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Data Dictionary


  
  

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Field Name Description Size Type Requirements Examples and Guidance Active
Section Number In the Section/Township/Range (STR) grid system, the section in which the Location exists. Each Section is a 1-mile square tract of land containing 640 acres. There are 36 sections in a Township/Range. 2 Numeric. Valid Values. System-generated; Valid Values: 01-36 Y
Site Description Waterbody name and short description. 254 Alphanumeric. Free Text. REQUIRED; Coyote Creek Tributary, Mill Creek Y
Site ID Unique user-assigned ID to identify the field location in EIM. Many of the STREAM sites are chosen as part of a probabilistic sampling design that go through an evaluation process to pull sites from the Washington Master Sample Site list. 15 Alphanumeric. Free Text/Preferred Format. REQUIRED;

WAM06600-000223, EPA06600-BATT01

All Site IDs in the STREAM system follow a similar naming convention: "AAA06600-****NN"

AAA = 3-letter identifier of site type:

  • WAM are sites from the WA Master Sample site list;
  • ERR are sites that were meant to be WAM, but due to an error, field work was performed at the wrong site;
  • SEN are non-random statewide sentinel sites;
  • EPA are non-random Puget Sound sentinel sites;
  • BIO are non-random, statewide ambient biological monitoring sites.

 ****NN = the number portion of a 'SITE_ID' which comes from the WA Master Sample site list or a four character two digit abbreviation of the river/stream at a specific location.

 Y
Sort Column The heading of the column by which the search results will be or have been sorted. Also indicates whether the search results will be or have been sorted by ascending or descending order. Search results can be resorted at any time by clicking the sort symbol below the column heading. 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) Informational; Y
Source The file name of the batch uploaded by the user (.xml extension) or submitted by Manchester Lab's LIMS (.dat extension) to the EIM Transition database. 25 AlphaNumeric Pb_cesium.xml , 216502.dat Y
State State or province where field location exists. 2 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED IF;location is outside of WA

WA - Washington

OR - Oregon

ID - Idaho

BC - BC

 Y
State Legislative District Washington State Legislative District in which the Location exits.  There are 49 legislative districts in Washington State. 2 Numeric. Valid Values. System-generated;

01 - WA Legislative District No. 01

Valid Values - 01-49

 Y
State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) The Washington State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) is part of a zone-based coordinate system developed in the US in the 1930's for use at the local/state level. Washington is divided into two zones, North and South. Each Location in Washington is also denoted by an X (E-W) and a Y (N-S) coordinate, with units in feet. The format for reporting is X coordinate, Y coordinate, Zone. 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) Informational;

1983736 (X Coordinate)

444975 (Y Coordinate)

S (Zone)

 Y
State Plane X Coordinate State Plane Coordinate System E-W coordinate (X-axis) of the field location.In feet. 9 Numeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED FOR;SPCS

Valid Values: 

North Zone: 602913.0 to 2673266.0

South Zone: 575078.0 to 2618128.0

 Y
State Plane Y Coordinate State Plane Coordinate System N-S coordinate (Y-axis) of the field location.In feet. 8 Numeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED FOR;SPCS

Valid Values:

North Zone: -33488.0 to 832967.0

South Zone: 15935.0 to 901121.0

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State Plane Zone State Plane Coordinate System zone of the field location. 1 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED FOR;SPCS

Valid Values:

N  North

S  South

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Status and Trends Region

Geographic area dividing Washington State into segments of environmental study. These regions were created by the Washington State Dept. of Ecology and are largely based on Salmon Recovery Region boundaries.

Searching by one or more of these regions will return all sites that fall within the selected region(s).

For searching you can select more than one region.

 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Informational;

Valid Values:

  • Puget
  • SoundCoastal
  • Lower Columbia
  • Mid Columbia
  • Upper Columbia
  • Snake
  • Northeast Washington
  • Unlisted
 Y
Storm Event Qualifier Qualifier for stormwater sampling events conducted under Washington State Municipal Stormwater Permits. Indicates if a storm event met the qualifying criteria or not and why. 3 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED ONLY FOR;municipal permit storm event data

Valid Values:

Q - Meets criteria for qualifying storm event as defined in the Municipal Stormwater Permit.
NQ1 - Non-qualifying antecedent. There was not a long enough dry period before sampling (antecedent dry period).
NQ2 - Non-qualifying rainfall. There was not enough total rain during the sampling period.
NQ3 - Non-qualifying inter-event. The inter-event was either too long or too short.
NQ4 - Non-qualifying sample aliquots. Minimum number of aliquots were not obtained.
NQ5 - Non-qualifying hydrograph. Minimum percentage of hydrograph not collected.
NQC  Non-qualifying criteria combination (NQ1-NQ5, see comments for details).

