EPA STORET

EPA STORET
Name	STORET
Managed by	United States Environmental Protection Agency
Established	1970s
Data types	Water quality, biological, physical, chemical
Coverage	United States

EPA STORET

EPA STORET is a legacy environmental data repository that served as a central archive for water-related measurements collected by federal, state, tribal, and local partners. It aggregated observations on surface water, groundwater, and biological communities to support regulatory programs such as the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and watershed restoration initiatives including Chesapeake Bay Program efforts. The system connected monitoring programs across entities like the United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and state environmental agencies including the California Environmental Protection Agency.

Overview

STORET functioned as a relational database for monitoring results, encompassing chemical analytes, habitat assessments, and biological metrics used by practitioners in contexts from the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) listings to Total Maximum Daily Load development. The repository stored sample-level metadata—site coordinates, sample methods, and analytical laboratories—aligned with standards promulgated by organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water and the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. By aggregating datasets from programs like the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, USGS National Water Information System, and state monitoring networks, STORET supported comparative assessments across basins including the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes.

History and Development

STORET originated in the 1970s as part of federal efforts following passage of the Clean Water Act and related statutes to centralize monitoring data. Early development involved collaboration among the Environmental Protection Agency, regional offices, and state agencies; major milestones included transitions from mainframe systems to relational architectures in the 1980s and integration efforts with initiatives such as the National Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. The 1990s and 2000s saw harmonization with geographic frameworks like the United States Geological Survey hydrologic units and alignments with standards from the EPA Office of Research and Development. Later modernization aimed to migrate legacy STORET records into the Water Quality Exchange and the Water Quality Portal, which linked to services from the USGS and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide web-based access and application programming interfaces.

Data Content and Structure

The database contained discrete sample results for thousands of constituents—nutrients such as nitrate and phosphorus, trace metals like lead and mercury, field measurements including temperature and dissolved oxygen, and biological data such as benthic macroinvertebrate surveys and fish community indices used in programs like the National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Data were organized into tables for monitoring locations, activities, results, and laboratory analyses, with controlled vocabularies and code lists influenced by standards from the American Society for Testing and Materials and laboratory accreditation programs linked to the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program. Geospatial attributes referenced coordinate systems used by the United States Geological Survey and mapping frameworks such as the National Hydrography Dataset. Metadata fields tracked sampler identities, sample media, and holding times to support interpretive work for regulatory actions under statutes like the Safe Drinking Water Act and regional agreements such as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Access and Tools

Access to STORET-origin data historically occurred through desktop clients, file exports, and later web services integrated into the Water Quality Portal and the EPA Envirofacts suite. Tools for data submission and retrieval included batch upload utilities and editors developed by regional offices and contractors, with data exchange formats inspired by the WaterML standard and the Open Geospatial Consortium specifications. Visualization and analysis workflows often employed applications such as ArcGIS, R (programming language), and Python (programming language) libraries for time-series plotting, trend analysis, and spatial mapping. Collaborative platforms connected STORET-derived records with programmatic dashboards used by initiatives like the National Coastal Condition Assessment.

Applications and Use Cases

Practitioners used STORET data for regulatory reporting, impairment listings under Clean Water Act Section 303(d), development of Total Maximum Daily Load models, and assessments supporting restoration projects for watersheds such as the Chesapeake Bay and the Hudson River. Researchers leveraged the archive for longitudinal studies on pollutant trends, eutrophication dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico dead zone, and contaminant bioaccumulation research relevant to advisories from agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Municipalities and utilities referenced STORET records when designing monitoring networks for compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits and source-water protection plans aligned with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. Citizen science and non-governmental organizations, including watershed alliances and conservation groups, used exported STORET datasets to support advocacy, restoration prioritization, and grant applications tied to programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.

Governance and Quality Control

Governance of STORET involved policy direction from the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, coordination with regional EPA offices, and partnerships with state environmental agencies and tribal environmental programs. Quality assurance frameworks referenced EPA quality management protocols and laboratory accreditation guidance from entities like the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference. Data stewardship practices included validation routines, code list standardization, and periodic audits to reconcile duplicates and methodological inconsistencies among contributors, paralleling efforts in other federal systems such as the USGS National Water Information System. Transition planning and data migration projects were overseen through interagency agreements and memorandum of understanding processes involving stakeholders like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state data managers to preserve lineage and ensure continuity for statutory reporting obligations.

Category:Environmental databases