The WQSDB provides the public with access to water quality standards (WQS) data for the United States. Information included in the WQSDB includes: designated uses, waterbody names, state numeric water quality criteria, and EPA recommended numeric water quality criteria. Users can easily find information about their state’s WQS or compare one state’s WQS to another. This demo will show you how to access WQS data using various reports.

The WQSDB Interactive demo will begin with a brief overview of the database. You will then be led through a tour of the WQSDB. The tour presents screens just like you would see on the actual WQSDB website except that you will also have commentary to help you better understand the WQSDB. All commentary for this demo will be presented in a blue box. There will also be text directing you to perform an action, such as clicking on a link. This text will be presented in a white box with red text.

When you have completed your tour of the WQSDB, additional training materials (tutorials) will be made available to you. These tutorials contain additional information about the WQSDB along with “hands-on” exercises.

Do I need to have internet access for this demo to work?

You do not need to have internet access for this demo to work. If you are viewing this presentation on a computer that is hooked up to the Internet, clicking on many of the links provided will take you to the "live" site being described. If you are not on the Internet, the CD version of this presentation includes all of the information you need to gain a clearer understanding of the WQSDB.

How do I navigate this demo?

The side bar menus, located on the left hand side of the screen, are the primary navigation area for this demo. You can also go on to the next page by clicking the next arrow icon. This icon appears before the text in the white direction boxes. These boxes are also located on the bottom of every page.