Water Quality Indicators - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the source for the water monitoring data presented in the Water Quality Indicators Tool (WQI)?
The WQI's monitoring data comes from the U.S. Water Quality Portal Exit.
How frequently will the WQI refresh the water monitoring data?
The data will be refreshed in late April and late October.
My organization collects water quality data, where do I submit this data so that it is presented in the WQI?
If you submit your monitoring data to the Water Quality eXchange (WQX), the nutrient and pathogen data you submit will be evaluated for inclusion in a future WQI data refresh.
Why do some stations appear outside of the United States and United States Territories?
Sometimes the location data associated with a water monitoring station is not correct.
Why are there no nutrient monitoring stations outside of the lower 48 states when I select CWA 304(a) criteria as the benchmark?
When the CWA 304(a) criteria for nutrients is selected as the benchmark, the WQI hides monitoring locations outside of the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia as the EPA has only derived CWA 304(a) criteria recommendations for freshwater for the conterminous United States. The Harmful Algal Bloom benchmark is not limited to the lower 48 states.
Where can I learn more about state specific water quality standards?
To learn more about state specific water quality standards, please visit EPA's page on State-Specific Water Quality Standards Effective under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
What should I do if there is a high reading in my community?
The data presented in the WQI represent a historical snapshot of what was observed at a given water monitoring location. These observations may or may not reflect current pollution levels. Concerns about surface water pollution should be directed towards your state’s water resource authority.
- You can also check How's My Waterway, which provides information about the condition of local waters based on data that states, federal, Tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA.
- More up to date information on pollution related beach closures can be accessed at the Beach Advisory and Closing On-line Notification (BEACON 2.0) website.
- For additional information on how to respond to well water contamination please visit EPA’s website on private drinking water wells.
What should I do if I suspect someone is violating environmental laws or regulations?
EPA welcomes the public’s help in protecting our nation’s environment. EPA’s Report an Environmental Violation web page provides a way for you to report suspected environmental violations or potentially harmful environmental activities in your community or workplace.
- National Rivers and Streams Assessment
- National Lakes Assessment
- National Coastal Condition Assessment (includes estuarine and Great lakes nearshore waters)
- National Wetlands Condition Assessment
What if the monitoring records I submitted to the Water Quality eXchange (WQX) aren't showing up in the WQI?
If you submitted nutrient or pathogen (e. Coli, enterococci, or fecal coliforms) monitoring data to WQX and it is not showing up in the WQI, it is possible there were data usability issues identified by the WQI’s data processing algorithm. To view the WQI data processing summary and see if the WQI found usability issues with the data you submitted, please visit the dashboard on the Water Quality Indicators Data Usability Improvement Project page.