The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality, with funding from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund and in cooperation with the NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, developed the digital benthic monitoring data to enhance water quality assessment & plan review of Trust Fund project applications. This file identifies points where benthic macroinvertebrate monitoring has occurred. This file enables users to review the current rating of water quality for each sampling site based on the monitoring results.
This data was created to assist governmental agencies and others in making resource management decisions through use of a Geographic Information System (GIS).
system filename : bmr approx file size = 0.9 mb >Revisions and updates to this layer include: >2) filename: bmr1100 The November 15, 2000 included, CGIA receiving >from DWQ an excel spreadsheet with a list of benthic monitoring sites >through November 15, 2000. This spreadsheet contained many latitude >and longitude corrections from the original layer released by CGIA. >This version includes two additional attributes: basinsite, which >indicates whether a site is part of a routine sampling schedule, and >sample type. >1) filename: bmr600 The June 15, 2000 version was the >first version released to the database. >Original was data received and processed September 1998. >Corrections to lat/longs were made in October 1998. >Minor latitude attribute correction was made June 2000. >(The coverage's projection was also defined.)
Data collection and revision dates
Acknowledgement of products derived from this data set should cite the following: The source of the benthic monitoring data is the North Carolina Corporate Geographic Database. Earlier versions of this dataset may exist. The user must be sure to use the appropriate data set for the time period of interest. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the state of the art, CGIA cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by any inaccuracies in the data or as a result of changes to the data caused by system transfers.
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>NC Dept. of Environment and Naural Resources >Div. of Water Quality >Water Quality Section >Environmental Sciences Branch >512 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh 27604-1148 >Dept. of Environment & Natural Resources, >Clean Water Management Trust Fund >1615 Mail Service Center >Raleigh, NC 27699-1615 >North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis > >Governor's Office >Office of State Budget, Planning and Management >301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700 >Raleigh, NC 27601-2825
The NC DENR-DWQ maintained the biological records in a 4D database. The database includes attributes for river basin, subbasin, site description, collection date and water quality rating. The water quality ratings are assigned based on an analysis of field samplings using standard methodologies. The database was converted to an EXCEL spreadsheet for conversion to a GIS coverage. The digital file is updated as changes occur.
Using ESRI's ARC/INFO GIS software, the dataset was built for point topology using the "build" command. Topology has not been edited since the last "build" or "clean"
These data represent the locations and results of the benthic macroinvertebrate sampling conducted and documented by the NCDWQ. Each point has an associated water quality rating based on the sampling results.
The NC DENR-DWQ maintained the biological data in a 4D database. The monitoring points were manually mapped onto 24k USGS paper topographic maps which meet National Map Accuracy Standards, using a best estimate with reference to surrounding features. Latitudes and longitudes were generated using a grid overlay. Points were checked for accuracy against NC Corporate GIS Data layers. In 1998 "TopoScout" software was purchased. The software generates lat/longs for the location of the cursor. DWQ will continue to refine the georeferencing of the sampling sites. DWQ converted the 4D data into an EXCEL spreadsheet for conversion to a GIS coverage. NCCGIA converted this dataset to a GIS coverage using ESRI's ARC/INFO software on UNIX. The digital file is updated as changes occur.
spreadsheet with monitoring locations, identification numbers and water quality ratings
Creation of digital coverage, and file updates.
The NC DENR-DWQ mapped the monitoring points onto 24k USGS paper topographic maps. DWQ entered the sampling data into a 4D database and geographically referenced the data by latitude & longitude. DWQ converted the data to EXCEL spreadsheet.
NCCGIA coverted the spreadsheet into a shapefile using ESRI's ArcView GIS software. The shapefile was then converted to a coverage using ESRI's ARC/INFO GIS software. Sixteen sites that did not have latitude/longitude readings were omitted from the data set.
Metadata imported.
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Feature geometry.
