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Description: <div><div><b>Description:</b> National Measured Dissolved Sulfate Data derived from data stored in the U.S. EPA Water Quality Portal.</div><div><b>Data Date Range:</b> 01/2000 – 12/2023</div><div><b>Acquisition Date</b>: 1/17/2024</div><div><b>Query Links:</b> <a href="https://www.waterqualitydata.us/#sampleMedia=Water&amp;characteristicName=Sulfate&amp;startDateLo=01-01-2000&amp;startDateHi=12-31-2023&amp;mimeType=csv&amp;dataProfile=narrowResult&amp;providers=NWIS&amp;providers=STEWARDS&amp;providers=STORET" target="_blank">https://www.waterqualitydata.us/#sampleMedia=Water&amp;characteristicName=Sulfate&amp;startDateLo=01-01-2000&amp;startDateHi=12-31-2023&amp;mimeType=csv&amp;dataProfile=narrowResult&amp;providers=NWIS&amp;providers=STEWARDS&amp;providers=STORET</a></div><div><b>Min. Value:</b> -13.7</div><div><b>Max. Value:</b> 3420000</div><div><b>Units in Dataset:</b> &lt;Null&gt;, %, % recovery, mg/kg, mg/l, mg/L, mg/l CaCO3**, mg/m2, MPN, None, NTU, ppm, ueq/L, ug/L, umol/L, count</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Background</b></div><div>Sulfate is naturally present in freshwater but in excess is harmful to aquatic life and other beneficial uses.  For a review see <a href target="_blank">Zak et al. (2021)</a>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>In freshwater environments, chloride can come from a variety of sources (<a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-09/documents/support_cc1_sulfate_dwreport.pdf" target="_blank">Wang and Zhang, 2019</a>; EPA 2003), including but not limited to:<br /></div><div><div><ul><li>Natural Sources:</li><li>Weathering of rocks and minerals.</li><li>Volcanic activity. </li><li>Oxidation of sulfide minerals, </li><li>Decomposition of organic matter</li><li>Anthropogenic Sources:</li><li>Agricultural runoff containing fertilizers.</li><li>Wastewater and sewage</li><li>Synthetic detergents</li><li>Industrial processes and effluents.</li><li>Mine drainage</li><li>Burning of fossil fuels</li></ul></div></div><div><div>Sulfate is an essential nutrient for some aquatic plants and microorganisms, particularly sulfate-reducing bacteria (Muyzer and Stams, 2008). These bacteria play a crucial role in the sulfur cycle, reducing sulfate to sulfide in anaerobic conditions. This process can affect the availability of other nutrients and influence the overall chemical balance of the aquatic system (Lamers et al., 2013). For example, acid deposition results in dissolution of calcium carbonates reducing the buffering capacity of soils and freshwater systems in soils (Driscoll et al. 2001; Likens et al. 2002).</div><div><br /></div><div>Monitoring and managing sulfate levels in freshwater systems is important for maintaining ecological balance and water quality. High sulfate concentrations can impact the taste and odor of drinking water, and in some cases, may have laxative effects on humans and animals (World Health Organization, 2004). Additionally, elevated sulfate levels can contribute to the formation of scale in pipes and industrial equipment, causing economic concerns for water treatment and distribution systems (Snoeyink and Jenkins, 1980).</div><div><br /></div><div>Dissolved sulfate in freshwater is typically measured by ion chromatography (<a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/epa-300.1.pdf" target="_blank">EPA 300.1</a>). Our Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) procedures as well as the contributor’s laboratory processing and reporting procedures were used to summarize reported values.  The WQP portal original dataset contains annotations for each sample to help understand the reliability and flagging process.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Dataset</b></div><div>This dataset focuses primarily on samples reported as dissolved sulfate anions.  Unit conversions were normalized to mg/l as listed in <b>Table 1</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>This dataset is a collection of dissolved sulfate samples collected across the United States from 2000-2023 from the Water Quality Portal (WQP), which integrates publicly available water quality data from the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) and the EPA Water Quality Exchange (WQX) Data Warehouse. These water quality data records are provided by many federal, state, and tribal organizations and other partners. Because these data are from secondary sources, the U.S. EPA cannot ensure that the information is accurate, current, or complete. Therefore, users should verify the data from the original sources before drawing site specific conclusions. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) and Identified Issues</b></div><div>An automated Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) protocol was developed using a mix of Python and R-scripts to remove or identify potentially erroneous values (outliers) in WQP. The quality of the WQP measured data was evaluated as follows.  The quality of the WQP measured data was evaluated as follows.</div></div><div><div>•<span style> </span>Generally – do not delete data. Add a screening/flagging column to keep track of decision-making to remove records/observations.