
There are 2 symptoms that are caused by similar issues:
1) If the user receives an error message that indicates that the HTTP maximum request length
has been exceeded.
2) If the user immediately receives a "cannot find server or DNS error" after hitting upload
- The error is most likely due to the size of the file exceeding the maximum. At this
moment, that maximum is 25mb.
- The user needs to split their files into smaller chunks to get under the maximum file size
limit.
For other EARS issues, they are most likely temporary system issues:
- The user should attempt to re-upload the file in 1 to 2 hours time.
- If the user continues to have issues, they need to contact the CDX Help Desk and file a
ticket. The contact information for the Help Desk is:
By Telephone:
Call the toll-free line between the hours of 8:00 am and 6:00 pm (EST) at 888-890-1995.
By E-mail:
Send e-mail correspondence to helpdesk@epacdx.net
3. Will the 64 bit versions of Access and Windows work with EPA's Beach
Access databases?
The current version of the eBeaches Monitoring databases will NOT work with the 64 bit version
of Access. It will work with 64 bit version of Windows however the actual Access application
itself cannot be the 64 bit version.
How to tell which version you have (32 or 64 bit):
• Open Access
• Click the "File" tab at the top
• Select "Help"
• Your version and type will be listed on the right as highlighted in the screenshot below.
4. I was wondering if EPA is considering on using a more recent version of
access for the notification and monitoring database. Currently, the
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access version on the EPA webpage is a 2000 version and I had some
problems using it because we are using the 2010 version. I had to have
our IT person install the 2000 version for me to be able to enter my
notification data. Please let me know if this is possible. Also, are you
aware of anything that would prevent me from using Access 2016 to
generate the XML files?
Microsoft advertises Access as backwards compatible. We've had users operating our Access
databases with both 2007 and 2010 without issue. Our support contractors are currently using the
2007 client without problems. I'm not inclined to change a tool at this time that so many others
are using successfully. I'm glad the 2000 version works for you.
As far as Access 2016 goes, from the documentation, we haven't seen anything that would
prohibit the use of the access databases. Unfortunately, we can't be 100% sure until we actually
get to see it in action (there are a lot of libraries in the VBA code and sometimes they continue to
use them and sometimes they don't). EPA is upgrading its Office products to 2016 as well so if
there is an issue, we will take the necessary steps to make sure it works with the new version
5. Has anyone reported having problems generating the XML using
Access in Access 2013? I cannot generate an XML in either the
monitoring or notification databases. In the monitoring database I get
the message "Run-time error '2683': There is no object in this control". I
can ignore it by clicking "Ok" and "End" and keep going, but ultimately
get "Run-time error '429': ActiveX component can't create object."
I was finally able to get our IT staff to install the MSXML 4.0 Service Pack 3, which worked, I
can now generate XMLs in the monitoring and notification databases. Prior to this they gave me
a new version of Office (now I have Professional Plus 2013 instead of Office 365 ProPlus), but
that did not solve the problem. So, I'm not sure if installing the Service Pack would have done
the trick without getting the different version of Office.
6. In the Monitoring and Notification Access databases, are you able to
copy/paste the attached "ACT_UID" column (xls.), for example into the
ACTIVITY_PROJECT table? I have been able to do this in other tables,
but it appears the ACT-UID column is locked until you enter a specific
number and won't allow me to highlight cells in the row to copy/paste
from excel. For example, someone did not enter the data into the
Activity Group Detail Table for 2012 and we still had a successful
submission. So is this not a mandatory reporting table?
You do not have to select the cells in Access to copy from Excel. At the bottom of the Access
table there should be a blank row for adding new records. Highlight that single row and click
paste. All the records should be entered if there aren't any duplicate UIDs being pasted. As for
the Activity Group Detail table, you are correct, it is not a mandatory reporting table.
7. When I log in to ENSC and try to submit a file it does not accept it. It
says that "An error occurred: Invalid xml file, please select correct
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document type!" It is an xml file (created using XML Notepad) that I am
submitting.
Your xml file was encoded as UTF-8.1 was able to resave it and encoded it as ANSI. (I opened
your xml file, in a program called notepad++. Notepad++ has a menu to choose how the file is
encoded.) When I select the drop down box it shows your file is encoded as UTF-8.1 changed
that to ANSI, saved it and resubmitted it, it went through. XML notepad probably has a way to
set the encoding if you want to continue using it. Also, Notepad++ has a plugin called xml tools,
y it's good for validating xml files and formatting, you can find it here as well as many other
tools: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/notepad-plus/index.php?title=Plugin_Central#X
8. I am using a state node to submit data to WQX. However, I do not
receive status e-mails directly to my e-mail account, since we are using
a state NAAS account, and not my own. Is there another way that I can
determine the status of my transactions?
Yes, you may contact your Node Administrator who may be able to set up an alert on the status
of your transactions. (Moved from Monitoring 30, and modified)
9. Monitoring Station ID
The monitoring station ID is a unique identifier created by the jurisdiction in WQX and should
be used in both Monitoring data submissions and Notification data submissions. In the
monitoring submission it should be associated with the project ID (aka Beach ID and
EPABEACH) and in Notification submissions, it should be included in the Notification Access
Database, Form 19: Beach Activity Station Data Entry.
The monitoring station ID's will ONLY be entered into PRAWN with an action or advisory
(they may still be submitted via the form above, but they won't be entered into PRAWN). There
is no (standalone) method to submit monitoring stations without submitting an advisory, due to
the structure of the XML schema. The section in the profile page presents a cumulative list so
eventually, there will be a list of all the monitoring station IDs for a beach but as we are just
recently requiring those values, some lists may not be complete.
Example of a cumulative list of ID's for a single beach:
CABEACH_WQX| BHH04 - CABEACH_WQX| BHH05 -
CABEACH_WQX|BHH06 - CAB EACH _WQX| BHH09 -
CABEACH_WQX|BHH11 - CABEACH_WQX| BHH1 2 -
CABEACH_WQX|BHH1 3 - CABEACH_WQX|BHH1 5 -
CABEACH_WQX|BHH16 - CABEACH_WQX| MHH01 -
. CABEACH_WQX|MHH07 - CABEACH_WQX MHH10 -
CABEACH_WQX|MHH1 4 - CABEACH|194 - CABEACH|196 -
CABEACHI197 - CABEACH|198 - CABEACH|199 - CABEACH|200 -
CABEACH|201 - CABEACH|535 - CABEACH|536 - CABEACH|537 -
CAEEACH|757 (Note: Station IDs submitted prior to 2015 are not stored
in PRAWN and therefore not available in BEACON; Query STORET using
the Beach ID as the Project ID.)
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10. New Activity Type: Routine-Sample Resample
A new Activity type has been added to WQX and the Monitoring Access Database on Form 09
Activity in the Activity Type dropdown, Sample-Routine Resample: Resample is defined as: "A
Resample (second or more) gathered using straightforward grab procedures for purposes of a
general evaluation of the environment at the site."
Q1 is there a separate type code to identify the initial sample?
A1 the initial sample type code is "Routine Sample"
Q2 Will the states be able to enter multiple results under this subtype or have to replace the
previous result with the new result in cases where there are multiple resamples?
A2 Multiple re-sample results would be in addition to the initial sample and each would be
entered with the sub-type: "Routine-Sample Resample"
Q3 would we be able to link the resample result to the routine sample result?
A3 yes they would all be associated with the same beach id; though not necessarily from the
same sampling station (e.g., use of offset stations from the initial station to get confirmation and
scale of plume).
11. (Moved to Notification #58) What is the time period value of the
Geometric Mean?
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Notification Data Questions
1. Removed older 2007 FAQ.
2. Removed older 2009 FAQ.
3. Removed older 2009 FAQ
4. Why is mailing address information listed twice in the user guide, but
there's only one table in the database for mailing addresses?
Mailing addresses are stored for both people and organizations. The tables in the user guide are based off
the structure of the XML. Although both of these mailing address types are stored in the
MAILING_ADDRESS table, they are stored in two separate places in the XML.
5. When should I use Pollution Sources Uninvestigated and No Pollution
Sources for a beach?
Pollution sources should be listed only when there is a citable source that has verified a pollution source
for the beach. A citable source would include things like state staff, contractors, other credible agency, an
accepted volunteer group, etc. If the existence of a pollution source is discovered via hearsay or guessing,
it should not be listed.
The Pollution Sources Uninvestigated should be used where there has not been an investigation conducted
by a citable source. No Pollution Sources should be used when there has been an investigation by a
citable source, but none were found. EPA expects that the No Pollution Sources Indicator to be rarely
used.
6. I have a Tier 1 beach that is normally monitored, but it wasn't monitored
this year due to low water levels. How should this be handled?
Set the Swim Season Monitoring Frequency and Off Season Monitoring Frequency to 0. Set the
Monitored Irregularly Indicator to "N" in the database or "false" in the XML. In the Monitored
Irregularly Comment describe the reason the beach was not monitored.
7. Where did the End of Year Submission Generation form go?
The completion flags are now apart of the notification xml. When generating custom xml within the
notification access database new check boxes have been added to notify the EPA when to start the QA
process.
8. Where can I find more information about notification data requirements?
Submitting to EPA webpage - https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa
9. Removed older 2007 FAQ.
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10. What are the appropriate values for the following data elements in the
case where a beach has an event that results in an action, but the
pollution sources are uninvestigated?
Please reference Appendix G of the Notificiation User Guide located on the EPA Data User
Corner: https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa
Section 4: Notification Data, Item #1
11. In the BEACHJPOLLUTION table, is it ok to document potential pollution
sources at beaches that are not identified as being polluted in the
BEACH_ATTRIBUTE fields NO_POLLUTION_SOURCE and
POLLUTION_SOURCES_UNINVESTIGATED or should they match one to
one?
Yes, 10. see above.
12. In the PROCEDURE table, what is the difference in the DC prefix codes
and the RC prefix codes?
