NPDES Catchment Indexing and Assessed Waters Summary
On this page:
- NPDES Catchment Indexing Description
- NPDES Catchment Indexing Guidance
- Data Elements by Table
- Data Element Definitions
Description
This dataset links together several EPA data sources to derive waterbody information based on the location of NPDES permittees and present data, such as the catchment, flowline, reach code, and GNIS name. The dataset links the water catchment to the location of facilities and permitted features (e.g., discharge points or outfalls) in ICIS-NPDES. ATTAINS provides information regarding impairment status for surface waters at the catchment level. ICIS-NPDES is the information management system to track permit compliance and enforcement status of facilities regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Permitted feature coordinates in ICIS-NPDES are updated frequently and provide additional information to the facility location. The permitted feature coordinates are provided, where available, for each NPDES ID.
Guidance
The zip file contains three CSV files, named ATTAINS_AU_CATCHMENTS.csv, NPDES_ATTAINS_AU_SUMMARIES.csv, and NPDES_CATCHMENTS.csv. The files are updated each week, according to the ECHO refresh schedule.
Key field columns are present in CSV files and are indicated by *. They may be used to join and relate data between files.
Data Elements by Table
* Indicates primary key
ATTAINS Catchments (ATTAINS_AU_CATCHMENTS.csv)
| Element Name | Data Type | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NHDPLUSID* | Num | 126 |
| STATE | Varchar | 2 |
| REGION | Varchar | 2 |
| ORGTYPE | Varchar | 30 |
| TAS303D | Varchar | 1 |
| REPORTINGCYCLE* | Num | 38 |
| ASSESSMENTUNITIDENTIFIER* | Varchar | 50 |
| WATERBODYREPORTLINK | Varchar | 4000 |
| IRCATEGORY | Varchar | 5 |
| OVERALLSTATUS | Varchar | 50 |
| ISASSESSED | Varchar | 1 |
| ISIMPAIRED | Varchar | 1 |
| ISTHREATENED | Varchar | 1 |
| ON303DLIST | Varchar | 1 |
| HASTMDL | Varchar | 1 |
| HAS4BPLAN | Varchar | 1 |
| HASALTERNATIVEPLAN | Varchar | 1 |
| HASPROTECTIONPLAN | Varchar | 1 |
| VISIONPRIORITY303D | Varchar | 1 |
| AREASQKM | Num | 126 |
| HUC12 | Varchar | 12 |
| CATCHMENTAREASQKM | Num | 126 |
| CATCHMENTSTATECODE | Varchar | 2 |
| REACHCODE | Char | 14 |
| GNIS_NAME | Char | 65 |
| LENGTHKM | Num | |
| NAVIGABLE | Char | 1 |
| HEADWATER | Char | 1 |
| COASTAL | Char | 1 |
| TIDAL | Char | 1 |
| ALASKAN | Char | 1 |
NPDES ATTAINS Summaries (NPDES_ATTAINS_AU_SUMMARIES.csv)
| Element Name | Data Type | Length |
|---|---|---|
| REGISTRY_ID | Varchar | 50 |
| ECHO_DFR_URL | Varchar | 100 |
| NPDES_ID* | Varchar | 30 |
| REPORTING_CYCLE* | Num | 38 |
| STATE | Varchar | 2 |
| ASSESSMENTUNITIDENTIFIER* | Varchar | 50 |
| AU_URL | Varchar | 125 |
| ASSESSMENTUNITNAME | Varchar | 255 |
| WATER_CONDITION | Varchar | 48 |
| POT_IMP_PARAMETERS | Varchar | 4000 |
| E90_POT_IMP_PARAMETERS | Varchar | 4000 |
| DRINKINGWATER_USE | Varchar | 50 |
| ECOLOGICAL_USE | Varchar | 50 |
| FISHCONSUMPTION_USE | Varchar | 50 |
| RECREATION_USE | Varchar | 50 |
| OTHER_USE | Varchar | 50 |
| CAUSE_GROUPS_IMPAIRED | Varchar | 4000 |
NPDES Catchments (NPDES_CATCHMENTS.csv)
| Element Name | Data Type | Length |
|---|---|---|
| NPDES_ID* | Varchar | 9 |
| SUB_ID* | Varchar | 10 |
| LATITUDE83 | Num | |
| LONGITUDE83 | Num | |
| STATECODE | Varchar | 2 |
| NHDPLUSID | Num | 19 |
| WBD_HU12 | Varchar | 12 |
| WBD_HU12NAME | Varchar | 200 |
| REACHCODE | Char | 14 |
| GNIS_NAME | Char | 65 |
| CATCHMENT_HUC12 | Varchar | 12 |
| AREASQKM | Num | |
| LENGTHKM | Num | |
| NAVIGABLE | Char | 1 |
| HEADWATER | Char | 1 |
| COASTAL | Char | 1 |
| TIDAL | Char | 1 |
| ALASKAN | Char | 1 |
Data Element Definitions
The following is a list of the data elements that appear in this download.