</div><div>•<span style> </span>Review the geographic/temporal scope and data types of the acquired data to the project objectives—it might not be necessary to process all data from a given data set. Map stations in a GIS to further refine and select data based on analysis selection criteria: geographic area, watersheds, bounding box, waterbody type, etc. This also provides the opportunity to conduct quality assurance checks based on spatial location (e.g., are the “estuarine” sites located near the coast).</div><div>•<span style> </span>Flag values reported with units of measurements different than mg/L.</div><div>•<span style> </span>Review and flag samples identified in the WQP with sample processing issues (e.g., suspected contamination, exceeding sampling hold time, no reported value, below reporting value). Many of the samples that met these criteria were already found and identified by WQP QA/QC data process.</div><div>•<span style> </span>Convert all relevant dissolved sulfate values to mg/L.  See conversion Table 1 below.</div><div>•<span style> </span>Flag values outside of the known maximum and minimum ranges of dissolved sulfate in freshwater systems (0- 33,000mg/L).  This range falls within the range of dissolved sulfate values observed in freshwater systems. This dataset contains well samples along with stream collected samples and map range values were widened to include those locations (USEPA, 2022).</div><div>•<span style> </span>Identify and denote (gray circles) dissolved sulfate values &gt; 33,000 mg/L - these values likely represent areas of naturally high sulfate due to geologic makeup or could denote areas active contamination from point and non-point sources (USEPA, 2022).</div><div>•<span style> </span>Check for flagged values in the ResultStatusIdentifier column by the Water Quality Portal that should not be used.</div><div>•<span style> </span>Parse/filter out various measurement compositions (Total vs Dissolved) for summarization to use only data denoted as Dissolved.</div><div>•<span style> </span>Summary statistics – Calculate basic statistics (mean, median, standard deviation, range, last measurement, maximum, minimum).</div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="Table 1. Unit conversion to mg/L for measured dissolved sulfate samples." src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNfRBgc6z1iW5lG3uMtvup2YNv_2wemVWxn-WfOMX1O1xI2hdPaet-L1xseghJKDlH5Ut-gmmxgiC7Vcl8pzqchCh0Eobh4WexixTviJMnM7q3AsazWQnm1ewICFF_ei5aPYVwS94dwPBBSXlSpAh3PDw=w741-h575-s-no-gm?authuser=0" /><br /></div><div style="text-align:center;"><i>Table 1. Unit conversion to mg/L for measured dissolved sulfate samples.</i></div><div style="text-align:center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align:left;"><div>Examples of errors found include negative dissolved sulfate values, units of measurements not consistent with dissolved sulfate measurements (e.g., &lt;Null&gt;, g/kg, %, ppm) and entries as µg/L but reported as mg/L and vice versa. Users should verify the data from the original sources before drawing site specific conclusions. Individual contributing organizations can still be found in the final and original datasets if the end user would like to filter for only specific sampling partners.</div><div><br /></div><div>The resulting dataset is presented as summarized collection of information for each unique sampling location and the original data flagging process helps to exclude unreliable and errant values from the final statistics. The R code developed to perform the QA/QC steps are available from <a href="mailto:cormier.susan@epa.gov" target="_blank">cormier.susan@epa.gov</a></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b>Terms of Use</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Freshwater Explorer Data Disclaimer</b></div><div>This data is intended for exploratory and discussion purposes. Although statutory provisions and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations contain legally binding requirements, these data and related information are not regulatory, nor do they change or substitute for any provisions or regulations. The information does not substitute for the Clean Water Act, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, or EPA or state regulations applicable to permits; nor is this material a permit or regulation itself. Thus, it does not impose legally binding requirements on EPA, states, tribes, or the regulatory community. This information does not confer legal rights or impose legal obligations on any member of the public. Mention of any trade names, products, or services is not and should not be interpreted as conveying official EPA approval, endorsement, or recommendation.</div><div><br /></div><div>While EPA has used its best efforts to include complete and accurate information in this system, EPA cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions and is not liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages resulting from using this secondary information. Some potential sources of error have been assessed by the U.S. EPA resulting in the removal of some samples from the original data sets. However, all sources of potential error cannot be eliminated from the measured data reported in the Freshwater Explorer or the data used to develop predictive models. Therefore, the U.S. EPA cannot fully ensure either the original data or the values calculated from them. Conclusions and assessments drawn from the use of the Freshwater Explorer are the responsibility of the user.