The procedure codes were created by the EPA back during the project's initial development. For most
codes, the naming convention is XY NAME where X is R (REOPEN), D (DETERM), or I (ISSUE) and
Y is A (Advisory), C (Closing), or B (Both a Closing and an Advisory). The exceptions to this rule are
the MO and OT prefixes where MO stands for MONITOR and OT stands for OTHER.
13. I've made my Notification submission and the error log from PRAWN
says that my Station IDs are invalid; however, I have verified them and
know that they are valid. How do I fix this?
During the transition period to WQX, your Org ID in PRAWN and STORET may have been appended
with " WQX". The new Org ID must be used for PRAWN to recognize your Station IDs. To fix this
problem using the Access database, follow these steps:
1. Open the BEACH ACTIVITY STATION table
2. Add " WQX" to the Organization section of the STATION ID column for all rows
If it used to look like this:
BEACH ACTIVITY STATION : Table
KEY
FK ACTIVITY ID
STATION ID
I! Z
1
1
NV004[rs001
2
1
NV004|rs002
In*
(AutoNurnber)
0
It should now look like this:
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BEACH ACTIVITY STATION : Table
KEY
FK ACTIVITY ID
STATION ID
1
1
NV004_WQX| rsOQ 1
\\J_
2
1
N VD04_WQXj rs002
In*
(AutoNurriber)
0
If you generate your own XML, the data in the tag should be
changed from this:
NV0 04|rsOOK/ActivityMonito
ringStationldentifier>
NV0 04 i rs0 02
To this:
NV0 04_WQX | rsOOK/ActivityMo
nitoringStationldentifier>
NV0 04_WQX|rs002
For States that have had their data migrated from WebSim to WQX the Org ID has been changed back
from " WQX" to 21XXBCH. Make sure your ORG ID is the same for both.
14.1 get an error after submitting to CDX, The element
BeachPollutionSourceDetail in namespace
'http://www.exchangenetwork.net/schema/BEACHES/2' has incomplete
content. What does this mean?
A beach is missing its beach pollution source code. To fix this within your access database make sure
each beach has a pollution source in table BEACH POLLUTION. Below is a list of possible pollution
source codes. The pollution comment is optional. To fix this in your xml file look for any beaches that
have an empty BeachPollutionSourceDetail. For example,
and replace,
AGRICULTURAL
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• BOAT
• CAFO
• CSO
• OTHER
• POTW
• RUNOFF
• SEPTIC
• SEWER LINE
• SSO
• STORM
• UNKNOWN
• WILDLIFE.
15.1 would like to edit and/or delete activities and their reasons from a
previous submission. How should I go about doing this?
See the user guide for finding Activity ID's and getting started with removing duplicate
activities:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/beachnotification-user-guide.pdf
Users do not need to submit all the attributes and beach information to remove duplicate
activities.
An xml file with the beach ID and the Activity ID's to be deleted are all that are necessary for
removal.
CN3 92116
4 7 5931
554 54 5
4 54 4 54
... As many ID's as you want to delete, as long as they are
associated with the ID in Beachldentifier
87 87 8
--Repeat beaches as necessary
CN3 94 0 04
12 34 5 6
7 8 9101
l12131
... As many ID's as you want to delete, as long as they are
associated with the ID in Beachldentifier
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415161
If you're deleting activities you can stop here. If you're making changes then you will need to resubmit
the activities with their changes.
16. Where do I find the domain values for Horizontal Collection Method
Name and Horizontal Collection Reference Datum Name?
You will find a list of domain values for the following data elements in two locations.
EPA's Submitting to EPA page: Appendix E of the Notification User Guide. PRAWN Beach
Notification Data User Guide v2.2 and at:
http://www.epa.gov/storet/wax/wqx getdomainvalueswebservice.html
17.1 have an advisory/closure that starts in one year and stops in another.
How should I report this?
Beach activities should be split into two entries, one for each year.
18. How do I change, e.g. "merge", "split", or "delete", the ID for a beach in
PRAWN?
Beach Split or Merge
In a split situation, a new beach ID is created for the section split from the original. Data can be searched
for under the new beach ID from the date of the split forward. To see data for that split-off stretch of
beach prior to the split, you will need to search under the original beach ID. This search hint can be
provided by adding a comment under the new beach ID using "Beach Comment Text," e.g., "To see
earlier data for this portion of beach, also search under beach ID: [enter historic id]". You can salso add a
comment under the new beach ID e.g., "To see prior data for this portion of beach, aslo search under
[enter old id]"
Example: Beach One (CN00001) is split in 2012. A new ID is generated for Beach Two (CN00002). For
data for the stretch of beach that is (now) Beach Two prior to 2012, users will need to search for
information using beach ID CN00001. After 2012, either CN00001 or CN00002 will provide data for
their respective lengths of beach, depending on the time period of interest.
In a merge situation, the original beach ID for the portion of the beach that is merged into the new beach
will be marked as historic. Data for that historic portion of beach from the date of the merge forward will
only be searchable under the original beach ID in BEACON and if the "Historic" flag is checked in the
secondary filters. This search hint can be provided by adding a comment under the historic beach ID
using "Beach Comment Text," e.g., "To see newer data for this portion of beach, also search under beach
ID: [enter new id]"
Example: Beach One (CN000001) is merged with Beach Two (CN000002) in 2010. Beach One has been
chosen as the name of the merged beach. From 2011 onward, any data for the stretch of beach that used to
be Beach Two will now be visible under the beach ID CN000001. To find data prior to 2010, for Beach
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Two, make sure the "Inactive (Historical)" option is checked on step 2 - Additional Filtering when
searching for the beach ID CN000002
The beach ID chosen to retain the new data is a jurisdictional choice and can be any of the IDs of the
beaches chosen to be merged - the jurisdiction will need to structure the above search hints accordingly).
The monitoring station IDs created in WQX can be associated with both old and new beach IDs so that
the BEACON Water Quality report will accumulate all data for the area being studied, and the report will
include the beach IDs so that the data can be sorted if desired.
Delete Beach
If the beach is to be deleted, send the Beach ID and the request to mark the beach as historical to Bill
Kramer and CGI. Once the request is received, it will be marked historical in PRAWN
New Beach ID's
When a new beach ID is created, data will not show up in BEACON until beach attribute data is
submitted. Beach attribute data should be uploaded for new beaches immediately after the new Beach ID
is created. Any changes to attribute data should be submitted even if there are no actions. If there are no
actions, attribute, or other changes the completion flag should be set and submitted to PRAWN. New
beaches can be in PRAWN but if they don't have any attribute data submitted for them they will not show
in BEACON. If you are using the access database we provide, you'll need to fill out at least Form 02
Beach Data Entry, Form 03 Beach Attribute, and Form 16 Latitude Longitude Coordinate. If you are not
using the access database, you'll need to fill out the schema data elements for: latitude and longitude,
beach length, beach act beach, swim season length, etc. You'll need to do it for all new beaches and
export a new xml file and resubmit it. Once the data has been submitted, users should see that data show
up in BEACON within 1 to 2 hours.
19. How do I list cladophora / nuisance algae as a cause for beach closure
when reporting beach data?
You will find instructions on Submitting to EPA webpage : in the Notification User Guide:
https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa
Section 4: Notification Data, Item #1
20. How do I populate and change attribute data concerning beach tiers?
States' are required to come up with their own method of beach tier ranking system.
To update or change beach tiers already in PRAWN a State should resubmit their beach attributes.
21. How do I test the validity of my XML in CDX before submitting it to
PRAWN or WQX?
When testing data, before submitting it to PRAWN or WQX, XML can be sent to CDX Test
https://enservicestest.epacdxnode.net/login.aspx Unfortunately this only validates the XML against
the schema (ie: format) and does not test the actual data. To test the actual data send a small
sample to production.
22. What is BEACON?
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Each State, Territory, or Tribe that receives a BEACH Act grant must send EPA their information on
monitoring and notifying the public. The public uses EPA's Beach Advisory and Closing On-line
Notification (BEACON) website to see this information, http://watersgeo.epa.gov/beacon2/
23. What information does BEACON access?
BEACON accesses the actions that state and local public health agencies take to issue a beach advisory or
close a beach for swimming.
24. What is the relationship between BEACON and PRAWN?
BEACON is the web-based user interface to display information entered by the states into PRAWN.
BEACON displays PRAWN data within 24 hours of successful submission.
25. How does the Beach Program define 'beach'?
See Definitions section
26. How does the Beach Program define 'closure' and 'advisory'?
See Definitions section
27. How does the Beach Program define 'private'?
See Definitions section
28. How does the Beach Program define 'freshwater'?
See Definitions section
29. How should states report "Dormant beaches" if the waters are used for
swimming?
All beaches need to be reported even if considered by the state to be dormant.
30. When is it appropriate to submit Beach Attribute data to PRAWN?
When a new beach ID is created, data will not show up in BEACON until beach attribute data is
submitted. Beach attribute data should be uploaded for new beaches immediately after the new Beach ID
is created. Any changes to attribute data should be submitted even if there are no actions. If there are no
actions, attribute, or other changes the completion flag should be set and submitted to PRAWN. New
beaches can be in PRAWN but if they don't have any attribute data submitted for them they will not show
in BEACON. If you are using the access database we provide, you'll need to fill out at least Form 02
Beach Data Entry, Form 03 Beach Attribute, and Form 16 Latitude Longitude Coordinate. If you are not
using the access database, you'll need to fill out the schema data elements for: latitude and longitude,
beach length, beach act beach, swim season length, etc. You'll need to do it for all new beaches and
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export a new xml file and resubmit it. Once the data has been submitted, users should see that data show
up in BEACON within 1 to 2 hours.
31. Dormant vs. Non-Reporting vs. Historical Beach
How does the "status" of a BEACH Act beach relate to its use, the data reported, and tier?
