Thursday, August 15, 2013

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is compiling water quality data on the state’s streams and lakes.

The DEP’s Division of Water and Waste Management is collecting water quality
data for the 2014 Integrated Report, which includes the 303(d) list of impaired
waters. In addition to data collected by the office’s Watershed Assessment
Branch, the agency will be compiling data collected by state and federal
agencies, watershed associations, permitted facilities and others with
available water quality data.

The Integrated Report is compiled by the DEP and submitted to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency every two years, as required by the federal
Clean Water Act. Streams and lakes are included on the list of impaired waters
if they fail to meet water quality standards.

If you have collected water quality data in West Virginia within the five-year
period from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2013, and are willing to share that
data with the agency, send it to Kim Smith at Kim.L.Smith@wv.gov, (304) 926-
0499, Ext. 1085, or Steve Young at Stephen.A.Young@wv.gov, 926-0499, Ext. 1042.
The deadline to submit data is Oct. 18, 2013.

A data submission form is available for download at:
www.dep.wv.gov/WWE/watershed/IR/Pages/303d_305b.aspx. The form has all the
required information necessary to ensure the data can be evaluated for use in
the report.

Documentation that describes data collection and analysis details will help the
agency assess its quality. If the data was subject to a quality
assurance/quality control plan, submit it with the data.  For an example of a
QA/QC plan, go to http://www.epa.gov/quality/qs-docs/g5-final.pdf.

Although electronic data submission is highly preferred and encouraged, non-
electronic submissions may be sent to the DEP at the Division of Water and
Waste Management, Attn:  Steve Young, 601 57th St. S.E., Charleston, WV 25304.