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Explore, Discover and Learn about your water.
How's My Waterway retrieves data from various systems at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies using web services. These web services are also accessible to other users/applications so they too can access the data. In addition, the source code for the How's My Waterway web application is available in an EPA GitHub repository EXIT.
Below is a summary of data included in How’s My Waterway.
Contents
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Assessment, Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS)
ATTAINS contains information on water quality assessments, impaired waters, and total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), through data submitted by states, territories and tribes under Clean Water Act sections 303(d), 305(b) and the 106 Tribal Grant program.
Where do I find ATTAINS data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the following tabs; Overview ( waterbody condition list and map), Swimming, Eating Fish, Aquatic Life, Identified Issues ( impairments ), Restore ( restoration plans), Protect (Protection Projects), Drinking Water (Which waters have been assessed for drinking water use?).It can also be found on the State & Tribal tab under the State or Tribal Water Quality Overview and the Advanced Search tabs.
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST)
The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) data highlights disadvantaged census tracts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Communities are considered disadvantaged:
- If they are in census tracts that meet the thresholds for at least one of the tool’s categories of burden, or
- If they are on land within the boundaries of Federally Recognized Tribes
Where do I find CEJST data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from CEJST can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the "Overburdened, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities" row under "Potentially Vulnerable, Infrastructure or Communities".
Climate Mapping Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA)
The Climate Mapping Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) data provides information to help understand past, current and future exposure to various climate hazards.
Where do I find CMRA data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from CMRA can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab under the following rows; Fire, Drought, Inland Flooding, Coastal Flooding, Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.
Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN)
The Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN) data provides access to blue-green algal bloom satellite data for over 2,000 of the largest lakes and reservoirs across the United States.
Where do I find CyAN data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from CyAN can be found on the Community Page in the Water Monitoring tab under Current Water Conditions, Potential Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).
Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO)
ECHO allows users to search for facilities in their community to assess their compliance with environmental regulations.
Where do I find ECHO data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the following tabs; Overview ( permitted dischargers ), Extreme Weather (Combined Sewer Overflows) and Identified Issues ( dischargers with significant effluent violations ).
Expert Query (EQ)
Expert Query provides a way to interact with public Assessment, Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS) data, by allowing users to filter and download ATTAINS data either within an organization (state or tribe) or across multiple organizations.
Where do I find EQ data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the following tabs; Overview ( waterbody condition list and map), Swimming, Eating Fish, Aquatic Life, Identified Issues ( impairments ), Restore ( restoration plans), Protect (Protection Projects), Drinking Water (Which waters have been assessed for drinking water use?).
Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS)
GRTS is the primary tool for management and oversight of the EPA’s Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Program. Under Clean Water Act Section 319(h), EPA awards grants for implementation of state NPS management programs.
Where do I find GRTS data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the following tabs; Restore (Nonpoint Source Projects and Success Stories), Protect, Watershed Health and Protection (Protection Projects). On the State page under Water Stories.
Integrated Reporting of Wildfire Information (IRWIN)
The Integrated Reporting of Wildfire Information (IRWIN) data provides information about current wildfire events.
Where do I find IRWIN data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from IRWIN can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the Fire row under Current Severe Weather Events.
National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD)
The National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) data provides forecasts of cloud cover, maximum temperature and minimum temperature.
Where do I find NDFD data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from NDFD can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab under the following rows; Inland Flooding, Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.
National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) data provides current wildfire boundaries.
Where do I find NIFC data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from NIFC can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the Fire row under Current Severe Weather Events.
National Inventory of Dams (NID)
The National Inventory of Dams (NID) consists of dams meeting at least one of the following criteria:
- Dams where downstream flooding would likely result in loss of human life (high hazard potential).
- Dams where downstream flooding would likely result in disruption of access to critical facilities, damage to public and private facilities, and require difficult mitigation efforts (significant hazard potential).
- Dams that meet minimum height and reservoir size requirements, even though they do not pose the same level of life or economic risk as those above – these dams are typically equal to or exceed 25 feet in height and exceed 15 acre-feet in storage, or equal to or exceeding 50 acre-feet storage and exceeding 6 feet in height.
Where do I find NID data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from NID can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the Dams row under "Potentially Vulnerable, Infrastructure or Communities".
National Weather Service (NWS)
The National Weather Service (NWS) data provides information about current watches, warnings and advisories within the United States.
Where do I find NWS data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from NWS can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab under the following rows; Inland Flooding, Coastal Flooding, Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.
Protected Areas
The Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) is America’s official national inventory of U.S. terrestrial and marine protected areas that are dedicated to the preservation of biological diversity and to other natural, recreation and cultural uses, managed for these purposes through legal or other effective means.
Where do I find Wild and Protected Areas data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the Protect tab under Watershed Health and Protection, Protected Areas.
Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
The Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) contains information on public water systems, including monitoring, enforcement, and violation data related to requirements established by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Where do I find SDWIS data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the following tabs; Drinking Water (Who provides the drinking water here?, Who withdraws water for drinking here?). On the State page under the Drinking Water topic (Drinking Water Information). On the National page under the National Drinking Water tab.
Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)
The Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) data provides information about, and locations of, leaking underground storage tanks, underground storage tank facilities, and underground storage tanks.
Where do I find UST data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from UST can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the "Above and below ground pollutant storage tanks" row under "Potentially Vulnerable, Infrastructure or Communities".
U.S. Drought Monitor
The U.S. Drought Monitor data provides access to current drought intensity categories for the entire USA.
Where do I find U.S. Drought Monitor data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from U.S. Drought Monitor can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the Drought row under Current Severe Weather Events.
USGS Sensors (USGS Stream Gages)
Data and GIS files from the USGS current conditions can be found on the USGS website.
Where do I find USGS Stream Gage data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from the USGS databases can be found on the Community page on the Overview tab under Water Monitoring Locations, Current Water Conditions, USGS Sensors and in the Water Monitoring tab under current water conditions, USGS Sensors.
U.S. Private Domestic Wells 2020 (Well Density)
The U.S. Private Domestic Wells 2020 (Well Density) data provides access to private domestic well density based on the 2020 census.
Where do I find Well Density data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from Well Density can be found on the Community Page in the Extreme Weather tab at the Wells row under "Potentially Vulnerable, Infrastructure or Communities".
Water Quality Portal (WQP)
The Water Quality Portal (WQP) is a cooperative service sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) that integrates publicly available water quality monitoring data.
Where do I find WQP data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page under the Overview tab under Water Monitoring Locations, Past Water Conditions, and on the Water Monitoring tab under Past Water Conditions, as well as on the Water Monitoring Report pages.
Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results System (WATERS)
A suite of web services that provide comprehensive information about the quality of the nation's surface water.
Where do I find WATERS data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from WATERS supports the display of Watershed boundaries on the map display.
Watershed Index Online (WSIO)
The Watershed Index Online (WSIO) is a free, publicly available data library of watershed indicators and a decision-support tool, developed by EPA, to assist resource managers, citizens, and other users with evaluating, comparing, and prioritizing watersheds for a user-defined purpose.
Where do I find WSIO data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the Protect tab under Watershed Health and Protection, Watershed Health Scores.
Wild and Scenic Rivers
Data and GIS files on wild and scenic rivers can be found on the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System website.
Where do I find Wild and Scenic Rivers data in How’s My Waterway?
Information from this database can be found on the Community page on the Protect tab under Watershed Health and Protection, Wild and Scenic Rivers.