Please see the Beach Attribute section of the Notification User Guide for instructions on setting the
beach status. When determining a beach's status, answer the following questions:
Is the beach currently used by the public? [or will it be for the next beach seasons]
a. No
Has it been [will it be] unused for longer than two beach seasons?
1. No - Set status to "Dormant" and set season length, reporting frequency
to EPA (monitoring and advisory) to "0"
2. Yes - Status should be "Historic"
If it is no longer a BEACH Act beach that the public can use (e.g.,
destroyed by hurricane, now privately owned), you should consider
working with your Regional Beach Coordinator to propose it for public
review for removing it from your BEACH Act beach list, and then have
EPA reclassify it as an "Historic" beach (with its Beach ID flagged as
"Historic" in PRAWN, and will not show in default BEACON reports or
on the National List of Beaches (NLB)).
b. Yes
Are monitoring and/or notification data reported?
1. Neither - Set status to "Non-reporting" and set season length, reporting
frequency to EPA (monitoring and advisory to "(F. Set to "Tier 4"
You should consider working with your Regional Beach Coordinator to
propose it for public review for moving it from the (A) to (B)*(see
extract from BEACH Act below) portion of your jurisdiction's part of
the National List of Beaches.
2. Either or both - Set status to "Active"
If it is a BEACH Act beach, you need to submit monitoring and notification data to the extent they
exist. Also, any changes to beach attributes must be submitted. If not submitted, the most recent
submission persists.
Beach grant performance criterion 1 requires jurisdictions to develop and apply a risk-based
classification process to its coastal recreation waters this includes assigning beaches to tiers and
determining which are included in the monitoring and notification program. For beaches that are not
already tiered, EPA recommends that beaches that are used by the public but are not in the monitoring
and notification program (i.e., status is "non-reporting") be assigned to tier 4. Tier 4 beaches will be
assigned to the Part (B) section of the list of coastal recreation waters that are adjacent to beaches
(NLB).
The following table shows how beach status, beach use, reporting status, beach tier, and list of
beaches section interact.
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Beach
Status
Use
Use Status
Season
Length
Reporting
to EPA
Reporting Status
Tier
List of Waters
Section*
Active
Used by the
public
Open
Varies
Varies
WQ and/or Actions
reported
Tiers 1-3
Part (A)
Non-
Reporting
Used by the
public
Open
0
0
WQand Actions not
reported
Tier 4
Part (B)
Dormant
Not Used by
the public
Temporarily
closed
0
0
At least Actions not
reported
Unchanged
Part (A)
Historic
Not Used by
the public
Permanently
closed
As in
records
As in
records
No new WQand
Actions reported
As in records
No longer on list
*CWA SEC. 406 "(g) LIST OF WATERS —
"(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 18 months after the date of publication of
performance criteria under subsection (a), based on information made available to the Administrator,
the Administrator shall identify, and maintain a list of, discrete coastal recreation waters adjacent to
beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public that—
"(A) specifies any waters described in this paragraph that are subject to a monitoring and notification
program consistent with the performance criteria established under subsection (a); and
"(B) specifies any waters described in this paragraph for which there is no monitoring and
notification program (including waters for which fiscal constraints will prevent the State or the
Administrator from performing monitoring and notification consistent with the performance criteria
established under subsection (a)).
32. Beach Tier and Operational Status (See Question 31 for additional Tier
information)
Q: Last year we did not submit certain 'TIER 3' beaches which, for our state are not managed but may
or may not be monitored for informational purposes. I think however that we need to submit the
status of each beach each year.
A: Yes you need to submit the status of each beach each year (if not submitted, the most recent
submission persists)
33. Regarding the Pollution Source options for the Notification data, does
ALGAE refer to presence of seaweeds on the beach, or should it focus
on toxic algae?
It depends on what results in an advisory action in your program. The Great Lakes folks report on
algae, both toxic and non-toxic, (because it's a substrate for bacteria as well as a nuisance). You can
elaborate on the plant material by using the WQX species names linked to from the user guide - see
Exhibit 3-5 of the Notification Data user Guide: https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa
Section 4: Notification Data, Item #1
(See also FAQ Notification #19).
34. For beaches that people swam at but were not monitored (but had been
monitored in the past) do I still submit beginning and ending swim
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season dates? I think that might actually be a required field in the XML
document validation, but I am not sure.
The swim season dates are independent of the monitoring frequency entries. Even a beach never
monitored, or non-reporting still would have season dates. Please see Exhibit 3-4 of Notification Data
User Guide: https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa Notification Data, Item 1.
35.1 am comparing the list of beaches on a state website with the list on
BEACON and see differences, why?
There can be several causes for differences between a state list and BEACON:
1. Some states have data on beaches that are not BEACH Act Beaches so a state list can be
different compared to what is in BEACON (e.g., a freshwater beach, or Federal beaches).
2. A state may have made several submissions; but data on a group of beaches did not get
successfully submitted.
3. In the BEACON Report query wizard, select "private" to show private beaches
4. Beaches that the state considers "active" but are still flagged as "Historical (Inactive) in
PRAWN" won't show unless the BEACON Report query wizard is selected to show them
(we need a list of those beach names to reset the status, the state cannot reset them)
5. Not all beaches show in all reports, for example, if a beach is not flagged as a Tier 1 beach it
will not show up in the Tier 1 Stats Report
If none of the above considerations explain the differences, then the state as part of their verification,
should describe the BEACON query wizard settings and reports results compared to the expected
results to us so that we can assist in identifying and correcting the data and/or system causes.
36. For the Profile Report, the WQS and Website information, can you
please tell me what format is needed?
Please see Exhibit 3-4 of the Notification Data User Guide:
https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa
Section 4: Notification Data, Item #1
37. Will a link to a pdf on our State Beach Program webpage be sufficient?
We already list beach contact addresses and web addresses?
Yes if that beach-level contact information is on your state webpage, you can just link all beaches to
your state webpage.
38. Activity (Advisory/Closure) Comments
Add a comment to the "Activity Comment Text" (Form 04, Beach Activity) If:
1. An activity occurred but was not submitted until later (e.g., not submitted to PRAWN until after
the period of submission/verification), or
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2. An activity occurred and was submitted but should not have been (false positive - e.g., the
laboratory result on which the activity was based turns out to be invalid) Also, in the WQX record,
you should note the revision of the prior value, or
3. If an activity should have occurred but did not (false negative - e.g., a laboratory result value turns
out to have been misreported), add an Activity with the same start and end dates (0 duration) and an
explanatory comment in "Activity Comment Text" (Form 04, Beach Activity . Also, in the WQX
record, you should note the revision of the prior value.
39. Local Action Decision Procedure
The local Action Decision Procedure, Form 14, Procedure Data Entry Form and Form 15, Procedure
Assign, can and should be used for multiple procedures for multiple beaches. Once a procedure is
assigned a procedure ID (Form 14) use Form 15 to assign that procedure to every beach it applies to.
Multiple procedures can be assigned to multiple beaches and multiple beaches can have the same
procedures.
40. Removed
41. Effective Year Attribute.
The Effective Year attribute is the value that is used to determine when an attribute was last updated.
Users can submit data and not change the effective year value. Data will still get processed into
PRAWN. The issue lies in searching for the new information in BEACON.
Example: a user submits Beach tier as 3 with the effective year set to 2010 beacon will look for the
latest date that value was set to and display the beach tier as tier 3. If the user changes the tier to tier 1
in 2013, when BEACON looks for the tier it will now show tier 1 because it's looking for the most
recent time the attribute was processed.
In 2015, the user changes the beach back to tier 3 but fails to update the effective year and submits it
as 2010. PRAWN will overwrite that value as tier 3 but only for the effective year of 2010. If the user
then searches for 2015 data, they will see Tier 1 beach because the last time it was updated was 2013.
If they resubmit the data with the effective year as 2015, the tier will read as tier 3 in 2015.
Now querying for that beach will show, Tier 3 in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Tier 1 in 2013, 2014, and
Tier 3 in 2015.
When a user submits data and it does not show up in BEACON, the first thing to check is the
Effective Year tag. Frequently, they'll find that the effective year was not set correctly for the year
they are submitting and searching for the year that was submitted will yield the changes they
submitted. We recommend they change the effective year to the current year and resubmit.
42. Partial Day Value
The partial day value on Form 04) Beach Activity, should be set to 24 if users are not submitting a
partial day time period. Submitting a 0 will result in erroneous calculations and incorrect data.
43. In the PROCEDURE table, what is the difference in the DC prefix codes
and the RC prefix codes?
The procedure codes were created by the EPA back during the project's initial development. For
most codes, the naming convention is XY NAME where X is R (REOPEN), D (DETERM), or I
(ISSUE) and Y is A (Advisory), C (Closing), or B (Both a Closing and an Advisory). The exceptions
to this rule are the MO and OT prefixes where MO stands for MONITOR and OT stands for OTHER.
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44. All of the Beach Criterion Detail fields, which are being required for the
2016 Season data submission, are not currently in our proprietary
database. Will the XML submission be rejected if this information is not
included (both the fields themselves and data in the fields would be
absent)? If the submittal wouldn't be rejected, is this something we'd be
able to add post-submittal via the verification tool?
As we are requiring it for the first time (with 2016 Season Data), It won't cause your submission to
fail xml schema validation and your submission will get processed into the PRAWN database for
display in BEACON. However, we will make the Criterion data fields required for the 2017 Season
data and so a submission missing those data will be rejected next year. As an alternative to changing
a proprietary system now (preferred), you could use the vT during verification/Dx cycle; however,
that would only submit data to EPA/PRAWN/BEACON and not to your database of record.
45. Beach Length
Beach (Extent) length can be entered as 0 but it should not be. The units of measure range from miles
to feet so any length of measure can be submitted. We will look into changing this in a future release.
46. If I submit contact data using the access database, will that overwrite
what's been submitted by the state node or create duplicates?
