colorado water quality data

Use Colorado Data Sharing Network (CDSN) to submit your data.

We are helping to enhance Colorado's watersheds and water quality by providing CDSN's data partners and Colorado's citizens with an accessible and affordable tool kit for data management, data analysis, and data sharing.


CDSN is currently helping over 70 different data organizations manage, share, and analyze more than 5.4 million water quality results at over 25,000 monitoring locations throughout Colorado.
 
The Colorado Data Sharing Network (CDSN) is the primary project of the Colorado Water Quality Monitoring Council (CWQMC). CDSN has been providing an innovative tool kit for organizations to manage and analyze their water data affordably and to share their data for more than 14 years.
 
SPRING 2022 NEWSLETTER
Sharing data saves time and resources for others who are monitoring in the same basin. Sharing hosting, research and development costs for innovative data management and analysis leverages more resources for monitoring and other priorities.
 
Data is easily uploaded into CDSN and is then available for querying, downloading, mapping, and analyzing. Since data is in one location and a single format, it can be combined with other organizations' data from around Colorado. CDSN streamlines the data submittal process for REG85 data and other water quality data to CDPHE. The same CDSN upload template is used for uploading all water data and CDSN will download and submit your data to CDPHE at your direction. You can send your data directly from CDSN AWQMS to the EPA's WQX by simply pushing a button in AWQMS. The AWQMS data management system has built in features for queries, downloads, and creating charts, graphs, and maps so you don't need to purchase additional analytical software. Our data partners report that CDSN simplifies the process and time required to format and simplify data for CDPHE or the EPA.
 
CDSN has saved its data providers over $1 million through shared hosting of the data management system vs. what it would cost for them to pay for hosting and support individually.
 
 

Please support the CDSN by contributing.

 


 It takes dedication, innovation, data, time, and money to sustain a resilient data sharing network for data managers and for all of Colorado. Thanks for your interest in CDSN.
 

CDSN's toolkit includes:
  • A customized version of the Ambient Water Quality Monitoring System (AWQMS) data management system. It uses the same framework as the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Water Quality Exchange (WQX) and has additional built-in data analysis tools. Data uploaded into CDSN can be submitted to EPA WQX by simply logging in to AWQMS and pressing a button! Grant-funded Non-Point Source projects are generally required to submit their monitoring data to the EPA. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) also allows regulatory and other data to be submitted through CDSN without additional formatting. CDSN is continuously offering suggestions to the AWQMS developers to add additional features and enhancements desired by our data providers and public and deploys one or more upgrades a year.
     
    AWQMS allows data providers to have a secure and unique login to view, query, upload, download, edit, and analyze their own data. It allows the public to login to view, query, download, and analyze all public data from a single organization or multiple organizations at the same time. Being able to access data in a single format across organizations is a big time saver.
  • CDSN Exceedance & Monitoring Site Application allows anyone to search for monitoring locations in CDSN AWQMS, EPA (WQX/STORET), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) NWIS/NAWQA monitoring locations. Users filter for exceedances by user-defined analyte and threshold, and can download data for individual monitoring locations from this "CDSN Google-Map" utility.
  • CDSN ArcGIS Online apps allow users to do simple to advanced GIS operations using ArcMaps, ArcGIS Online Apps, or to use their own desktop GIS software. These apps allow users to for monitoring locations in CDSN AWQMS, EPA Water Quality Portal, and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) NWIS/NAWQA monitoring locations by zipcode and find associated 8- and 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Codes, water body IDs, and elements of the CDPHE/WQCD Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report such as 305(b) and 303(d) impaired waters GIS layers. Users can quickly gain additional metadata about AWQMS monitoring locations via pop-up metadata boxes.
  • GIS layers for download and use in your own desktop GIS system.
  • AWQMS data upload templates, and training resources for all of the CDSN tools.
  • Customized training and presentations (can be provided virtually or in-person).
  • Data formatting, upload, or download assistance for an affordable hourly fee.
 
To get started on efficiently managing and sharing your data or to schedule a customized training please email us.