BACTERIA_MONITORING_EPA_IN: Bacteria Monitoring Stations and Data Summaries in Indiana, Derived from EPA BASINS 3 (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1:45,000, Point Shapefile)

BACTERIA_MONITORING_EPA_IN is a point shapefile developed by the USEPA BASINS 3.0 program and
edited by Bernardin, Lochmueller and Associates.  Joinable tables must be utilized to access
readings at specific stations for specific parameters. Tables are 5 year summaries of station
data.  Points represent monitoring stations within Indiana as well as within 0.5 miles of the
state boundary.
US Environmental Protection Agency BASINS metadata reports -

"This data set provides a location map in ARCVIEW Shapefile format of selected water quality
monitoring stations for 10 bacteria-related parameters. The stations and the monitoring data
are extracted from the U.S. EPA Storage and Retrieval of US Waters Parametric Data (STORET)
which is contributed to by a number of organizations including federal, state, interstate
agencies, universities, contractors, individuals and water laboratories. Data updates to STORET
area performed weekly. Each provider of data is responsible for the data it submits to STORET.
The geographic coordinates for monitoring stations were obtained using USGS 1:24,000 - 1:100,000-scale
topographic map (depending on map availability)."

To provide general information on water quality at monitoring stations in Indiana.
US Environmental Protection Agency BASINS metadata reports -

"The STORET database serves as a repository of waterway parametric data, including information
on ambient, intensive survey, effluent and biological water quality."

Data was obtained from the USEPA BASINS 3.0 Region 5 CD, <http://www.epa.gov/OST/BASINS/>, and was developed by
the USEPA, Office of Water, OST. The development of the source data had no relationship to the Indiana Statewide
GIS Database.

Observing positional accuracy suggests that this layer is best used at smaller scales
(suggest >1:45,000).  Larger scales may present the problem of the point not being
located directly on the stream where it is actually located.  Positions were checked
by querying for the county attributes and visual adjustments were made by Bernardin,
Lochmueller and Associates when deemed helpful.  An "Accuracy" field was added to track
these tests and changes which are summarized as the following: 0 - untested or no error found,
1-3 located outside the attributed county, it is unknown if the location or the county attribute
is in error;  5-6 located aside of the stream of location
1 - outside the attributed county but very nearby; uncorrected (2/634)
2 - outside the attributed county but within an adjacent county; uncorrected (9/634)
3 - outside the attributed county, more than one county away; uncorrected (2/634)
5 - within the attributed county, aside the stream of location; uncorrected (15/634)
6 - within the attributed county, aside the stream of location; corrected (55/634)

No information was included in the original BASINS 3.0 metadata.
Vertical accuracy does not appear to be a factor in the digital
production of the data set.