# Presentation: 826445

## EPA’s Water Quality Exchange (WQX)

- National Water Quality Monitoring Conference
- San Jose, California
- Kristen Gunthardt, US EPA
- Curtis Cude, OR DEQ

## EPA’s Vision for WQX

- An integration of water monitoring data to improve national decisions
- Water quality data management and maintenance at the state level, data sharing and synthesis at the national level
- A national repository for storing and retrieving shared data
- A standard data sharing template (schema) that multiple data partners can publish to (States, USGS, PNWX)

**Notes:**
-- STORET Central Warehouse provides a national picture of WQ data – one of the only sources of interjurisdictional data
-- Water quality data mgmt is key to implementing effective state monitoring strategies.  WQX continues to promote this importance
-- WQX data will flow in to the current STORET central WH; will continue to be EPA’s nat’l repository
-- EPA is continuing to work with partners such as USGS in making the schema usable for publishing their data

## WQX in Context

- WQX facilitates data submittal and exchange via the National Environmental Information Exchange Network
- The WQX schema is an implementation of the ESAR (Environmental Sampling, Analysis and Results) data standard
- WQX is the production version of the OWWQX pilot project
- WQX will serve as the next evolution of the STORET system

**Notes:**
-- EN presence means node to node, or computer to computer data exchange using the WQX schema 
-- The WQX schema allows data from different sources to be brought together in one standardized format – based on ESAR
-- LeAnn mentioned the EDSC data standards which are based on the WQDEs
-- WQX implementation of ESAR provides schema for sharing physical, chemical and fish tissue data – we will build a biological data schema once ESAR adopts
-- Curtis will talk about the OWWQX pilot – difference between OWWQX and WQX
-- Mention transition of current users? 

## Current STORET System

**Notes:**
This is the current distributed STORET system flow.  

## Slide 5

**Notes:**
Brush over – Curtis to go in to detail about pilot flow 

The next slide will start talking about green part of this diagram.

## OWWQX Pilot

- Four pilot participants:  Oregon, Michigan, Texas, and Wind River Tribe
- Joint development project between EPA Office of Water (OW) and Office of Environmental Information (OEI)
- Explored the functionality of submitting water quality data to EPA using the agency Enterprise Architecture tools and the OWWQX schema
- Lessons learned are informing the design, development, and deployment of the production WQX system

**Notes:**
Partner readiness
Oregon not in STORET, in EN since beginning, PNWWQX
Michigan in EN since beginning, process of upgrading node during project, but in STORET
TX just getting into EN, not in STORET
Wind River – was just getting started in EN, have data in STORET 

CDX, Schematron under OEI and DB and schema design OW (Work in to points 2 and 3)

Talk about lessons learned in a little bit

## OWWQX Pilot

- CDX

- OWWQX
- Parse and
- Load Software

- OWWQX
- ODS

- Data Submitter

- XML Submission

- Business Rule Validation
- Receive Error Responses

- Approved XML
- Submission

- Data Context Error Report

- Data Load Confirmation and Summary

**Notes:**
Submit by node (Oregon) or CDX Integration Test Tool (Wind River)
Schematron schema validation (includes some valid values checking) then business rules validation, response to data submitter
Then valid schema goes to parse and load.  Other valid values and relational integrity verified.
If problem, then error report back to CDX then user.
If OK then data loads, then comfirmation/summary through CDX to user.  User either retrieves message or CDX delivers

## OWWQX Outcomes

- Oregon successfully submitted files via an operational Exchange Network node
- Insert, Update and Delete functionality
- Wind River successfully submitted files manually
- Inserted results using CDX Integration Test Tool
- MI successfully completed data mapping to the schema
- TX still in system development, and used the OWWQX Pilot to inform their development

**Notes:**
Michigan was in process of rebuilding node.

## OWWQX Lessons Learned

- Data submitters need a way to see their data in the backend database in order to manage later transactions
- We need to ensure that domain value lists accommodate the needs of our data partners, especially as we align with EPA System of Registries
- We need to enhance interactions with CDX – calls were made to web services at CDX for everything

**Notes:**
Ways to address first bullet:
-- query/visualization of backend 
-- frequent warehouse refreshes that allow partners to see their data

Second Bullet:
--  want to ensure users business needs are captured in our domain list values
-- need to ensure that alignment happens among domain lists in WQX that depend on SoR
Ways to address:
-- In production, Web services from the back end will serve up our domain list values so users can stay in sync
-- Web services with SRS will provide a way to stay in sync with their most current list

Third Bullet:
-- Submitters

## WQX Development

- Move WQX from Pilot to Production
- WQX Outreach to user community and EN partners (Begin Apr 06)
- Update schema to comply with final ESAR standard and release Draft schema (May 06)
- Finalize Phys/Chem WQX schema (Sept 06)
- Phys/Chem WQX data flow in production (Jan 07)
- Central Warehouse web services complete (March 07)

**Notes:**
Web services:
-- From back end DB: domain value lists
-- From WH: stations and results data
-- Other WH enhancements we are planning: better retrieval capabilities via query interface, alignment with updates to Enviromapper for water, build in data retrieval for reports that inform about WQ criteria, strategic planning measures

## Slide 11

## Further down the road...

- Add Biological/Habitat data to schema
- Begin Bio/Habitat WQX pilot (Late 06/Early 07)
- Finalize WQX Bio/Habitat Schema (12/07)
- Bio/Habitat WQX in production (Mar 08)
- Develop Web tool for XML Generation
- Tool available for Phys/Chem data (Feb 08)
- Final tool, including Bio/Habitat (Jul 08)

**Notes:**
Web Tool for smaller data providers – will generate XML, but will go through CDX

## What about STORET?

- SIM 2.0.2 Release (May 2006)
- Transition from STORET system to new WQX system (2007-2008)
- No longer accept STORET data dumps (Sept 2009)

## Question/Comments ?

- Contact:
- Dwane Young, EPA (202)566-0616
- _[Young.dwane@epa.gov](mailto:Young.dwane@epa.gov)_
- Kristen Gunthardt, EPA (202)566-1194
- _[gunthardt.kristen@epa.gov](mailto:gunthardt.kristen@epa.gov)_
- Or Visit:   _[www.epa.gov/storet](http://www.epa.gov/storet)_