# Presentation: 390327

## CWQMC Data Swaps

- Dr. Holly L.O. Huyck
- CWQMC Coordinator
- _[hhuyck@csd.net](mailto:hhuyck@csd.net)_

## CWQMC Data Swaps

- January 2001: Clear Creek Watershed and      	Henderson site metadata
- March 2002:  South Platte Basin data needs	swap
- May 2002: South Platte Basing metadata		swap

## Portion of the Clear Creek Metadata Table on the Website

## Fields on CC Metadata Table

- Agency and email contact
- Number of sites
- Frequency of sampling
- Start/end dates
- Data storage format
- Parameters (listed individually)
- Additional information

## May 2002 Swap Meet Metadata Requested

- 1.     Sampling locations and formats (e.g. dot-on-a-map, Lat/Long, UTM, address, all-of-the-above);
- 2.     Period-of-record for the sampling, from what date to what date (or present);
- 3.     Frequency of sampling—both number of times per year and specific months;
- 4.     Parameters (SPECIFIC lists may include physical parameters, DO, organics, 	metals, pesticides, major ions, nutrients, hardness, biological, habitat, physical);

## May 2002 Swap Meet Metadata Requested (continued)

- 5.    Data Quality Objectives (indicate whether for research project, permit compliance, trend analysis, reconnaissance, or other-please specify);
- 6.    Database format (EXCEL, ACCESS, STORET, NWIS, hand-written, combination);
- 7.    Contact information for someone who works with the database;
- 8.    Note whether SOP (sample/lab protocols) are written;
- 9. 	Lat/long. for plotting on a map of the South Platte Basin—sent to USGS electronically.

## Advantages of Metadata Swaps

- List requested is simple and allows for different monitoring styles and objectives.
- Providing metadata is much less onerous.
- Data remain property of monitoring group that still controls access.
- E-mail contact is much easier for data managers to handle.

## Disadvantages of Metadata Swaps

- Information provided on the website is limited.
- Definitions vary among groups (e.g. major vs. minor cations)
- Still need to contact each group to obtain the actual data.
- Data remain in different formats.

## South Platte Basin Map Format

- Uses web-based mapping technology for on-the-fly map enlargements.
- Sites are listed by group/agency.
- Click on site to obtain a table of metadata.
- Table has a link to variables list for definitions of parameter groups.

**Map Directory of Selected Data-Collection Sites in Colorado **

## Map Zoom-in on Denver Water Sampling Sites

**  **

## Roberts Tunnel of DWB Selected

## Fields for Each Site Selected

**Group name and email contact**
**Site:Stream Name or Description**
**Period of Record & Number of Samples**
**Chemical: **Field Parameters,Hardness, Major ions, Nutrients, Organics, Minor and Trace Elements, Pesticides, Chemistry of Sediments** **
**Biological: **Fish Assemblages, Macro-invertebrates, Micro-invertebrates,  E.coli or Fecal Colliform, Aquatic Vegetation, Other
**Physical: **Flow, Temperature, Secchi Depth, Turbidity, Sediments, Instream Habitat, Riparian or Wetland Habitat, Upland Habitat

## Lists of Variables That Occur under the Current Fields (via hot link at bottom of main table)

**Chemical Variables ****Field parameters:** pH, DO, conductivity, etc. **Major ions:** major cations and anions, including Fe, Mn, but NOT nutrient-related ions. **Nutrients:** all forms of nitrogen and phosphorous (including iron). **Organics:**** **TOC, TOD. **Minor and Trace elements:**** **minor elements, and metal (EXCEPT for Fe and Mn). **Chemistry of Sediments:**** **analyses of the sediments themselves, as opposed to water chemistry.

## Variables Continued

**Biological Variables ****Fish Assemblages:** includes all types of fish, also analyses of fish tissues. **E. coli or Fecal Coliform:**** **any analysis of all forms of E. coli or fecal colliform.
**Physical Habitat ****Sediments:** amount of sediment - bedload or suspended sediments.

