Online Resources – Water Quality
Topic Key
Interactive Tools
How's My Waterway?
"How's My Waterway was designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies and others have provided to EPA. Water quality information is displayed on 3 scales in How’s My Waterway; community, state and national. More recent or more detailed water information may exist that is not yet available through EPA databases or other sources."
Source: U.S. EPA
Model My Watershed
"Model My Watershed is a watershed-modeling web app that enables citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, educators, and students to analyze real land use and soil data in their neighborhoods and watersheds, model stormwater runoff and water-quality impacts using professional-grade models, and compare how different conservation or development scenarios could modify runoff and water quality."
For more information on this tool, click here.
Source: Stroud Water Research Center
Pontchartrain Basin Watersheds
This interactive map allows users to visualize watersheds, subbasins, urban areas, impaired waterways, and rivers in the Pontchartrain Basin.
Source: Pontchartrain Conservancy
WATERS GeoViewer
"The EPA Office of Water’s Watershed Assessment, Tracking and Environmental Results System (WATERS) integrates water-related information by linking it to the NHDPlus stream network. The National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) provides the underlying geospatial hydrologic framework that supports a variety of network-based capabilities, including upstream/downstream search and watershed delineation."
Source: U.S. EPA
Useful Websites
American Geosciences Institute - Water Quality
AGI's Water Quality website provides a host of information about different water and water quality topics.
Source: American Geosciences Institute
Estuary Education
"Estuaries are invaluable resources for coastal dwellers, whether of fin, fur, or feather. For people, these ecosystems offer protection, recreation, and a wealth of learning opportunities. On this site, educators and estuary enthusiasts will find a variety of resources, including specially developed activities, animations, videos, teacher training workshops, real-time data, and opportunities to volunteer at a local reserve. This information will help educators share the wonders of estuaries with students and others."
Source: NOAA
Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN)
"CyAN is a multi-agency project among EPA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to develop an early warning indicator system to detect algal blooms in U.S. freshwater systems. This research supports federal, state, tribal, and local partners in their monitoring efforts to assess water quality to protect aquatic and human health."
Source: U.S. EPA
DIY Lake Science
DIY Lake Science allows families and educators to investigate and learn about lakes and other freshwater ecosystems at home, at school, or anywhere you go! The app includes a dozen easy to use, hands-on activities to learn about freshwater ecosystems. Each activity includes step-by-step instructions that have been tested by educators, kids, and families. The activity materials are widely available and inexpensive—you probably have many of them in your home.
Source: The Lawrence Hall of Science at University of California, Berkeley
Lake Pontchartrain Water Quality Results
This webpage provides current water quality data for Lake Pontchartrain, as well as an explanation of the different water quality parameters that are tested and their meaning.
Source: Pontchartrain Conservancy
Science in Your Watershed
"The purpose of this site is to help you find scientific information organized on a watershed basis. This information, coupled with observations and measurements made by the watershed groups, provides a powerful foundation for characterizing, assessing, analyzing, and maintaining the status and health of a watershed."
Source: USGS
Water Topics
"When the water in our rivers, lakes, and oceans becomes polluted; it can endanger wildlife, make our drinking water unsafe, and threaten the waters where we swim and fish. EPA research supports efforts under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act."
Source: U.S. EPA
Community Science Projects
FreshWater Watch
"Welcome to FreshWater Watch, an Earthwatch research project investigating the health of global freshwater ecosystems on a scale never seen before. You can make the difference. Join our global community of citizen scientists to help promote freshwater sustainability."
Source: Earthwatch
Leaf Pack Network
"The Leaf Pack Network is an international network of teachers, students, and citizen monitors investigating their local stream ecosystems. Following instructions in the Leaf Pack Network Manual, monitors use tree leaves and aquatic insects to determine the health of their stream and understand its ecology."
Source: Stroud Water Research Center