# Presentation: 683947

## The Current Status of STORET and its Future in Colorado

*Jim Dorsch*
*Water Quality Specialist*
*Metro Wastewater Reclamation District*

## Typical Data Owner Initial Reactions to STORET

**Notes:**
Confused What is STORET,
 I don’t want too, 
the infamous scream, 
and the its mine and I can do what I want
 “ you can’t make me”
 we can’t afford Oracle.  

## Successful applications of STORET   

** ****Metro Waste Water Reclamation District**
**   ****26 Stations**
**   ****189,847 Results**
**South Platte Coalition for Urban River Evaluation**
**8 Organizations**
**21 Stations**
**11,974 Results**
**The Rivers of Colorado Water Watch Network (River Watch)**
**1,005 Stations**
**495,169 Results**

**Notes:**
Metro: #1, 	Stream Monitoring( water chemistry, biology, habitat)
SPCURE: Group of Entities who come together to adress TMDLS, other mutual water quality issues in the Metro Denver Area
River Watch:
	Been around Since 1989,
	Schools Yampa River, 
	At its hight it had 280 active schools, 
	Currently has 140 active Groups consisint of both (Schools, Citizen groups, Trout Ulimited, Lakes Wetlands. 	Data Management(hand, DBASE, SQL web and STORET)

## Success Achieved Through Determination 

**Issues that where overcome:**
**Front end Set Up **
**Missing Meta Data**
**Latitude/Longitude**
**Other Meta Data required by STORET**
**Reformatting Data**
**Relational Database? What the hell is that?**
**Batch upload and SIM formats**
**Uploading Data**
**Error Messages**
**Correcting Errors**
**Continual Software Updates**

**Notes:**
Initial STORET Blues.
Front end: installation of oracle and STORET and  making it work especially if on a server.

Missing Meta Data: Coming up with Activity Ids, Methods, Characteristic names, Sample fractions

Reformatting: batch updates 2 days, SIM Formats

Upload Error Messages(110 pages, cryptic message) Improved with SIM

Continual Software updates(Trying to meet everyone's needs. 

## STORET’s Future in Colorado

**Individual Organizations**
**State Governmental Agency Support**
**Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council**

**Notes:**
Individual Organizations:   who can do it and afford it
State Government support both money and backing
Monitoring Council: Has come up with an Idea that will potentially have the biggest impact on STORET in the State.

## Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council

**1999 – Colorado Water Quality Control Division**
**~ 150 People Contacted / ~ 50 attended first Meeting**
**STORET Mentioned **
**Minimum Metadata Elements & Data Swaps**
**Financial Issues / Politics**

**Notes:**
Modern Version of The Council Started I 1999 by Colorado Water Quality Control Division ( Regulator division of State Heal Department Responsible for Water Quality Standards, TMDL, Aquatic Life ect....)
Minimum Data elements: Committee ( federal, state, private industry, citizens), List, used in 2 Data Swaps. 1   South Platte River, 1 for Clear Creek found out who, what, when, why, Duplication reduced cooperation.
Financial Issues / Politics:  Loss of Division leading the way due in part to budget cuts, Chairs taken by EPA & USGS reps, Participation dropped, Politics came into play resulting what a number of people felt resulted in a loss of focus and purpose.

## Regime Change 

* ***New Idea and Focus**
**Develop a State Wide Database**
**Funding**

**Notes:**
Change in Leader ship: The new leadership seeing the council was on the verge of failure knew they needed to come up with something to save it.  It was Sink or Swim time. So, the idea of a Statewide Database came up and hoping through this they could generate funding options.

## State Wide Database

**Monitoring Council and State Regulator support**
**Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)**
**Funding?**
**Off the shelf Water Quality Database*** *

**Notes:**
But there were items that needed to be addressed such as Monitoring Council participants and regulators buyin in to the idea.
TAC:  They formed a Technical Advisory Committee.  Consisting of  All council members who wanted to participate in developing this database. We developed and Over-site Committee ( EPA, Division(STORET, 319), Metro, Chair&co-chair of TAC)
Funding:  We needed funding wher to get it?
Off The shelf: Agreed that this would need to be a low or  no cost easy to use database. If this was the case it would need to be an of the shelf product already developed.

## Funding & Support

**319 Non-point Source Grant**
** ****Everyone agreed that a common data format was needed**
**State Regulator Issues**
** ****Database**
** ****How does it benefit us**
**Toes**

**Notes:**
Idea of a 319 Non-point Source Grantocame up.
We knew we already that evryone monitoring councils and Regulators agreed a common data format was needed in the state.
State Water Quality Control Division Issues needed to be addressed
Database: Already heading down STORET path Not going to change
How does it benefit us to provide suport
In answering how it benefits them we were going to have to try and not step on any ones toes:  Somewhat successful.

## TAC Plan to Address Issues

* ***STORET and Associated Tools **
**State STORET**
**Web SIM**
**ArcIMS Map**
**Existing and Future 319 Non-point Source Data sets**
**Other Data Sets**
**Significant Documentation**
**Out Reach (Training and Sell the product)**
**In-Kind Support**
**Permanent Hosting Strategy **
**Sustainability Strategy**

**Notes:**
TO address a water quality controls issue and knowing Success of this would depend on user Accessibility, cost, and a selling point we settled on Storet and in particular setting up a state STORET using STORET s associated web based tools. 
Help the Division with its 319 data issues by putting in both past present and future 319 data
Then move on to other data sets from other entities.
Knew Part of the success of this database would rely on significant is documentation (both technical and user)
Need an ambitious Out Reach program to provide training and suport and to sell the database.
Need significant In-Kind support) EPA, Metro, SPCURE, Division
Where after the first year? Server? Technical Software support,  Money
Sustainibility:  For this to survive need plan to keep it funded and runing needs to address future funding,Training, and technical suprot

## Where Are We?

**State Water Quality Control Division is on Board**
**Monitoring Council is on Board**
**Grant Proposal **
**RFP for the grant has been released and      proposal received.**
**Project Manager and Technical Subcontractor Selected**
**In-Kind Support has been addressed**

**Notes:**
We have the full support of the Water quality Division
Grant Proposal by the end of this month
RFP developed released and proposal received
From RFP Project Manger selected (Colorado Watershed Network),  (Technical Sub(Gold Systems)
In-Kind letter to accompany Proposal are in development.  EPA region 8 cover cost of server for first year.

## Where are we going?

* ***A Sustainable Program**
** ****Hosting of database and Mapping tool**
** ****Membership Fees for funding**
** ****Continued in-kind support**

**Notes:**
Sustainabil Strtegy Developed by Project Manger and sub.
Hosting: Find a perminant cost effective home and hosting strategy.
Planning on a cost effective member ship fee for users and sponsors for those who can not afford even the small mebeship fee.
Continued ink-kind suport via reformatting uploading ect.......