Using EPA's Computerized Data Base (STORET) to Analyze for Agricultural Water Pollution

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's computer data base (STORET) was employed to retrieve stream water quality data for a 9‐year period on an agricultural watershed in Maryland, 40 km northwest of Washington, D.C. Most of the farms in the area are large dairy operations that have waste management and storage facilities. During the study period, farmers increased their use of no‐till and minimum‐tillage corn (Zea mays L.) practices by as much as 90%, and several operators also installed animal waste‐control facilities.Total PO4, fecal coliform, and NO3 + NO2‐N data from four sampling stations in the watershed were retrieved from STORET and statistically analyzed using linear regression to relate concentration and time. The regressions indicated that concentrations of total PO4 and fecal coliform decreased with time. Total PO4 data from all four sampling stations showed a significant inverse relationship between time and concentration (5% probability or less). Of the four fecal coliform regressions, the furthest‐upstream sampling station was significant while the next one downstream approached significance (6% level). No statistical significance was evident in the NO3 + NO2‐N regression equations at any of the four stations during the 9‐year period.Results indicated that the time and costs for this type of analysis were reduced substantially by using the computer‐stored data base rather than direct sampling and laboratory analysis. A study similar to this one, but with in‐house data collection and analysis, would cost approximately 10 times more than the study reported herein.

A regional environmental information system for analyzing and predicting the impacts of nonferrous mining on an agricultural environment

“…Studies related to the sitting of a town (Dangermond 1983), a power plant (Smith and Robinson 1983), as well as the identification of a highway route (Yasuda and Emori 1985) obtained good results with the aid of data bases. Water-oriented projects include a data management system for river water quality data (Deininger 1982) and an analysis for agricultural water pollution by using EPA's data base (Reardon 1982). Information systems related to the soil and agricultural environment have increasingly attracted the attention of researchers.…”