If it's a new person, it will add them to the roster. If it's the same person (exact same person
identifier) that the node submitted, it will overwrite the existing data. It won't just overwrite data
though. If you submit John Jones with a person of identifier NH007 and the Node submitted John
Jones as NH004, they will both exist in the system.
If you want to update contact info for someone that the node has submitted, you can do that by
submitting the new information with the same person identifier. If you want to add someone, you can
submit the new information and a new person identifier and they will be added in.
47.1 attempted to register with CDX so that I could check out the link to the
vT. It asks to fill in the 'Active Program Services List' from a bunch of
choices. What is the correct choice for us?
The notification flow name is eBeaches (you may also need to check your credentials - from node
support on submitting to EPA webpage): Node User Support: Provide support on Node access
alternatives - Node Support (nodehelpdesk@epacdx.net); 877-827-0260 or 888-890-1995 option 2.
48. We have data that resides in a customized database application. That
data is then sent via XML through nodes. So if I make a correction using
the new Beach Verification tool, I will essentially get myself out of sync
with the source data in our customized database. Does that sound
correct?
Yes, to prevent that from happening, follow this sequence of actions:
a) STARTING CONDITION: Local database of record and PRAWN and BEACON are in sync
b) vT session yields XML of changes and sent to jurisdiction
c) XML imported into EPA-provided Notification Access DB (or local database of record)
d) Notification submission from Access DB (or from local database of record) to CDX to
PRAWN
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e) Wait 4 hours for BEACON and vT to refresh from PRAWN, then see changes in BEACON
or vT.
f) When changes show, then can initiate next vT session
49. (New) We have a few swimming areas that are "off shore". It's where
people boat out to an area and then swim and hang out in the water. So,
they won't have a shoreline measurement and they don't have an
obvious start and end point. So, how do I represent these correctly in
the PRAWN submission?
BEACON maps currently only depict lines, not areas, therefore provide:
- 2 sets of latitude/longitude points and a length measure transecting the area of the main
concentration of off-shore swimming use,
- put a description into Beach Description and/or Beach Comment and Beach Accessibility Comment
(§3.1.3 of the Beach Notification Database User Guide (NUG))
- identify the county closest to (or that the public would associate with) the off-shore area (§3.1.3 of
the NUG)
- consider if additional notification procedure type codes need to be used (Appendix C of NUG)
50. (New) I'm going through the verification process and can't seem to find
anything with the "alternate Contact Information" report referenced in
the "Beach Profile" section of the Suggested Report Review Sequence
in the 2017 Season Verification Process 12-20-17 document. Is this just
the Organization Role Assign and Beach Role Assign sections of the
Beach Profile? I've noticed that in individual beach profiles in BEACON
that the only item completed in the Contact Information section is Beach
Website Address. But where do the "Beach Contact" fields pull from?
Does it not display because we do not link a person to a beach using
"Beach Role Person Identifier" (not a required field).
If you do not link a person to a beach, their contact info will not show. But having the weblink is
adequate, if the beach contact information is on the linked site. If you want to link persons, please see
the User Guide, sections 3.1.1. and 3.1.7:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/beachnotification-user-guide.pdf
On printed pages 52-53 it shows the different choices for roles. You'll want to add the role of
PUBLIC to whoever"s information you want to show up as the "Beach Contact Name".
To update the Beach Contact section on the Beach Profile Report:
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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Contact Information
Beach Website Address:
Beach Contact Name:
Beach Contact Agency:
Beach Contact Phone:
Beach Contact Email:
Users must submit a person with the designated role of PUBLIC:
XML Method:
PUBLIC
PRWNTEST
CTS
2017-01-lT00:00:00
ACTIVE
Access Database Method:
Choose the "Beach Person Role Assign form:
prc
Version: 2.2.5
Release: 11/15/16
Beach Activity Reason
Beach Activity Station
Delete Beach Activity
Beach Criterion
Beach Organization Role Assign
* Beach Person Role Assii
Beach Pollution
Procedure
Hfurh Prnrfvlnrp Acc'inn
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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Fill out the form with the information of the person to be listed as the beach contact and set the
role as "PUBLIC". Users must assign a person to each beach they want their information listed.
BE Person Role Assign Data Entry Form X
Key
1
Beach ID
|CN392107
L=J
Person ID
|CSTEVENSON
LrJ
Person Role Code
|PUBLIC
Effective Date
3/2/2018
Status
|active
Return to Main Menu
Verification Tool Method: Log mto the Verification Tool application. Under Notification tab, click
on Beach sub -tab to go to the Beach Search Criteria Form.
v=,EPA
US Environmental Protection Agency
BEACON 2.0 Verification Tool
JCHAKRAB Logout
Shopping Cart (contains items)
Dashboard Reports 1
Notification
| 'Monitoring *Geospatial About
Beach
Procedure Organization
Person Mailing Address Electronic Address Telephone
State Contact
* These tabs are not functional for this release.
Beach Search Criteria
Enter search criteria into the form fields below and click the Search button. To remove search criteria from the form fields, click the Clear button.
Beach ID
Beach Name
State/Tribe/Territory Alabama
County
Enter search criteria into the form fields and click the Search button. After clicking the Search button,
a search results report will be returned showing all matching beaches. Click the beach ID link from
the Beach Search results page to go to the Beach Details section.
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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Items with a Record Status of Updated will be highlighted yellow.
cv
Go
Rows
100
A
V
Actions v
Back Mass Update
0E I State Code = 'AK'
0 KM Year = 2017
Select Beach for
Mass Update
(check all i) Record Status Beach ID
~
~
~
ipgji
Original
Original
Original
AK162093
AK3Q1573
X
X
Name
Demo Beach
KB-Beacon Hill
State Code
AK
AK
AK
County Year
Wrangell 2017
Anchorage (b) 2017
Ketchikan Gateway 2017
Click on Person Role Assign tab. This section shows all persons and roles currently assigned to the
selected beach.
To assign a new role, click the Assign New Role button and complete the form.
To edit a role, click the Edit link for a role and complete the form.
Beach Details
This page shows all the information for the selected beach and year. The beach details are grouped by category in the tabs below. Show more...
Beach ID (Beach Name): AK140870 (City Park)
Effective Year: 2017
Profile
Attribute
Latitude/Longitude
Activity
WQS Criteria
Pollution Sources
Procedure Assign Organization Role Assign
Beach Person Role Assign
Use this form to assign person roles to the selected beach. The list below shows all persons and roles currently assigned. Please refer to the PRAWN Beach Notification Data User
Schema v.2.4 8/2016 (PDF) (130 pp. 2 MB) for more details on the data fields and requirements. Show more...
Person Role Assignments for Beach AK140870
Items with a Record Status of Updated will be highlighted yellow.
Items with a Record Status of New will be highlighted green.
1
Go Rows All
A
V
Actions v
Assign New Role Delete Role
Edit-
Edit
Edit
Edit
Edit
Edit
Edit
Record Status Person ID
100010
Original
Original
Original
Original
Original
Original
100010
100010
100010
100010
100010
100010
Name
Gretchen Pikul
Gretchen Pikul
Gretchen Pikul
Gretchen Pikul
Gretchen Pikul
Gretchen Pikul
Gretchen Pikul
Person Role Code Effective Date
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
PUBLIC
01-JAN-15
01-JAN-15
01-JAN-15
01-JAN-15
01-JAN-15
01-JAN-15
01-JAN-15
^^K)ate
Status
ACTIVE
01-JAN-15 INACTIVE
01-JAN-15 INACTIVE
01-JAN-15 INACTIVE
01-JAN-15 INACTIVE
01-JAN-15 INACTIVE
01-JAN-15 INACTIVE
Includ* Edits In XML?
Yes
Note: this value is set from the
Profile tab.
Include Edits in XML?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
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Fill out the form with the information of the person to be listed as the beach contact and set the role as
"PUBLIC". Users must assign a person to each beach they want their information listed.
Add/Edit Assigned Person
Clear
Reminder: Person Role Assignment data are a subsection of Profile data in the Notifications schema.
Therefore, upon saving here, if this beach is missing required Profile data in PRAWN, you will be
prompted to provide this information as part of your submission.
Person ID
Person Role Code
* Effective Date
* Status
PUBLIC (Public Contact)
Active Inactive
Includt Edits In XML?
Yes
Note: this value is
set from the Profile
tab.
Once the changes has been completed, click on the Shopping Cart link from the top right-hand comer.
Click the Download File link to download the XML file containing all records that (a) have been
edited in the current verification session and (b) have the "Include Edits in XML?" flag set to "Yes".
SEPA
US Environmental Protection Agency
BEACON 2.0 Verification Tool
Dashboard Reports Notification "Monitoring *Geospatial
JCHAKRAB Logout
Shopping Cart (contains items)
About
Shopping Cart
* These tabs are not functional for this release.
The Shopping Cart contains your editing change logs and the download/submit XML functionality. All edits made in the Verification Tool prior to each Download XML action are
included in the change logs. By default, the change logs show only those edited records that have the Include Edits in XML flag set to "Yes". To show edits for records with the
Include Edits in XML flag set to 'No', check the toggle below. Show more.
Submission to EPA and nodes is not enabled for this release. To simulate submission, clicking the Download XML button will also trigger post-submission
processes. For example, a Submission History report will be generated and made accessible from the Dashboard page. Additionally, all edits for records with
Include Edits in XML flag set to "Yes" will be cleared (so that users do not continue to see edits that were already 'submitted'). This means that the edits will not
appear in the Shopping Cart, Reports, Forms, etc., and instead these will be reset to production database values. Changes will not show in the vT until added to
the jurisdiction's database of record and resubmitted to EPA.
v Notification Data Change Log
View Detailed Notification Data Report
Download File [XML]
| — REMINDER: Clicking download will clear all edits for records with Include Edits in XML flag set to "Yes" from the
Verification Tool. Also: make sure the change log below contains edits for a single year only.
