NWIS Data Pulls for National- and Regional-Scale Applications

Kathy Smith (Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry)

and Nancy Bauch (Colorado Water Science Center)

Community for Data Integration Workshop 2011

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Summary Statement

NWIS data are highly regarded water-quality data

There are numerous potential applications for national- and regional-scale-NWIS data, both within and outside the USGS

Use of NWIS data for national- or regional-scale GIS applications is extremely cumbersome

The current inaccessibility of the NWIS database to scientists limits its use

Our Applications

Development of Mineral Environmental Assessment Methodologies (MEA) Project Mineral Resources Program (EMEH Mission Area)

Methodologies being developed will provide information about potential environmental issues associated with known and undiscovered mineral-resource occurrences

Large regional and national scales

need to make use of existing information due to the expense involved in collecting new data

Examples of our Questions

How many surface-water water-quality records within basins less than 70 mi2 are there in the database?

How much dissolved organic carbon (DOC) data are available in the NWIS database?

How many of these records were collected from the same location?

What is the spatial distribution of these locations across the US?

Distribution of National-Scale DOC or TOC Data in the NWIS Database

from January 1985 to August 2009

map prepared by Carma San Juan

Distribution of Stream Sites in Small Basins in the NWIS Database

from January 1985 to August 2010

Site Selection

First consolidation to exclude sites:• NWIS basin size > 70 sq miles• Non-stream sites: canals, drains,

effluent, names like 13N-01E-15 BBB 1

Request to Jon Scott: Sites in NWIS with pH and basin size < 70 sq miles

Result: 23,912 sites

Site Selection

Sites with no basin size in NWIS : Estimate basin size using EDNA/CONUS

Consolidation: Exclude no basin size, check size against site name and location

End result: 12,009 stream sites with basin size < 70 sq miles

Sites grouped by state and location into 9 groups: New England, Southeast, West, etc.

Distribution of Stream Sites in Small Basins in the NWIS Database

from January 1985 to August 2010

Data Retrieval

NWIS retrieval using site id by location group and parameter list

Time period: January 1985–August 2010

3.2 million analysis results; 280,000 samples

Data Consolidation

Aggregate parameters (Result = 93 parameters)

Flag data

Quality assure data

Approximately 1,000 hours used for project

Groundwater NWIS Data Pull Attempt

Can we retrieve additional data (other than arsenic) from the same sites discussed in USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4279?

Difficulties with groundwater data retrieval

Arsenic report: One value per site, about 20,000 sites

Cumbersome to retrieve one sample per site• Thousands of sites and multiple samples per

site• Selection of time period• Record number

Regional and national data retrieval for surface water or groundwater: very cumbersome. Retrieval of data for one state: easy using WSC internal database

Use of groundwater data

Complex: Ancillary information• Aquifer, geologic material, well depth and

type, water level

Ancillary information not available for every well