Download help for "Stormwater and Combined Sewer Data."

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Stream Order

Strahler stream order. These numbers indicate relative stream size based on a hierarchy of tributaries.

Searching by one of these stream orders will limit returned results to those sites that represent a water body of the selected order(s). Stream orders above 0 are defined by corresponding assignment from NHD+ mapped streams. 0 order streams are those that are topographically above NGD+ mapped streams.

 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative; 3 Y
Studies The Study or Studies associated with a particular field Location or Result Parameter.A Study is an organized activity or set of monitoring activities conducted for the purpose of collecting information about a given area or natural resource. Studies typically have specific objectives and most commonly have quality assurance goals described in a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) Informational; Y
Study Comment Additional comments about the Study. 2000 Alphanumeric. Free Text. Optional; Ex. "Water and biological samples were collected for this study. Only the fish tissue data from this report has been entered into this EIM project." Y
Study Ecology Lead Primary Ecology contact for a Study. Examples include the lead investigator on an environmental Study conducted by Ecology staff, the manager of a contaminated site cleanup project where work is being conducted by the potentially liable party’s environmental consultant, or the manager of an Ecology-funded grant where the work is being conducted by a local entity such as a conservation district. 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED; John Smith, Sara Peterson Y
Study ID UNIQUE ID to identify the Study in EIM. 20 Alphanumeric. Free Text/Preferred Format. REQUIRED;

Ex. "WQC-2015-00104," "VCSW0123," "AJOH0012," "BCWTAC95"

Grants – see "Naming Conventions for EIM Studies," below.

Voluntary Cleanup Program - use "VC" followed by your VCP number (ex. VCSW0123).

Sediment studies – use 8 or fewer characters.  First 6 characters represent the study or facility; last 2 are study start date (ex. BCWTAC95).

Download help for “Naming Conventions for EIM Studies.”

 Y
Study ID Alias Alternate Study ID, like a former ID or an ID that another organization uses to find their data. 20 Alphanumeric. Free Text. Optional;

Ex.

  • DMMP-SANDY-A-179-02 (Type: USACE)
  • VCNW2316 (Type: Other ID Related to Study)
 Y
Study ID Alias Type The type of Study Alias ID specified. 20 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative;

Valid Values:

GrantLoanContractNo - Associated Grant, Loan, or Contract Number
FormerID-Assimilated - Former Study ID from assimilated Study
FormerID-Renamed - Former Study ID from renamed Study
SiteOtherStudyID - Other Study ID related to Study (VCP, Agreed Order, Consent Decree Numbers, etc)
USACE - US Army Corps of Engineers

 Y
Study Locked Your Study information has been entered into the main database, so you can no longer edit it here.  Contact your EIM Data Coordinator to make changes.  They will be happy to help you. 1 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Informational; Y
Study Name UNIQUE title that describes the study. 254 Alphanumeric. Free Text. REQUIRED;

Ex. "USA Petroleum Facility #190, Soil and Groundwater Cleanup, Lynnwood, WA" or "Long term marine waters monitoring data for water year 1989."

Tip - This is a searchable field so include key words that will assist users in searching.

 Y
Study Publications and Documents Links to publications and documents related to this Study, including technical reports, fact sheets, QAPPs, etc. Publications are from Ecology's Publications system. Documents are from other Ecology systems.


We don't link to documents outside of Ecology.

 0 Hyperlink System-generated; Investigation of Water Resources, Water Quality, and Seawater Intrusion, Anderson Island, Pierce County, Washington. Y
Study Purpose Summary of the Study's purpose, reason(s) for initiating, and goals and expectations. 2000 Alphanumeric. Free Text. REQUIRED; Ex. "Investigate ground-water quality, surface-water quality, water levels, streamflow and the relationship between ground water and surface water in the Quilceda Creek watershed." Y
Study QA Assessment Level Level of quality assurance performed on the data. 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED;

Pick a valid value from drop-down list in the Study form:

  • Level 1 - Data neither Verified nor Assessed for Usability
  • Level 2 - Data Verified
  • Level 3 - Data Verified and Assessed for Usability
  • Level 4 - Data Verified and Assessed for Usability in a Formal Study Report
  • Level 5 - Data Verified and Assessed for Usability in a Peer-Reviewed Study Report
  • See Results - For data validated by third-party experts following USEPA guidance and functional guidelines. Also for Bioassay data validated using QA1 or QA2.