Toggle: ShJ^^Rts Marked for Exclusion from XML
D The ch^Hlog below shows by default only those edits that are marked for inclusion in the XML. Check this box to also show edits currently marked for exclusion
from the XMlM
I Summary Beach Data Report Summary Procedure Data Report ' Summary Organization Data Report Summary Person Data Report
The tabs above simply toggle which sections are viewable. Note: Changes to Mailing Address, Electronic Address, and Telephone data appear in the Organization OR Person
section below depending on how those records are associated. Changes to State Contact data appear in the Organization section.
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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Consume the XML into your jurisdiction's database of record (Access DB or other system), or
otherwise ensure that the changes made in the vT are incorporated into your system. Export the xml
from your jurisdiction's database and submit through the regular notification submission process.
51. (New) Jurisdiction's website address is not showing up correctly on the
beach profile page.
Submission of Website addresses must include the http(s):// in the BeachWebsite element in order for
them to be displayed as a working hyperlink:
E.g.:
https://www.epa.gov
52. (New) Where do I find PollutionSourceslnvestigated in the xml file? It is
showing incorrectly as No, and we want to change it to Yes.
If you select pollution sources investigated as 'Yes", then the xml creator does NOT add in the xml
tag. If you want it to read 'No" it adds in the following:
true
true
Note, it says Pollution sources UN investigated is TRUE...
If pollution sources are not found, it gets created as above, NO pollution sources found is TRUE.
You will NOT see a tag for Pollution Sources Investigated. The processor checks if the tag is there
and if it isn't it adds a Y to the Pollution Sources Investigated table.
In the case of Investigated = Yes and Sources Found = Yes, it creates the list of pollution sources:
UNKNOWN
53. (New) Is there somewhere that provides operational guidance for Local
Action Decision Procedures? For instance, what is the information used
for or what is the intention of its use?
a. Is this information required in the data submission?
b. Should we include all possible procedures they might use? For
example, if there is flooding and the beach is closed for a long period
of time they might use other advisory procedures that are different
from the "usual" ones that they would use for the routine
closures/advisories/openings?
c. There are categories of "ADVISORY, CLOSING, and COMBINED".
What does COMBINED mean?
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d. If we "Post advisory or closing on the Internet should we include:
"ISSUE CLOSING: Post on Internet"
"ISSUE ADVISORY: Post on Internet"
"ISSUE COMBINED: Post on Internet"
The National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants, 2014 Edition
July 31, 2014 https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P100KZDK.PDF?Dockey=P 100KZDK.PDF
Chapter 5.4 describes the actions that a jurisdiction might take in the case of an advisory or closure.
There are other sections that discuss how to decide on actions depending on the audience and nature
of the issue.
From the Notification User Guide found on printed page 60, file located here
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/beachnotification-user-guide.pdf
"The beach procedure section of the XML submission contains data related to the procedures used by
beaches for monitoring, notification, issuance, and reopening. This section includes data elements,
such as procedure type code (See Appendix C for a list of valid codes), procedure description text,
and procedure identifier. These data elements will be included in the XML file when beach procedure
information needs to be added or updated in the PRAWN database."
a. No, not required as far as schema validation and XML processing is concerned, but it is
informative to the public.
b. Best practices suggest that you include any advisory or closures procedures you used for
the calendar year of the Notification submission. This will create a cumulative list of all the
procedures used per individual beach. As of right now, it's only a cumulative list and there is no way
to differentiate procedures between different years. We may look into adding this functionality in the
future.
c. Combined means both an Advisory and a Closure was issued for that beach.
d. No, just include "Combined"
54. (New) Where can I find a cumulative list of "Local Action Decision
Procedures"?
A cumulative list of ProcedureTypeCode values can be found in Appendix C of the Notification
User Guide here: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/beachnotification-
user-guide.pdf
Printed page 93.
ProcedureDescriptionText is user defined and can 255 characters.
Procedureldentifier is also user defined but must be consistent within the submitting jurisdiction,
per the user guide:
Submitting organizations will need to maintain a list of valid Procedure Identifiers for all procedures that
are stored in the PRAWN database. These identifiers must be unique within each organization, as they
will be used to update organization-level data. (For example, with an organization there can only be 1
procedure identified as "AB123", but there could be another procedure identified as "AB123" in another
organization.)
Descriptions of the values can be found on printed page 56 of the User Guide mentioned above.
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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55.(New) Which year should our 2017 sampling show in - 2017 or 2018?
Your monitoring data collected in 2017 should show as 2017.
56. (New) Why does BEACON show 2018 data when no 2018 data has been
submitted?
The reason 2018 data shows up in initial report selection are because some attributes were updated in
2018. If you choose a beach from the 2018 section and view its profile, BEACON pulls the most recent
attribute data (which is selected based on when the attribute was updated in the database). If you
choose a 2017 beach, you can see that data submitted with the effective year set to 2017 will be
displayed
57. (New) How do I update or add state contact?
To update the data that appears on this page:
https://www.epa.gov/beaches/state-and-local-beach-programs
Users may submit the following information through the regular notification data submission
process using any of the three methods listed below:
XML Method:
PRWNTEST
Chris
Stevenson
CGI Federal
337-344-542 9
christopher.stevenson0cgifederal.com
CNXXXXXX
Submission must include a valid beach Id so the proper state/jurisdiction is updated. Data
may be submitted within a comprehensive submission file (including organization
information, beach attributes, advisories and activities, etc.) or just the information included
above.
Access Database Method:
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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Choose the "State Contact" form:
BH Main Menu - Notification Database
X
1
As -r'
Organization
Person
Mailing Address
Electronic Address
Telephone
State Contact S '
Fill out the information to be added to the contact age:
m State Contact Entry Form x
ID
1
Organization ID
(PRWNTEST [71
First Name
]Chris
Last Name
|stevenson
Agency
jcGI Federal
Telephone
(337-344-5429
Email
|christopher. stevenson ©cgifederal.
Return to Main Menu
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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You must include at least one beach id to insure the correct jurisdiction (state) is updated:
gif Beach Data Entry Form
Beach ID |CN392107
Name |Sunny Beach
Description
First Record in the list
Comment
PACIFIC
State Code CN
FIPS County Code 99001
Access Type PUB_PUB_ACC
Access Comment
Last Record in the list
~ET
Waterbody Name |Lake Superior
Waterbody Type |Open Coast
Send to EPA
13
Return to Main Menu
Export the xml and submit through the regular notification submission process.
Verification Tool Method: Log into the Verification Tool application. Under Notification tab,
click on State Contact sub-tab.
Dashboard Reports
Mailing Address
"Monitoring *Geospatial About
Electronic Address
Telephone
State Contact
re/ \|li
* These tabs an
ch button. To remove search criteria from the form fields, click the Clear button
unctional for this releas
• To add new State Contact: Click the Add New State Contact button and complete the form.
• To edit State Contact: Click the Edit link for a record and complete the form.
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
Revised: August 21, 2018 Version 3.3
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Items with a Record Status of New will be highlighted green.
Go Rows 100 C Actions v
Add New State Contact
4
Delete Record Status State Code Organization Name First Name Last Name ^^>ncy Name Telephone Number
Edit AK Gretchen Pikul ^5>artment of 907-465-5023 gret
™ Environmental
Conservation
Edit Original AL - Suzi Rice ADEM 251-450-3400 sric
Edit Original AS - Christianera Tuitele Environmental 684^633-2304 christi
Protection
Agency
Delete State Contact
Add'Edit State Contact
Clear
Use 1hts form to add or ed* Stale Condact details. All fields are required Please refer to the PRAWN Beach Notification Data Use?
Guide v2 2 4 for XMl Schema v 2 4 8.'2016 (POFV1130 op 2MB) for more details cm (he da!a fields and requirements Choose
whether to send the new State Contact, or changes to an oasitng record, to PRAWN by setting the Include Edits in XML?" flag.
* State Cod*
* Organization 10
* First Name
* L»it Nam*
* Agency
' Telephone Number
* Email
Include Edlti In XML?
! YES NO
~
You may enter values in ffie formal 999-999-9999
NOTE: Only one record can be passed in a single XML package at this time. Therefore, please
edit only one state contact record per session.
Orice the change has been completed, click on the Shopping Cart link from the top right-hand
corner. Click the Download File link to download the XML file containing all records that (a)
have been edited in the current verification session and (b) have the "Include Edits in XML?"
flag set to "Yes".
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
Revised: August 21, 2018 Version 3.3
Notification Data Questions
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Q EDA JCHAKRAB Logout
WCrVn US Environmental Protection Agency Shopping Cart (contains items)
s
BEACON 2.0 Verification Tool
Dashboard Reports Notification "Monitoring *Geospatial About
* These tabs are not functional for this release.
The Shopping Cart contains your editing change logs and the download/submit XML functionality. All edits made in the Verification Tool prior to each Download XML action are
included in the change logs. By default, the change logs show only those edited records that have the Include Edits in XML flag set to "Yes". To show edits for records with the
Include Edits in XML flag set to 'No', check the toggle below. Show more..
Submission to EPA and nodes is not enabled for this release. To simulate submission, clicking the Download XML button will also trigger post-submission
processes. For example, a Submission History report will be generated and made accessible from the Dashboard page. Additionally, all edits for records with
Include Edits in XML flag set to "Yes" will be cleared (so that users do not continue to see edits that were already 'submitted'). This means that the edits will not
appear in the Shopping Cart, Reports, Forms, etc., and instead these will be reset to production database values. Changes will not show in the vT until added to
the jurisdiction's database of record and resubmitted to EPA.
Notification Data Change Log View Detailed Notification Data Report
Download File [XML]
- REMINDER: Clicking download will clear all edits for records with Include Edits in XML flag set to "Yes" from the
Verification Tool. Also: make sure the change log below contains edits for a single year only.