ESRI
Polygon internal identification number
Software computed
Polygon internal identification number
Software computed
Collection card number unique to each sampling record
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
County names
State of North Carolina
Abbreviation for name of River Basin
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality
Reference number of sub-basin within river basin
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Water Quality Planning Branch
Site description (e.g., SR 1203) for sampling location
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality
Name of stream
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality
Measurement of the angle from the Earth's center to a point on the Earth's surface measured in a north-south direction.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Measurement of the angle from the Earth's center to a point on the Earth's surface measured in a east-west direction.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Sampling method used by DWQ
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
A standard qualitative method which can be used to assign water quality ratings to most flowing streams in NC. It is applicable for between-site and between-date comparisons.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
An abbreviated version of the Full Scale method. The EPT method is used to quickly determine between-site differences. It is particularily useful for water shed studies with a large number of sites or when it is desireable to rapidly assess the effects of spills, unusual dischargers, etc.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
An adaptation of the Full Scale method for sampling nonwadeable freshwater rivers.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
A qualitative method used in swamps, or nonflowing, streams.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
A qualitative method used in wadeable estuaries
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
A quantitative method used in wadeable estuaries
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
A yes or no indication of whether a site is sampled routinely as part of the Basinwide Assessment Program. If no value is given, the user should assume "no"
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
This site was sampled as part of the Basinwide Assessment Program
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
This site was not sampled as part of the Basinwide Assessment Program. Instead, it was sampled as part of a special study, or has been dropped from routine sampling.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Date of field sample
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Water quality classification, or water quality rating, based on biological monitoring
NC DENR Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Waters with very diverse benthic macroinvertebrate populations, including many pollutant intolerant species.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Waters with healthy but less diverse benthic macroinvertebrate populations and fewer pollutant intolerant species.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Waters with average benthic macroinvertebrate populations, numbers & diversity.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Waters with below average diversity or abundance of benthic macroinvertebrate populations. Tolerate species begin to dominate community.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Waters with very limited benthic macroinvertebrate populations, low diversity and/or abundance. Tolerant species are generally dominant.
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
Locations that have been sampled, but not assigned a water quality rating
NC DENR - Div. of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit
A point coverage depicting stream locations sampled by the Division of Water Quality, Biological Assessment Unit. Each point includes a description of its location by county,river basin, sub-basin, location, and stream name. A latitude and longitude has been designated to geographically reference each sampling point. Each point has been assigned a water quality rating or "bioclassification" based on the quality and quantity of benthic macroinvertebrate life found at that site. The ratings are assigned on a scale of poor to excellent water quality. Bioclassifications are based on the number of taxa present and the relative pollution tolerance of each taxa. Stream and river reaches are then given a final bioclassification of Excellent, Good, Good-Fair, Fair, Poor, or Not Rated. These bioclassifications, which have been developed for major ecoregions, are used to assess the various impacts of both point source discharges and non-point source runoff. Refer to esb.enr.state.nc.us for the Standard Operating Proceedure for collecting samples and assigning water quality ratings. >BMR.PAT Point Attribute Table >COLUMN ITEM NAME WIDTH OUTPUT TYPE DEC DESCRIPTION >1 AREA 4 12 F 3 Total area in meters >5 PERIMETER 4 12 F 3 Total perimeter >9 BMR# 4 5 B - Point internal id number >13 BMR-ID 4 5 B - Point internal id number >17 BASIN 9 9 C - River basin name abbreviation >26 SUBBASIN 8 9 F 0 Sub-basin # >34 COUNTY 9 9 C - County name >43 WATERBODY 24 24 C - Stream name >67 LOCATION 22 22 C - Site description >89 DATE 8 10 D - Date of field sample >97 SAMPLE_TYP 9 9 C - Sampling method used >106 CC_NUM 8 9 F 0 Site collection card number >114 BIOCLASS 9 9 C - Water quality rating >123 BASINSITE 9 9 C - Basinwide Assessment Program sampling indicator >132 LATITUDE 8 9 F 6 Latitude of site >140 LONGITUDE 8 10 F 6 Longitude of site
Refer to source agency for published stream classification documents and standard procedure for benthic macroinvertebrate stream sampling and assessment methods.
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NCCGIA is charged with the development and maintenance of the State's corporate geographic database and, in cooperation with other mapping organizations, is committed to offering its users accurate, useful, and current information about the state. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, errors and conditions originating from physical sources used to develop the corporate database may be reflected in the data supplied. The client must be aware of data conditions and bear responsibility for the appropriate use of the information with respect to possible errors, original map scale, collection methodology, currency of data, and other conditions specific to certain data. NCCGIA does not support secondary distribution of this data. The use of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the NCCGIA or North Carolina State Government.
Data creation and large data analysis jobs contact Database Administration P:(919)733-2090. All data is available through standard ordering procedures on a cost recovery basis.
301 North Wilmington Street, Suite 700
Phone and electronic mail preferred