ALASKAN
A Y/N indicator that the catchment is located in Alaska.
AREASQKM
The area in square kilometers of the NHDPlus Assessment Unit.
ASSESSMENTUNITIDENTIFIER
States assess the quality of their surface waters and delineate them into Assessment Unite. The Assessment Unit Identifier is the unique identifier for the water or portion of water (such as a section of a stream) within the Organization (i.e., State or Tribe).
ASSESSMENTUNITNAME
The name assigned to the Assessment Unit Identifier by the state, territory, or tribe.
AU_URL
A link to the Assessment Unit's Waterbody Report in How's My Waterway, which has more information about the water, including the Assessment determinations for individual uses (rather than Use Group) and Parameters (rather than Parameter Group).
CATCHMENT_HUC12
The 12 digit Subwatershed identifier of the catchment.
CATCHMENTAREASQKM
The area in square kilometers of the catchment.
CATCHMENTSTATECODE
The state code of the catchment.
CAUSE_GROUPS_IMPAIRED
The ATTAINS cause group(s) for which the assessment unit is impaired.
COASTAL
A Y/N indicator that the catchment is within a coastal area.
DRINKINGWATER_USE
Displays the following descriptions:
- Insufficient Information if a conclusion cannot be made whether the water body segment in which the facility resides is designated for drinking water use.
- Not Supporting if the water body segment in which the facility resides is not designated for drinking water use.
- Fully Supporting if the water body segment in which the facility resides is designated for drinking water use.
- Not Assessed if the water body segment in which the facility resides has not been assessed for drinking water use.
E90_POT_IMP_PARAMETERS
NPDES pollutants discharged by the facility that have an effluent exceedance (E90) in the previous three years and may potentially contribute to waterbody impairment. This field is derived in ECHO based on an association between the parameter and ATTAINS impairment categories and is not an indication of local conditions. The criteria for previous three years is the DMR monitoring period end date falling after the first day of quarter 1 on the Detailed Facility Report's Three-Year Compliance History table.
ECHO_DFR_URL
The ECHO Detailed Facility Report (DFR) link for the Registry ID.
ECOLOGICAL_USE
The overall attainment status (i.e., Fully Supporting, Not Supporting, Insufficient Information, or Not Assessed) of the assessment unit for all associated ecological uses.
FISHCONSUMPTION_USE
The overall attainment status (i.e., Fully Supporting, Not Supporting, Insufficient Information, or Not Assessed) of all the assessment unit for all associated fish consumption designated uses.
GNIS_NAME
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Geographic Name Information System (GNIS) name of the drainage flowline (river, stream, creek) in the catchment.
HAS4BPLAN
If the Assessment Unit has a Category 4b Restoration Approach Action associated with it, then it will be marked as yes. This flag reflects the data that were current as of the most recent Integrated Report Assessment cycle submission to EPA. If an Action has been finalized since that cycle submission, it will not be reflected here. Note: The Assessment Unit may still need an Action (TMDL, 4b Restoration Approach, Alternative Restoration Approach or Protection Approach) for another Parameter.
HASALTERNATIVEPLAN
If the Assessment Unit has a Alternative Restoration Approach Action associated with it, then it will be marked as yes. This flag reflects the data that were current as of the most recent Integrated Report Assessment cycle submission to EPA. If an Action has been finalized since that cycle submission, it will not be reflected here. Note: The Assessment Unit may still need an Action (TMDL, 4b Restoration Approach, Alternative Restoration Approach or Protection Approach) for another Parameter.
HASPROTECTIONPLAN
If the Assessment Unit has a Protection Restoration Approach Action associated with it, then it will be marked as yes. This flag reflects the data that were current as of the most recent Integrated Report Assessment cycle submission to EPA. If an Action has been finalized since that cycle submission, it will not be reflected here. Note: The Assessment Unit may still need an Action (TMDL, 4b Restoration Approach, Alternative Restoration Approach or Protection Approach) for another Parameter.
HASTMDL
If the Assessment Unit has a Total Maximum Daily Load associated with it, then it will be marked as yes. This flag reflects the data that were current as of the most recent Integrated Report Assessment cycle submission to EPA. If an TMDL has been finalized since that cycle submission, it will not be reflected here. Note: The Assessment Unit may still need a TMDL for another pollutant.