Toggle: ShJ^Hks Marked for Exclusion from XML
[U The ch^^Blog below shows by default only those edits that are marked for inclusion in the XML. Check this box to also show edits currently marked for exclusion
from the XML®
Summary Beach Data Report Summary Procedure Data Report Summary Organization Data Report j Summary Person Data Report
The tabs above simply toggle which sections are viewable. Note: Changes to Mailing Address, Electronic Address, and Telephone data appear in the Organization OR Person
;section below depending on how those records are associated. Changes to State Contact data appear in the Organization section.
Consume the XML into your jurisdiction's database of record (Access DB or other system), or
otherwise ensure that the changes made in the vT are incorporated into your system. Export
the xml from your jurisdiction's database and submit through the regular notification
submission process.
58. (Was "Both" 11) What is the time period value of the Geometric Mean?
In the Notification Access Database, on Form 21: Beach Water Quality Criterion Data Entry, we
have changed the description of the value GM to reflect that it is a 30 Day Geometric Mean. If
you are using a Geometric Mean of any other length of time, please use the "OTHER" option
and add a comment stating you are using a Geometric Mean and note the time period: e.g.,
Geometric Mean - Daily, etc.
We've also Added MODELVB (Virtual Beach) as an Activity Reason Type. This Reason Type
will enable identification of the use of VB and retroactively to see the relationship between
model predictions and subsequent sample results.
Definitions
[Note: the terms "Activity" and "Action" are currently used interchangeably]
How does the Beach Program define 'beach'?
EPA provided significant discussion on the term beach in the National Beach Guidance and
Required Performance Criteria for Grants. Chapter 3 provides a three step process for
identifying a beach (Step 1: identifying coastal recreation waters; Step 2: identifying beaches or
similar points of access used by the public [includes public and privately owned and accessible
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beaches] for primary contact recreation: swimming, bathing, surfing, or similar water contact
activities; and Step 3: reviewing available information).
Should a state report to EPA federal or tribal beaches located within the state?
No. States report to EPA only those beaches under the state's jurisdiction. Tribes eligible for
BEACH Act grants and federal agencies are required to submit their own reports to EPA. (Note:
Tribes may use BEACH Act grant funds to pay a State to manage and/or submit their data.)
Will lengths of beaches under federal jurisdiction within a state's or tribe's boundaries be
included in a state/tribal beach length total if EPA switches from shoreline miles to beach
miles in its beach grant allocation formula?
No. Beaches under Federal jurisdiction are not included in a state or tribal beach monitoring and
notification program for BEACH Act purposes. (Note: Previously reported federal beaches are
marked "historic" and so will not be counted.)
Examples of properties under Federal jurisdiction include but are not limited to:
Coast Guard facility
Military facility (e.g., Base, Fort, Camp, Missile Range, Firing Range)
National Estuarine Research Reserve
National Forest
National Historical Reserve
National Park
National Recreation Area
National Seashore
National Wildlife Refuge
Should a state List of Beaches include beaches that are adjacent to waters designated by
the state for only secondary contact recreation?
No. The beaches must be adjacent to "coastal recreation waters" and must have a designated use of
"primary contact" recreation (Recreational activities where immersion and ingestion are likely and
there is a high degree of bodily contact with the water, such as swimming, bathing, surfing, water
skiing, tubing, skin diving, water play by children, or similar water-contact activities.) for at least
part of the year, as discussed in EPA's 2014 Beach Guidance §3.2. A designation of only secondary
contact recreation does not trigger a Beach Act Beach designation.
What is meant by "similar points of access"?
To decide whether to include "similar points of access" on their List of Beaches, a state should
consider:
• Similar point of access.
A "similar point of access" (i.e., providing similar access) to waters used by public, is a BAB
and needs to be on list of beaches.
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• For example, one could include a flat spit of land (peninsula) that juts into the water, an
island or an off shore open water area available for public use for primary contact
recreation, even if only accessible by water.
¦ NOT Similar point of access
Shoreline adjacent to coastal recreation waters that is not used by the public for "primary
contact" recreation is not a BAB
• For example, structures that would not be considered "similar" might include a fishing
pier, boat pier, shoreline stabilization structure, marina, mooring basin (with anchor cable
buoys), boat ramps, or individual locations only used to collect water quality samples and
measurements (i.e., STORET sampling locations), etc.
How does the Beach Program define "closure" and "advisory"?
States define those terms, although EPA provides some guidance on them in section 5.3.2 of its
National Beach Guidance and Required Performance Criteria for Grants. In its annual analysis
of beach activity nationwide, EPA treats both as 'actions.'
How does the Beach Program define "private"?
• In general, a private beach should be included in a state's List of Beaches if it is adjacent
to coastal recreation waters and the waters are legally "used by the public." EPA's 2014
Beach Guidance addressed this determination in §3.2 and 3.3.
• EPA's 2014 Beach Guidance §3.3 specifically addresses the private beach issue: "A
beach does not have to be in the public domain to be covered by a BEACH Act grant-
funded program. Privately owned beaches that are used by the public for swimming,
bathing, and other water contact activities should be included in the identification,
evaluation, and classification of beaches..."
o As an example, even if a hotel, or campground, or swim club is private, but the
water is used by the general public for swimming or similar activities, the beach
should be included in the state's List of Beaches, even though the access is
somewhat restricted.
o Beaches associated with private homes, however, do not provide access for use by
the public" and thus should not be included in the List.
o Private ownership" applies to a beach not owned by a government agency.
o This definition is subordinate to state and local laws applicable to the beach in
question.
o Public Beach Act Beaches should be included, as discussed in §3.2 & 3.3. Where
the public pays an entrance fee to a publicly owned beach, it would still be
considered a public beach with public access and should be included in the List.
How does the Beach Program define "freshwater"?
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In terms of BEACH Act grants, the only fresh waters are the Great Lakes. In terms of choosing
which indicator to monitor for, if there is a question as to the salinity level (e.g., in estuaries),
beach managers should use enterococci.
What is a Project/Beach Identifier?
A unique identification "number" assigned by EPA to a beach defined by a jurisdiction (see
Location Data SOP https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa Locational Data, Item
1) retained regardless of the operational status ("open'Y'managed") of the beach.
What does it mean for a beach to be considered "Historical"?
An "historical flag" in PRAWN is set to "TRUE" for a beach id at the request of a jurisdiction
for a beach that is determined to: e.g., no longer physically exist or be useable by the public, was
assigned in error, no longer correctly relates to the extent of the beach (i.e., split, merged). For
Historical IDs, no new data are submitted, older data remains in EPA databases of record, but are
not included in Annual Reports (but can be pulled for other reports).
What does it mean for a beach to be considered "Open"?
People engage in primary contact recreation in the water adjacent to the beach (not a statement of
legality of behavior).
What does it mean for a beach to be considered "Managed"?
The beach is staffed at least to the extent that "actions" can be taken when necessary.
What is a beach "Season"?
Season is the time when the beach is "managed" and/or "open". Season is entered in PRAWN as
start and end dates. Length in days can also be used but it is recommended to use the start and
end date fields. If not open or its status is "dormant", or "non-reporting" then the season = 0.
What does it mean for a beach to be "Monitored"?
"YES" carries the obligation to report the results. "NO" means reporting is optional.,
Should I report actions for a given beach?
"Yes" if the beach is considered a Beach Act beach, and there is someone to report (not
"historical","dormant" or non-reporting").
Should I report monitoring data for a given beach?
"Yes" if a Beach Act beach, and there is someone to report (not "historical","dormant" or non-
reporting").
Does EPA require any specific beach prioritization scheme?
EPA's BEACH Act grant performance criteria require that states rank their beaches in priority
order based on risk and use. The Agency recommends a four tier system, with Tier 1
representing the highest priority beaches, but allows states to use any nomenclature they choose.
However, to avoid confusion states should provide EPA and the public sufficient information to
allow them to make comparisons with the national prioritization scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions for Submitting Notification and Monitoring Data
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Monitoring Data Questions
1. Removed older 2009 FAQ
2. Removed older 2009 FAQ
3. Removed older 2009 FAQ
4. Removed older 2009 FAQ
5. Can I use the same Activity ID from year to year or from station to
station?
No, Activity IDs must be unique for your organization across all years and stations. For example, if you
want to use the Activity ID ""myact" for multiple years and stations, you should add a year indicator and a
station indicator to make it unique. So your activity at station A for 2008 could be ""A-08-myact" and
your activity for station B in 2009 could be ""B-09-myact".
If you do submit a second activity with the same Activity ID, it will overwrite the first activity in WQX.
6. Where can I find more information about monitoring data requirements?
Submitting Data to EPA - https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa
• This page contains documentation, tools, and information for submitting data under the BEACH
Act Grant Program. The old Monitoring Schema, as well as its documentation and tools are located
at the bottom of the page under the Historical Files section. This page also contains contact
information for further questions.
Exchange Network - http://www.exchangenetwork.net/exchanges/water/wqx.htm
• This Exchange Network site contains documentation for the WQX Schema.
WQX web page - http://www.epa.gov/storet/wqx/index.html
7. What is the MONITORING_LOCATION_ALTERNATE table for?
The alternate monitoring locations are there for stations that have other names from other sources. If for
instance your organization or project calls the station ""Station 123" and someone else calls it
""StationABC", then you would call your monitoring location ""Station 123". but you would be able to note
that the monitoring location is refered to as ""StationABC" by the other organization or project by using
the MONITORINGLOCATIONALTERNATE table. All of the fields contained here are optional.
8. Our lab receives a sample and splits it into 2 samples for their own
quality check. Do I use: "Quality Control Sample-lnter-lab Split" or
"Quality Control Sample-Lab Duplicate" for the Activity Type Code?
Use "Quality Control Sample-Lab Duplicate". The "Quality Control Sample-lnter-lab Split" implies that
2 different labs will be analyzing the two halves of the sample.
