WQX Web: A Tool for Sharing Your Water

Quality Data
Water Quality Exchange (WQX) Web is a newly-developed internet tool that allows
organizations to share their data nationally with others
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Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working to improve the ease with which organizations large and
small can store their water quality monitoring data in a national warehouse of water information. Once data are stored in this
National STORET Data Warehouse, they are accessible to scientists, government policy makers, and the public.

The National STORET Data WQX Web is a newly-developed internet tool that allows any organization with
Warehouse is a repository for water a connection to the web to share its data nationally with others. It works with
quality monitoring data collected by EPA’s Water Quality Exchange (WQX) framework (the successor to the
federal agencies, states and territories, STORET data system) to handle a complete suite of water quality monitoring
tribes, volunteer monitoring data (physical, chemical, biological and habitat) that are used to determine the
organizations, and universities. It condition of waters.
contains over 70 million records of
water quality data from across Many groups across the country manage their water quality monitoring data
jurisdictional boundaries. Data in the using software tools such as Microsoft Excel or Access. WQX Web is designed
Warehouse are used by many agencies to accept output from these types of applications for submittal to the National
and scientists in water quality STORET Data Warehouse.
reporting, research, and decision
making through tools such as mapping Benefits of Using WQX Web
applications, water quality models or
statistical software, and automated There are a number of reasons why smaller organizations should consider using
services. Overall, sharing data WQX Web. WQX Web allows you to share your organization’s data with other
nationally opens up opportunities for groups, policy makers, scientists, and the public. It makes it possible for your
data access, reuse of data, and data to be visible, accessible, and usable in the National STORET Data
improved data quality. Warehouse alongside data from state, interstate, and federal agencies, tribes,
universities, and volunteer water monitoring organizations. WQX Web relieves
you of the need to build special tools to create and submit your files – it translates and submits your files for you.

Having your data in the National STORET Data Warehouse offers an additional bonus: your data will remain publicly
available even if your data managers leave your organization or data management technology evolves in new directions.
WQX Web also provides a standard template that helps you organize your data using a software tool of your choice, such as
Microsoft Excel.

Using WQX Web

WQX Web is free to use and has only a few basic system requirements:
▪ Internet access and a Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7 or higher) or Firefox
▪ Pop-up blockers turned off for this site
▪ A WQX Web account and a Central Data Exchange (CDX) Web account. CDX is EPA’s portal through which all
environmental data is expected to flow
WQX Web Functionality
Some Definitions…
The main functions of WQX Web are to:
XML is an internet standard for sharing and
▪ Create WQX-compatible XML files from simple text files that
viewing data on the internet. When a file is in
are created from a group’s local data management system, such
XML format, it can be sent over the internet
as Microsoft Excel or Access
for placement in a database, or it can be used
▪ Allow you, as the data submitter, to define import for viewing.
configurations to specify the format of your data, assign default
values, and translate data to match WQX domain values Text files are simple files containing data in
▪ Submit data via WQX to the National STORET Data Warehouse plain text format separated by tabs or other
delimiting characters. Text files can usually be
opened in tools such as Notepad or Wordpad,
Error Handling
and can be created from any spreadsheet or
database software.
WQX Web validates all submissions against a defined set of data rules
within WQX. It provides access to validation and processing reports so
Import configurations are definitions of what
you can troubleshoot errors. If errors are present, users either manually
data looks like in a file that a user is going to
fix the original data and re-import it, or, in certain cases, use WQX Web
submit. Import configurations tell WQX Web
functionality to individually address errors. For example, upon import,
what your data looks like so that it can import
WQX Web allows you to easily add a translation to your data.
it in and submit it via WQX.
WQX Web Template Domain values are standardized names that
must be used for certain elements that are
EPA has developed a WQX Web template in Microsoft Excel to help reported in the National STORET Data
you put your data in a WQX Web-compatible format. The template has Warehouse. For example, the list of chemical
one spreadsheet for entering data and another that describes what fields names that WQX uses is part of a domain
are mandatory or optional. The template also includes the “allowable value list. STORET Data Warehouse and
values” lists for the types of information you must include in order for WQX domain values are the same. Sometimes
the data to be successfully submitted to the STORET Data Warehouse. domain values are also referred to as
The WQX Web template is available at “allowable values”.
http://www.epa.gov/storet/wqxweb_downloads.html .

Create text file of your data using

Teach WQX Web to read and

Import Data into WQX Web, Web Resources and Additional Information
correct validation errors
More information about using WQX Web is located at
http://www.epa.gov/storet/wqx.html . There you will find information on
Export Data through CDX, correct setting up and using the WQX Web tool, including a WQX Web tutorial.
any other errors For additional assistance, you can also contact the WQX/STORET team at
[email protected] or 1-800-424-9067.
Data gets updated to the
STORET Warehouse weekly USEPA Office of Water EPA 841-F-07-002