HEADWATER
A Y/N indicator that the drainage flowline is an upland headwater that flows into larger streams and rivers.
HUC12
The 12 digit Subwatershed identifier of the assessment unit.
IRCATEGORY
The overall EPA Integrated Reporting (IR) Category for the Assessment Unit. For more information about IR Category, see Integrated Reporting Guidance under CWA Sections 303(d), 305(b), and 314.
ISASSESSED
If the state has monitored a water body and made an Assessment decision about the Assessment unit, it is considered Assessed. If the state has defined the Assessment Unit but has not yet monitored and assessed it, then it is Not Assessed.
ISIMPAIRED
If any part of the Assessment Unit fails to meet its water quality standards, it is calculated as impaired.
ISSUING_AGENCY
This is the name of the organization issuing or granting a permit.
ISTHREATENED
Threatened means that one or more Uses is Fully Supporting but experiencing a declining trend and likely to become impaired in the next reporting cycle. Waters that are Threatened are part of the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list, unless a TMDL has been created for them. A null value is the same as isThreatened="N".
LATITUDE83
The latitude of the coordinate expressed in the NAD83 Horizontal datum.
LENGTHKM
The length in kilometers of the catchment drainage flowline.
LONGTIDUE83
The longitude of the coordinate expressed in the NAD83 Horizontal datum.
NAVIGABLE
A Y/N flag indicating that the flowline is navigable.
NHDPLUSID
The NHDPlus unique catchment identifier used to link NPDES data to ATTAINS data.
The NPDES permit number, formatted to define the general permit, the industrial classification, and the sequence number. This NPDES number may reflect either the permit or a facility covered by the permit.
ON303DLIST
If the Assessment Unit is impaired by a pollutant and still needs to be addressed by a TMDL or other pollution control measure, it falls on the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d) List (which is also known as EPA IR Category 5). Note: This does not include all impaired waters. For example, Assessment Unites that are impaired but already have a TMDL would fall into EPA IR Category 4a, and would not be on the CWA Section 303(d) list.
ORGTYPE
The organization type, i.e., State or Tribe.
OTHER_USE
The overall attainment status (i.e., Fully Supporting, Not Supporting, Insufficient Information, or Not Assessed) of the assessment unit for all other associated designated uses.
OVERALLSTATUS
The summary of the Assessment Unit (Fully Supporting, Not Supporting, Insufficient Information or Not Assessed). This is more generic than EPA IR Category. The EPA IR Category is only calculated for Organizations that have TAS for 303(d).
POT_IMP_PARAMETERS
NPDES pollutants discharged by the facility that may be contributing to ATTAINS impairments.
REACHCODE
The 14 digit Reach code of the NHD Catchment.
RECREATION_USE
The overall attainment status (i.e., Fully Supporting, Not Supporting, Insufficient Information, or Not Assessed) of the assessment unit for all associated recreational designated uses.
REGION
The EPA Region of the state, territory, or tribe.
REGISTRY_ID
The identification number that is assigned to a facility by FRS to uniquely identify a facility site.
REPORTING_CYCLE
The reporting cycle in which the assessment unit was assessed.
STATE
The abbreviation of the state or territory.
STATECODE
The US State abbreviation that the coordinate is within.
SUB_ID
The source of the coordinate. "BESTPICK" indicates the source is from the FRS Best Pick Coordinate and no NPDES Permitted Feature coordinates exist. All other values represent the NPDES Permitted Feature Number.
TAS303D
A Y/N indicator that the assessment unit has a Treatment in a Similar Manner as a State (TAS) for Clean Water Act Section 303(d).
TIDAL
A Y/N indicator that the drainage flowline is impacted by tides.
VISIONPRIORITY303D
This indicated whether the Assessment Unit ID is designated as part of the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Vision Priority waters.
WATERBODYREPORTLINK
A link to the Assessment Unit's Waterbody Report in How's My Waterway, which has more information about the water, including the Assessment determinations for individual uses (rather than Use Group) and parameters (rather than Parameter Group).
WATER_CONDITION
The overall status of the assessment unit (i.e., Good, Threatened, Impaired, Not Assessed, Unknown), including indications if the assessment unit is on the 303(d) list and/or if it has a TMDL, 4B, alternative, restoration, or other plan in place.
WBD_HU12
The USGS 12 digit Subwatershed Boundary dataset identifier of the NPDES coordinate.
WBD_HU12NAME
The USGS name of the WBD HUC 12 Subwatershed.