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please check sources, scale, accuracy, dates, and other available information. Please confirm that you are using the most recent copy of both data and metadata. Reliance on the information contained in this system by any party cannot be used as a defense in any administrative or judicial proceeding.</div><div><br /></div><div>This dataset may be revised periodically. EPA can revise this dataset without public notice to reflect changes in EPA policy, guidance, and advancements in the field of biological assessments. EPA welcomes public input on this document at any time. Send comments to FreshwaterExplorer@epa.gov, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45268.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Preferred citation:</b> Leppo, E., Wharton, C., and Cormier. S. 2024. U.S. EPA Freshwater Explorer v2 national measured dissolved calcium metadata and dataset. USEPA. <a href="https://arcg.is/0OuDn80" target="_blank">https://arcg.is/0OuDn80</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>References</b></div><div>Driscoll, C. T., et al. (2001). Acidic deposition in the northeastern United States: Sources and inputs, ecosystem effects, and management strategies. BioScience, 60(1), 10-22. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/51/3/180/256122" target="_blank">https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/51/3/180/256122</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Lamers, L. P., et al. (2013). Sulfide as a soil phytotoxin—a review. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4, 268. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2013.00268/full" target="_blank">https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2013.00268/full</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Likens, G. E., et al. (2002). The biogeochemistry of sulfur at Hubbard Brook. Biogeochemistry, 60(3), 235-316. <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1020972100496.pdf" target="_blank">https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023/A:1020972100496.pdf</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Muyzer, G., &amp; Stams, A. J. (2008). The ecology and biotechnology of sulphate-reducing bacteria. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 6(6), 441-454. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro1892" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro1892</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Snoeyink, V. L., &amp; Jenkins, D. (1980). Water Chemistry. John Wiley &amp; Sons. New York, 384.</div><div><br /></div><div>USEPA. 2003. Contaminant Candidate List Regulatory Determination Support Document for Sulfate. EPA-815-R-03-16. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-09/documents/support_cc1_sulfate_dwreport.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-09/documents/support_cc1_sulfate_dwreport.pdf</a></div><div><br /></div><div>USEPA. 2022. National Rivers and Streams Assessment 2023 - 2024: Laboratory Operations Manual. EPA841-B-22-008. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-06/NRSA2324_LOM_v1.0.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-06/NRSA2324_LOM_v1.0.pdf</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Wang, H. and Zhang, Q., 2019. Research advances in identifying sulfate contamination sources of water environment by using stable isotopes. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(11), p.1914. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/11/1914/pdf</div><div>World Health Organization. (2004). Sulfate in Drinking-water: Background Document for development of WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. WHO/SDE/WSH/03.04/114. <a href="https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/wash-chemicals/sulfate.pdf?sfvrsn=b944d584_4" target="_blank">https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/wash-documents/wash-chemicals/sulfate.pdf?sfvrsn=b944d584_4</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Zak, D., Hupfer, M., Cabezas, A., Jurasinski, G., Audet, J., Kleeberg, A., McInnes, R., Kristiansen, S.M., Petersen, R.J., Liu, H. and Goldhammer, T., 2021. Sulphate in freshwater ecosystems: A review of sources, biogeochemical cycles, ecotoxicological effects and bioremediation. Earth-Science Reviews, 212, p.103446. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001282522030492X" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001282522030492X</a></div></div>

Copyright Text: National Water Quality Monitoring Council, 2024, Water Quality Portal, accessed 01, 17, 2024, https://www.waterqualitydata.us/#sampleMedia=Water&characteristicName=Sulfate&startDateLo=01-01-2000&startDateHi=12-31-2023&mimeType=csv&dataProfile=narrowResult&providers=NWIS&providers=STEWARDS&providers=STORET, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9QRKUVJ.

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