## Results of Swaps

**Clear Creek**: 21 groups/projects reporting
- ~130 sites excluding Superfund
- 	109 sites related to Superfund (sampled 1-5x)
- 	Include nutrients, metals, sediments, fish, flow
**South Platte**: additional 10 groups
- 	~900 sites (past and current)

## Clear Creek Monitoring (2001)

## Metadata Swap Process

- Iterative process (Clear Creek added 5 groups over 12 months.)
- Groups range from federal agencies to local volunteer watershed coalitions.
- Best response from established groups and agencies; also better if paid people are involved. (All-volunteer groups are less responsive.)
- Best response is to one-page request; 3-page data needs request received very few responses.

## Metadata Swap Process (continued)

- Try three contacts per new group.
- Personal acquaintance improves responses.
- “Cold calls” 45% response on S. Platte.
- ~1/2 of electronic responses occur after the swap; used in addition to swap minutes.
- Swap is a “round-robin,” with each group presenting its metadata and comments.

## Recommended CWQMC Shared Database Information

**General comments**. This simplification of STORET and the NWQMC recommended fields is considered to be the MINIMUM amount of information to make the databases useable for comparisons among databases.
- Fields focus on chemical data, and should be modified to accommodate biological data by the Aquatic Life Committee.  This list does not specify the design of the database.  ** **

## Recommended Minimum Data Fields (MDE’s)

**Project Name**: character field.
**Project agency name**: unique name for each agency or group.
**Project Description:** memo-type field that can include whatever comments are desired.
**Project Purpose:**  character field with ,e.g. basic screening, regulatory compliance, site trends.
**Project QA/QC:** memo-type field with # of field duplicates, field blanks, analytical lab name, and corrective actions for problems—e.g. bad blanks.
**ProjectContact**: Name, address, telephone, email. Person who supplied data. (These may differ.)

## MDE’s (continued)

**Station ID**: character field, no duplicates allowed.
**Station Name**: character field. If no name exists, can just repeat the station ID.
**Station Type**: stream, well, lake, canal, etc.
**Station Latitude**: standardize this as Degree-Minute-Second or decimal degree.
**Station Longitude**: standardize this as Degree-Minute-Second or decimal degree.
**Location Datum**: NAD27 or NAD83.  Define which datum was used for lat./long. (e.g. pre-1983 USGS maps would be NAD27; GPS systems should tell users which datum was used.)
**Location Description**: memo-type field with local permanent landmarks or other descriptive comments—e.g. sample in the thalweg, upstream of bridge.

## MDE’s (continued)

**	****Sample ID**: character field, must be a unique identifier.**Sample Date**: representative date or date that sample collection was started. **Sample Time**: representative time or time that sample collection was started (military time).**Sample Type**: grab, composite; if composite, code for duration of composite (hours, days, etc).**SampleMedium**: water, sediment, fish tissue, etc.**SampleDepth**: character field that contains depth, or range in depth. **SampleDepth Units**: meters, feet, etc.

## MDE’s (continued)

**Result Name**: e.g. pH, Temp., Calcium, Nitrate, etc.** **
**Result Value**: measured characteristic. Prefer numeric field, but could be character field.
**Result Units**:  degrees, mg/l, ppm, ppb, ug/l, etc.
**Result Fraction**:  total, total recoverable, dissolved (filter size?), etc.
**Result Detection Limit**:
**Result Detection Limit Units**:  mg/l, ppb, etc.
**Result Comments**:  memo-type field to include user-defined information, e.g. whether the result is an estimate, average, less than (for below detection limit), how user made an average, sample preparation, analytical method, etc.

## Responses to MDE’s

- Even one page of MDE’s is onerous to some people, including state agencies.
- NWQMC’s MDE’s are overwhelming to all but a few swap participants.
- Common MDE’s are a major challenge, much less finding a common format!
- Tradeoff between participation and complexity of swaps.  ($$$ and time issues)