Download the Study help to see expanded table of Study QA Assessment Level valid values and definitions.

Select “See Results” if your data was validated by a third-party expert following USEPA guidance and functional guidelines. If you select this option, you must also fill out the Result Validation Level field in your Results spreadsheet.  Download the Results template help for additional guidance.

If you have bioassay data that was validated using QA1 or QA2, select "See Results."  You must also fill out the Bioassay QA Level in your Bioassay spreadsheet.  Download the Bioassay template help for additional guidance.

Y
Study QA Planning Level Level of quality assurance planning for a particular Study. 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED;

Pick valid value from the drop-down list in the Study form.

  • Level 1: Informal or no QA documentation
  • Level 2: Generic or incomplete document
  • Level 3: QAPP, SAP, or equivalent
  • Level 4: Approved QAPP or SAP

Download expanded table of Study QA Planning Level valid values and definitions in the Study Help document.

 Y
Study QA Project Plan Description

A summary of the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) or Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) approved for the Study.

A QAPP or SAP is required for Study QA Planning Levels 3 and 4.

 2000 Alphanumeric. Free Text. Optional;

Ex. "Monitoring for Total Dissolved Gas (TDG) in the Pend Oreille River, for development of TDG Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). TDG will be monitored continuously near Ruby. Data quality, analytical, and reporting procedures are described."

For QAPPs and SAPs developed outside of Ecology, please include information on where they can be located.

 Y
Study Result Description Summary of the results of the Study. 2000 Alphanumeric. Free Text. Optional; Ex. "Water supply is of good quality and appears ample to meet current demands with a few exceptions. Slightly elevated chloride concentrations are found around Otso Point, Lyle Point peninsula, and Cole Point peninsula.  See report for more details." Y
Study Security (User Name / Access Level) Name of user with access and type of access 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) System-generated; cneu461 / Update Y
Study Security - Access Level Study Access Level for the selected user. 25 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative; Update; Former User Y
Study Security - User Name Name of the user being given access level rights to an EIM Study.  50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative; Y
Study System ID A unique, system-generated ID assigned to each Study by EIM. 10 Numeric. System-generated; 2555970 Y
Study Type General nature of the study. 30 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. REQUIRED;

Pick a value from the drop-down list in the Study form.  VCP sites - use a VCP-specific Study Type.


Ex. Contaminated site investigation (characterization, includes RI/FS and remedial design)

 Y
Study-Specific Location ID

Unique ID to identify the field location within a particular Study. Only needs to be unique to the Study, not all of EIM.

Can be same as Location ID, an abbreviation of Location ID, or something totally different.

 40 Alphanumeric. Free Text. REQUIRED;

Ex. If your Location ID for a monitoring well is "CITGO-34586-MW4," your Study-Specific Location ID could be "MW-4."  It's often the location identifier that's written on the sample tag or label.

Each Location ID must be paired 1-to-1 with a Study-Specific Location ID.  Once you have established a Location ID/Study-Specific Location ID pairing (by submitting data in the Results Template), you must continue to use that same pairing for all future data submittals to your Study.  If you are unsure what Location ID/Study-Specific Location ID pairings were previously used in your Study, download your Results data from EIM Search to view them.

An ID of 8 characters or less will display better on the GIS map.

Download help for “Naming Conventions for EIM Field Locations.”

 Y
Study-Specific Locations A list of all field Locations associated with this Study. 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) Informational; Ex. "TAILINGS#2" Y
Sub Watershed

Equivalent to USGS Hydrologic Unit, 6th Level, 12-digit HUC. Land area where all surface and groundwater drains toward the same point.

Searching by subwatershed will only return sites within the selected subwatershed.

 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative; 170601090303-Cottonwood Creek Y
Subbasin

Equivalent to USGS Hydrologic Unit, 4th Level, 8-digit HUC. Land area where all surface and groundwater drains toward the same point.

Searching by Sub-basin will only return sites within the selected Sub-basin

 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative; 17080004- Upper Cowlitz Y
Submitted By The name of the person who created the EIM batch, either through the EIM Loader or EIM Import Module. 150 AlphaNumeric someone@someplace.org, sone461 Y
Submitting Organization Name of the Organization that submitted the data to EIM.  Often an environmental consultant or government agency.  This information is captured automatically when a submitter from outside Ecology uploads their data to EIM.  Ecology staff must choose a Submitting Organization when they are loading data themselves.  50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. System-generated;for external submitters. Ecology staff must choose.