9. What Activity Type Codes do I use for the following situation: Sample 1
is a regular grab sample, Sample 2 is a replicate grab sample for quality
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control of sample 1, and Sample 2 is split into Sample 2A and Sample
2B by the lab?
For Samplel, use "Sample-Routine". For Sample 2A use "Quality Control Sample-Field Replicate
Sample". For Sample 2B use "Quality Control Sample-Lab Duplicate" You may then wish to use an
Activity_Group to tie together Sample 2A and 2B, then use an Activity_Group to tie together Samples 1
and 2A. This seems complex, but you would be able to use one activity group because you would not be
clear enough about weather 2b is a duplicate of 1 or 2A.
10. When is it appropriate to fill in the field in the Activity table called
ACT_SAM_CHEMICAL_PRESERVATIVE?
Either "ACTSAMCHEMICALPRESERVATIVE" or
"REFTHERMALPRESERVATIVENAME" are required if you have a sample preparation method
block is reported. Populate this only if you'd like to report on how a sample was preserved. This is not
required.
11. How do I use the ACTIVITY_GROUP table? Should each of these IDs be
unique? Should I just use my ACTJD values?
Activity Groups are used to group samples together. For example:
If you have some type of QC sample, you would want to attach it to the routine samples that it should be
associated with. You would use an activity group for this. The Activity Group ID is a unique identifier
for the group of activities. You would provide all of the grouped Activity IDs. See the document:
http://www3.epa.gov/storet/wqx products/Activity Group Examples.pdf
See also current Domain values: https://www3.epa.gov/storet/wqx/wqx gctdomainvalucs\vcbscrvicc.html
12. Removed older 2008 FAQ.
13.Should I use Method Detection Level (MDL) for
RESULT_DETECT_QUANT_LIMIT when using the enterolert method?
Yes Method Detection Level (MDL) is correct.
14. How do I handle laboratory results where the value is less than or
greater than the laboratory reporting limit?
You should report "Not Detected" if a reported value is less than the detection limit. So if you get a value
less than a detection limit of 10, you would say "Not Detected" and report 10 as the Result Detection
Quatitation Limit. If you get a value greater than the value quatifiable by an instrument or method, for
example 5000, you would say "Present Above Quantification Limit" and report 5000 as the Result
Detection Quatitation Limit. If you get a value less than the value quatifiable by an instrument or
method, for example 20, you would say "Present Below Quantification Limit" and report 20 as the
Result Detection Quatitation Limit. If a value is simply not reported by a lab, then you would enter "Not
Reported" and leave the Result Detection Quatitation Limit blank. If the lab detects an analyte and can
not quantify an amount, then you would enter "Detected Not Quantified" and leave the Result Detection
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Quantitation Limit blank. In WQX, a detection limit must be provided if a
of "Not Detected", "Present Above Quantification Limit", or "Present Below Quantification Limit" is
entered. There are instructions about non-detects in several of the beaches user guides, just search for
"Detect" in the user guides and you will find specific instructions.
Example
Laboratory Result
(Entered in Result
Detection Condition)
Result Detection
Quatitation Limit
Reported value is less than
the detection limit of 10.
Not Detected
Report 10 as the Detection
Limit.
Reported value is less than
the lower quantifiable limit
of 20.
Present Below
Quantification Limit
Report 20 as the
Quantification Limit.
Reported value is greater
than the upper quantifiable
limit of 5000.
Present Above
Quantification Limit
Report 5000 as the
Quantification Limit.
No Value is Reported
Not Reported
Leave Blank
Analyte Detected but no
value obtained
Detected Not Quantified
Leave Blank
15. I've already sent in a file with the "All Complete" notice. If I send
another will this cause any problems with the database? [Moved to
combined #1]
16. How do I delete un-needed or incorrect data from WQX?
First, you should decide whether you need to update or delete the data. If you truly need to delete the
data, you should submit an XML file to WQX with the payload operation set to "Delete", rather than the
usual "Update-Insert". In the payload, you must only list the activities, monitoring locations, projects, or
activity groups that you intend to delete. For activities, you must delete entire activities. If you wish to
delete some results of an activity, you should perform an update, rather than a delete. Remember that if
you delete a project or monitoring location from WQX, you will also delete any activities that are related
solely to that project or monitoring location. For more information on the specific structure of a delete
XML file, please see the WQX XML training manual found at:
https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa. Section 3, Monitoring Data, Item 5
17. How do I update incorrect data in WQX?
Updates are performed on data in WQX by submitting and XML file with the payload operation set to
"Update-Insert". In the payload, you must list the activities, monitoring locations, projects, or activities
with all data elements, including the ones that you wish to change containing the new values. When
updating only some of the results in an activity, you must provide all results within that activity with the
correct data including ones that should not change, otherwise results that are not listed will be deleted.
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This is because WQX updates at the activity level and will assume that the new activity should only
contain the results that you have submitted. For more information on the specific structure of the Update
XML file, please see the WQX XML training manual found at: https://www.epa.gov/beach-
tcch/submitting-data-cpa. Section 3, Monitoring Data, Item 5
18.1 submitted my WQX monitoring data for my beaches through CDX. I
have received an e-mail stating that my submission failed and that the
process report is ready to be downloaded. Where do I go to see what
the errors were in my file?
First make a note of the transaction ID, then log into CDX:
https://cdx.epa.gov/SSL/C DX/Login.asp'.'Rcfcrer=Registration
Click on the "ebeaches: Monitoring (New - for submitting WQX)" link. On the left side of the screen,
there will be a link called "Transaction History". Then use the start date and end date boxes near the top
of the screen to filter for the dates that your transaction took place.
IMPORTANT: You MUST choose an end date to be the day after your transaction; otherwise your
transaction won't show up. Once you click search, the lower part of the screen will give you a listing of
Service Transaction IDs, as links. Click on the link for your transaction. The processing report will
define the errors. There will be a table at the bottom of the report that summarizes the errors by type.
19. Removed older 2007 FAQ.
20. When entering monitoring data through WQX, what is the correct entry
for the ResultStatusldentifier data element?
ResultStatusIdentifier is a required data element when results are provided. There are several possible
"correct" entries for the ResultStatusldentifier data element that are found in the domain values.
However, only results submitted with a ResultStatusldentifier of "Final" will be published to the WQX.
21. How do I determine whether to use Final, Accepted, or Validated for
REF_STATUS_IDENTIFIER_NAME? Will I be expected to update this
later?
ResultStatusldentifier is a required data element when results are provided. There are several possible
"correct" entries for the ResultStatusldentifier data element that are found in the domain values. It is up to
your organization to determine if results are considered "Final". "Validated" would mean that they have
been through a QA/QC process. "Accepted" would imply that it was not put through the validation
process, for example, you may not have to QC every sample. You should update the data that you have
submitted through WQX when the status changes. In order to do this, you would submit an update file
through WQX with the complete activities that are to have changes within their results.
ResultStatusldentifier is a required data element when results are provided. There are several possible
"correct" entries for the ResultStatusldentifier data element that are found in the domain values.
However, only results submitted with a ResultStatusldentifier of "Final" will be published to the WQX.
22. When submitting an XML file containing Beach Monitoring Data, how do
I properly reference the correct XML schemas for validation purposes?
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The top of your xml file has 2 internet addresses which determine the namespace for the appropriate
schema that your xml file must be validated by. The first one follows the Document Id and precedes the
header information, within the header document. This namespace is designated by "xmlns =" and tells
CDX which schema to use for the header document and the header. The appropriate namespace
information for CDX is:
xmlns="http://www.exchangenetwork.net/schema/vl.O/ExchangeNetworkDocument.xsd"
xmlns:xsi=http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance (*p9 of 26 in pdf)
The second namespace occurs within the payload after the Payload Operation and before the data, and
determines what schema should be used to validate your payload. For WQX submissions, this namespace
is designated by "WQX xmlns =". The appropriate payload namespace for WQX submissions is:
WQX xmlns="http://www.exchangenetwork.net/schema/wqx/l"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi: schemaLocation=http://www.exchangenetwork.net/schema/wqx/l
http://www.exchangenetwork.net/schema/wqx/l/Q/WQX WQX vl.0.xsd (*page 10 of 26 in pdf).
*A complete example of how the namespace information is used in a WQX XML file is provided in the
Water Quality Exchange XML Training Manual for Beach Monitoring Data, found at:
https://www.epa.gov/bcach-tcch/submitting-data-cpa. Section 3, Monitoring Data, Item 5
23. When I submit Beaches Monitoring Data, does my XML file have to
contain the primary components (Project, Monitoring locations, Activity,
Activity Group) and data elements in any certain order?
Yes. The WQX schema expects to see your primary components in a predefined order. Your payload
section must have all of your projects first, followed by all of monitoring locations, then all of your
activities. If you need to use activity groups to associate routine samples with QC samples, then the
activity groups should follow all of your activities. The WQX schema also expects that data elements
within those primary components are provided in a specific order. An example of how the XML should
look may be found at https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa. Section 3, Monitoring data
under choice 5, 1st bullet.
24.1 have heard that I need to associate my beaches monitoring activities
with a project called "EPABEACH" in addition to the Project
representing the appropriate beach id. Why do I need to do this? What
is the proper way to do this?
You must associate your activities with the "EPABEACH" project. This allows for national
level queries to be generated that can pull out only beaches monitoring data. This is particularly
useful in cases where states store beaches monitoring data from multiple programs in the same
ORG ID, or when someone wants to pull all beaches monitoring data across the country.
In order to do this, you must ensure that there is a project present in your XML Monitoring file called
"EPABEACH", if you have not entered this project for a previous year's monitoring data.
"EPABEACH" should be entered for the , , and
data elements. Then in your Activity, you must provide the
data element tags twice. One set of these tags will contain the appropriate Beach ID for the activity, and
the other will contain "EPABEACH". An example of how the XML should look may be found at
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https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa. Section 3, Monitoring data under choice 5, 1st
bullet.
