Potomac River Basin Water-Quality and Spatial Data, 1992-1996

The U.S. Geological Survey's NAWQA Program collected water-quality and spatial data for the Potomac River Basin from 1992 to 1996. The dataset includes measurements from 138 ground-water wells and 125 stream sites, covering chemical, physical, biological, and habitat characteristics. Spatial data on geology, land use, and hydrography were compiled into a GIS to support the assessment.

Use Cases

• Modeling relationships between land use and water chemistry based on compiled spatial data.
• Analyzing trends in contaminant levels in streambed sediments and aquatic tissues.
• Assessing fish community health and stream habitat conditions across different physiographic subunits.
• Comparing ground-water quality across the eight geologic subunits defined in the study.

Strengths

• Data collected from 138 ground-water wells and 125 stream sites during a high-intensity sampling phase.
• Hundreds of water-quality characteristics measured across multiple media, including ground water, streamwater, sediments, and tissues.
• Integrated spatial data on geology, land use, and hydrography compiled into a GIS for analysis.

Limitations

• Last updated 1996-12 31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program.

Collection Method

Field sampling and laboratory analysis following national NAWQA guidelines.

Time Range

1992-1996

Freshness

1996-12-31 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Potomac River Basin, USA, subdivided into eight physiographic/geologic subunits.