On Sept. 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the Water Quality Indicators (WQI) tool, the first EPA interface that allows users to compare millions of data records from water monitoring stations. Facilitated by a mapping tool, the WQI makes it easy to explore nutrient and pathogen data and identify the potential sources that are contributing to water quality problems.

The WQI allows users to see pollutant level trends from nearby monitoring stations and compare to other stations across the country. The tool provides data on facilities including compliance records and as well as environmental justice indicators gathered through EJScreen, EPA’s environmental justice screening and mapping tool.

“Every community in the United States deserves healthy rivers and streams.  Whenever that is not the case, EPA wants communities to have access to information about water pollution and possible sources of any unsafe conditions,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA’s new Water Quality Indicators Tool will help communities understand local nutrient and pathogen pollution and help communities develop solutions to water pollution challenges.”

EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) works with state regulatory partners to enforce permit limits for the Clean Water Act. The WQI tool is one of several tools included in OECA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) web site. ECHO users can also view inspection, violation, and enforcement information for permitted dischargers.

The agency is developing a short video tutorial to help users get started with the WQI tool. The tutorial will be made available on the ECHO Video Tutorials page once it is completed.

Learn more about EPA’s work to address nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution occurs when excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture, storm and wastewater facilities, use of fossil fuels, and daily domestic activities enter our waterways impacting human and environmental health and our economy.

Learn more about EPA’s work to protect the quality of recreational water bodies from pollution containing bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms that can threaten your health.

EPA welcomes the public’s help in protecting our nation’s environment. EPA’s Report an Environmental Violation web page provides a way for you to report suspected environmental violations or potentially harmful environmental activities in your community or workplace.

EPA will provide a webinar to demonstrate the webinar training WQI tool on Tuesday Oct. 1, 2024, from 1:00  - 2:00 p.m. EST. Register for the webinar at the WQI Tool – Public Training page.