If you are using the WQX Monitoring Access Database version 2.1.4, or higher, the "EPA BEACH'
project will automatically be added to each activity.
25. Can EPA help with the process of verifying that a state's monitoring
data are complete and correct?
Since EPA is not the originator of the data, EPA is unable to verify if a state's (includes tribe
and territory) monitoring data are complete and correct. EPA also cannot verify if all of the
monitoring activities intended to be sent are actually submitted, and if submitted that all
elements associated with a monitoring activity are included correctly. Therefore, EPA
recommends that data submitters wait until after the next scheduled weekly refresh
(Wednesday evenings), then pull their data from the Water Quality Portal (WQP) to
determine if their data are complete and correct, https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-
retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange Alternatively, for monitoring data submitted under the
Beach Program, you can go to BEACON and run a Water Quality report the next day.
http://watersgeo.epa.gov/beacon2/reports.html
26. How do I change the project ID of activities already submitted to the
WQX?
First, you should create a new project containing all of the correctly filled data elements and
the new Project ID. If you are only changing the Project ID, then you would resubmit all
fields exactly the same as the existing data, except with a different Project ID in the
data element. Second, you should submit an update file containing all of
the Activities that should have their Project IDs changed. Remember that you must include
all of the results that belong to each activity, otherwise they will be deleted. The only
Activity data element that should contain different data from the data in the STORET data
warehouse is . Third, you should delete the old Projects that are no longer
associated with any activities in the STORET data warehouse by submitting a delete XML
file. For more information on the specific structure of an update or delete XML file, please
see the WQX XML training manual found at: https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-
data-epa. Section 3, Monitoring Data, Item 5
To change a beach ID, e.g. "merge", "split", or "delete", in PRAWN refer to the FAQ #18 in
the Notification section.
27. What should I do when I submit data to CDX and encounter an EARS
error? [Moved to combined #2]
28. How do I populate the Analytical Methods data in the Access database?
There are 3 ways to populate the Analytical Methods data in the RESULT table of the
Monitoring Access database.
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1) The Analytical Methods data can be easily selected, via dropdown box, for a result
from the "14) Result" form.
2) The RESULT table columns RESANALYTICALMETHID,
RESANALYTICALMETHCONTEXT, and
RES ANALYTICAL METH NAME all have dropdown boxes to easily select the
desired values.
3) If you'd rather view all the possible Analytical Methods at once you can use the
REFANALYTICALMETHOD table. The way the columns from the
REFANALYTICALMETHOD table links with the RESULT table is as follows.
a. ANLMTH NAME -> RES ANALYTICAL METH ID
b. ANLMTH DESC -> RESANLYTICALMETHNAME
Please note that for RE SULT.RE S ANAL YTIC AL METH CONTEXT use the
REFANAL YTIC ALMETHODCONTEXT. AMCTX CD table/column.
29.1 have heard that I need to assign my BEACH monitoring locations
BEACH program specific Monitoring Location Type Names. Why do I
need to do this? What is the proper way to do this?
You must assign monitoring locations BEACH program specific Monitoring Location Type
Names, which begin with the words "BEACH Program Site-". This allows for queries to be
generated that can pull out only BEACH program monitoring data, in cases where multiple
programs store monitoring data in the same organization. This allows BEACH program data
to be isolated from data associated with other programs.
In order to do this, you simply choose a beginning with the words
"BEACH Program Site-". For example, you would call a BEACH Program Ocean Monitoring
Location "BEACH Program Site-Ocean", while you would call a similar monitoring location under a
different program "Ocean". As with FAQ 24, you must ensure that there is a project present in your
XML Monitoring file called "EPABEACH", if you have not entered this project for a previous year's
monitoring data. "EPABEACH" should be entered for the , , and
data elements. Then in your Activity, you must provide the
data element tags twice. One set of these tags will contain the appropriate Beach
ID for the activity, and the other will contain "EPABEACH". You would also provide the
appropriate in your Activity Description Information. An example
of how the XML should look may be found at https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-epa.
Section 3, Monitoring data under choice 5, 1st bullet.
30.1 am using a state node to submit data to WQX. [Moved to General #8].
31. Dormant vs. Historical Beach [Moved to Notification]
32. Beach Tier and Operational Status [Moved to Notification]
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33. Are all 17 Forms required? And if so the #14 and the right side of #9
look exactly the same, so would I need to fill out #14 again after filling in
#9?
To answer your first question, no, not all the forms are required. Technically all the forms have
required parts but it just depends on what data you want to include in your submission. The activity
group forms/tables are usually left blank by most states. As far as forms 14 and 9 go, one can be
filled out in lieu of the other. The activity form will allow the user to enter activities and view the
results associated with those activities, so you don't have to keep flipping back and forth.
34. I've been using User Guide Beach Monitoring Data V2.2.1 to understand
what needs to be filled out and Appendix D seems to be missing some
fields and have some fields listed that are not on the forms and I don't
understand the descriptions on some of the fields. So I was wondering
if there is another guide that I should be using for reference.
Fields that are listed but do not show up on the forms are optional, supplemental information. If you
have this information and would like to fill it in, you may do so from the table view layout in the
Access program. On the left hand side, where the names of the forms are displayed, there is a drop
down arrow at the top next to the "Forms" title. Click that dropdown arrow and you will see the
option to "Filter by Group" among others. Select under the "Filter by Group", "Tables" and the list
will turn into names of the tables in the database. From here you can match up the fields and tables
with the UG. If you have information, for example the HUC Eight Digit Code, you can enter it
manually from the table view by selecting the MONITORING_LOCATION table and entering it in the
MLOC_HUC_8 field for the record it applies to (you may have to widen the column to see the full
MLOC_HUC_8 name).
If it is not directly displayed on a form, it is not necessary to fill it in. The above process is only if you
have supplemental information you would like to submit.
35.1 am wondering; what is the best way to pull from WQP all actual and
calculated results dated 10/3/13 through 12/26/13 and resubmit the
correct data from that same time frame. I found several errors in the
2013 beach monitoring data downloaded from WQP. There are 43
incorrectly entered WQX stations. These stations have the correct data
but incorrect station ID and Lat/long. It looks like the Beach IDs were
assigned a Lat/Long point and used as stations IDs. I found 3 'actual'
results errors and about 225 'calculated' results errors. Also, the
sampling date 10/31/13 should be 10/30/13?
WQX submissions that are associated to an activity ID already established in WQX for your
organization will replace all existing results associated with that specific activity ID. You can
delete all samples based on a list of activity IDs. However for existing Activity IDs where
data is need to be corrected/replaced a delete submission is not required. A re-submission of
existing activity ids will replace all existing results associated with that specific activity ID.
To fix the monitoring locations information, all you have to do is submit the corrected
monitoring locations file, rather than resubmitting all the data. (See also Notification #13)
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36. Why are the monitoring data we submitted to WQX not showing in the
BEACON Water Quality Report?
The data are being filtered out of BEACON because the Beach Monitoring Location Type
(MLTYPIJID) field in the monitoringjocation table is not set in the necessary value range.The
NII.TYP L ID value needs to be between 58 AND 67. You will need to update this information
and resubmit the data.
Accepted Types:
58
BEACH Program Site-Channelized stream
59
BEACH Program Site-Estuary
60
BEACH Program Site-Great Lake
61
BEACH Program Site-Lake
62
BEACH Program Site-Land runoff
63
BEACH Program Site-Land
64
BEACH Program Site-Ocean
65
BEACH Program Site-River/Stream
66
BEACH Program Site-Storm sewer
67
BEACH Program Site-Waste sewer
See page 29 of the Monitoring Data user Guide at https://www.epa.gov/beach-tech/submitting-data-
epa. Section 3, Monitoring Data, Item l .for reference:
Monitoring
MonltoringLocalion
siring Y
MONITORINGJ.OCATION.RE The descriptive name
.ocation Type
TypeName
<45)
F_MLOC_TYPE_NAME for a type of monitoring
Mame
locatioa
Example;
This value must be a
Ocean
domain value. For
3EACH data users, use
a BEACH Program Site
domain value. (E.g.-
3EACH Program Site-
River/Stream, BEACH
Program Site-Ocean,
etc.)
37. Do you know what the preferred WQX Analysis Method Type and
Context values are for reporting beach water quality results using newer
rapid methods for e.coli and enterococci? The two specific methods are
IMS-ATP and qPCR. I can't find good matches in the existing WQX
lookup tables available for download from EPA.
Since NEMI (www.nemi.gov) does not officially have these methods registered, determining both
method ID and method context is questionable. Please adopt the methods as "organizational owned".
Recommendation as follows:
Proceed to add this as a "private method" per the WQX business rules by setting the context to the
Organization Identifier of the reporting organization.
38. In the documentation, I see WQX_BEACH_Demotest_Delete.xml. In this
example, what would be deleted? Would all the 2016 monitoring data
under that project (beach) and monitoring location be deleted? Or would
just the organization information, that specific project (beach)
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information, and specific monitoring location be deleted (leaving the
monitoring results)?
Sample of WQX_BEACH_ Demotest_delete.xml
WQXTEST
RIBEACH-0 01
RIBEACH-0 01-
l
All monitoring data (i.e. Activities and Results) relating to Monitoring Location with ID "RIBEACH-001-1"
would be deleted, and then the Monitoring Location itself would be deleted.
Since Activities and Results can relate to more than one project, the behavior depends on whether a
particular activity has only one project or more than one. WQX will drop the project reference from
every activity that refers to the Project with ID of "RIBEACH-001". If, after deleting the project reference
from a particular activity, that activity no longer relates to any projects, then WQX will delete the
Activity. Otherwise it will leave the Activity in place (it just no longer relates toRIBEACH-001).
Then it will delete the project itself.
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