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Request for Funding

Members of the NC Aquatic Data Hub Hub (NCADH), a group of water professionals seeking to support and increase volunteer and other local water quality monitoring efforts seek funding to improve a database for organizations across North Carolina to use. The database currently manages habitat, chemical, physical, and benthic water quality data. It has the ability to manage multiple programs per organization. It can export data to NCDWR and US EPA’s Water Quality Exchange, WQX 3.0. The database was demonstrated to a potential user audience, with feedback received for how to make it most usable for them.

We are seeking contributions to conduct the following work in 2022: 

When we reach $10,000, the effort will provide a database that will: 

  • streamline and standardize water quality monitoring data submittal from organizations (non-profits, municipalities) to NC Division of Water Resources (NCDWR)
  • create a benthic macroinvertebrate module to allow for Tier 3 data collection and submittal
  • make it easier for organizations to upload previously collected data to the database

An additional $10,000  will allow us to provide:

  • Training events
  • How-to videos
  • Future database maintenance and user support

Details

New River Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) organization, will provide fiscal management for the NC Aquatic Data Hub through the completion of the project

Payments of support for this NCADH effort should be provided to New River Conservancy, who will provide receipts for payments. NCADH partners will meet monthly to provide guidance and feedback about use of the funds for completing the project.

Donate now 

Background/Introduction to the Issue 

At the Water Education Summit in Asheville in September 2014, the NC Watershed Stewardship Network (NCWSN) co-hosted a panel discussion on successful volunteer water quality monitoring programs and the opportunities for a statewide approach for monitoring. Participants were extremely receptive to the idea of a statewide program for NC. They recognized 1) monitoring and 2) database management as important tools that need to be better developed if we are to more effectively address water quality concerns in NC watersheds. 

A group of partners hosted a stakeholder workshop in October 2015 to identify next steps in supporting NC public (citizen) science in water quality monitoring. This workshop led to formation of the NC Aquatic Data Hub, which recently completed a Z Smith Reynolds grant-funded effort to develop a monitoring methods guide and a database for collecting, storing and transmitting water quality monitoring data. The methods and guide were created by a team that included New River Conservancy, Natureserve, and River Network, with technical support from NCDWR, Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) and others. Watershed stewards from across NC participated in workshops to learn the monitoring methods and a pilot database was recently introduced. 

Staff from NCDWR have lauded the database as a helpful method for standardizing data to enable transmitting to them and to US EPA. The methods and database can help democratize the collection of water quality data so that local water stewards, including community groups, non-profits, and municipalities, can collect and share data that adheres to standards that make it usable for telling their stories and supporting decision-making. The guide, database, and network of potential users presents a solid opportunity to boost public water quality monitoring efforts and efficacy across NC. To do so, the pilot database needs to be adjusted to address pilot user needs and finalized by a programmer and distributed to users.

Project Objectives

The first project objective it to incorporate changes recommended by users and NCDWR staff into the existing pilot database, to ensure it meets user needs and will allow users to share data effectively with NCDWR. This requires hiring a professional to make the following changes: 

  • Provide a batch upload process for previously collected data
  • creating and adding a module to allow for Tier 3 benthic macroinvertebrate data collection and sharing with NCDWR 
  • adding a query or query instructions to create a summary data sheet for submitting to NCDWR

Once the database has been updated, increase awareness of NCADH tools to help increase the amount and use of water quality data collected in North Carolina:

  • Share resources via social media
  • Host a webinar on using the NCADH database for collecting and reporting data to NCDWR and USEPA
  • Provide NCADH resources and links on partner websites

Results

  • User-friendly water quality monitoring database posted for download on NCWSN/WRRI website and NCDWR website
  • Webinar held and recorded to share how to use the NCADH database and submit data to NCDWR and US EPA
  • Social media campaign about volunteer water quality monitoring and benefits of NCADH resources 

Partners of the NC Aquatic Data Hub

  • Steve Anderson and Ricky White, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
  • Christian Breen, Waterkeeper Alliance
  • Andy Hill, MountainTrue
  • Suzanne Joyner and Elizabeth Underwood, New River Conservancy
  • Cam McNutt, NC Division of Water Resources
  • Christy Perrin, NC Water Resources Research Institute and NC Sea Grant
  • George Santucci, Town of Boone
  • Rick Savage, Carolina Wetlands Association
  • Emily Sutton, Haw River Assembly
  • Ann Marie Traylor, Environmental Quality Institute
  • Sammy Bauer and Allison Weakley, Town of Chapel Hill