GeoEngineers - Tacoma WA

Palouse Conservation District - Pullman WA

WA Department of Ecology

 Y
Submitting to The Ecology program/division to which data is being submitted. AlphaNumeric Water Quality - Grant recipient data Y
System Origin of the data within a specific batch. Data from Manchester Lab is "LIMS." Data uploaded through the Loader by Ecology staff is "Generic." Data received though the public Loader is "External." 10 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative;

Valid Values:

  • LIMS
  • Generic
  • External
 Y
Taxon Alias (Synonym) and Type

An alternative name or identifier for a particular taxonomic species, genus, family, etc. Most often a common name, but can also be an alternate name, invalid name, National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) taxonomic code, or Xerces code.

EIM does not contain a complete inventory of taxonomic synonyms. A more comprehensive source is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) at: http://www.itis.usda.gov

30 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative;

Ex. "Chum Salmon" is the common name for the species "Oncorhynchus keta."

Valid Values:

 Common name - Common Name
 Alternate name - Alternate Name
 Invalid name - Former or Invalid Name
 NODC code - NODC (National Oceanographic Data Center) Taxonomic Code
 Xerces code - Xerces Code

 Y
Taxon Level The taxonomic level of the subject taxa. 10 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative;

Valid Values:

CLASS - CLASS
DIVISION - Division
FAMILY - FAMILY
GENUS - GENUS
INCLASS - INFRACLASS
INDIVISION - Infradivision
INORDER - INFRAORDER
KINGDOM - KINGDOM
ORDER - ORDER
PHYLUM - PHYLUM
SPECIES - SPECIES
SUBCLAS - SUBCLASS
SUBFMLY - SUBFAMILY
SUBGENS - SUBGENUS
SUBORDR - SUBORDER
SUBPHYL - SUBPHYLUM
SUBSPEC - SUBSPECIES
SUPCLAS - SUPERCLASS
SUPFMLY - SUPERFAMILY
SUPORDR - SUPERORDER
TRIBE - Tribe
VARIETY - Variety

 Y
Taxon TSN The Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) for the subject taxon. From the Integrated Taxon Identification System (ITIS) 10 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Administrative; eX. "114082" Y
Time Zone Time zone of the Field Collection Start and End Time 50 Alphanumeric. Valid Values. Optional;

PDT - Pacific Daylight Time (GMT-7)

PST - Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8)

UTC - Coordinated Universal Time


For additional help, download "How toSubmit Time-Series Data to EIM" and see the section "Time zone and daylightsaving time."

 Y
Township/Range/Section/Qtr/Qtr-Qtr Township Range Section (TRS) is a surveyed rectangular grid system that covers most of the US. A Township is the measure of units north or south of a baseline, the horizontal line where the survey began. In Washington State, all Townships are north (N) of the Willamette Baseline. A Range is the measure of units east or west of a meridian, the vertical line where the survey began. In Washington State, Ranges are either east (E) or west (W) of the Willamette Meridian, which bisects the state through Puget Sound. Each Township/Range is six miles square and contains 36 one-mile square Sections. Each Section can be broken into Quarter Sections designated by NE, NW, SE, and SW. Each Quarter Section can further be broken into Quarter-Quarter sections, also designated by NE, NW, SE, and SW. 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) Informational; 4N 2E 21 SE SW - means the Location is in Township 4 North, Range 2 East, Section 21, SE Quarter Section, SW Quarter-Quarter Section. The later can be also stated as the SW Quarter of the SE Quarter of Section 21. Y
Units Units of measure that represents the measurement scale accompanying or associated with a numeric value. 10 AlphaNumeric ppm - parts per million Y
Units Description Brief description of the units of measure. 50 AlphaNumeric parts per million - ppm Y
Units Type Groupings of related units of measure. 10 AlphaNumeric UOM Type "Length" includes feet, meters, inches, centimeters, etc. Y
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid System The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid System was developed by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency for military use around the world. In this grid, the world is divided into 60 north-south trending zones, each 6 degrees wide in longitude. Washington State is encompassed by zones 10 and 11. In each zone, coordinates are measured north and east in meters. Northings are measured from a value of 10,000,000 meters at the Equator. Eastings are measured from a central meridian through the middle of each zone. Each central meridian is assigned a value of 500,000 meters. Easting values to the west of the central meridian are subtracted from 500,000; to the east, added to 500,000. A Location is specified by indicating the easting value, northing value, and zone number. 0 Not a Field (information or instruction) Informational;

365000.00 (easting)

540000.000 (northing)

10 (zone number)

 Y
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