Can't understand a word or phrase in one of the pages? Use the links below to jump to the first letter of the term.

TERMS BEGINNING WITH:

A

Advanced Query: The method for generating a report from the database that is geared towards users who are familiar with the selection criteria and terminology used in the legacy STORET system. This form is more compact than the simple query process, as all of the selection criteria appear on a single page.

Agency: This term is now obsolete; in the modernized STORET systems the entity responsible for the data is referred to as an Organization.

Agency Code: This term is now obsolete; in the modernized STORET systems the unique identifier is referred to as an Organization Code.

Agency Name: This term is now obsolete; in the modernized STORET systems the name is referred to as an Organization Name.

Ambient Measurement: A measurement of the concentration of a substance or pollutant within the immediate environs of an organism taken to relate to the amount of possible exposure.

Ambient Medium: Material surrounding or contacting an organism (e.g., outdoor air, indoor air, water, or soil) through which chemicals or pollutants can reach the organism.

Aquifer: An underground geological formation, or group of formations, containing water. They are sources of groundwater for wells and springs. The LDC contains valid, historic aquifer codes and names as determined by the U.S. Geological Survey. The table can be downloaded from the Reference Tables Page.

B

Beginning Date: The term used in the querying process to denote the earliest date the Sample Start Date may be in order for the sample to be included in the report.

BIOS: BIOlogical System. Similar to STORET, it stores biological data for the EPA.

C

Characteristic: The new STORET version of the legacy STORET parameter code system. Characteristic is connected to the Parameter when available. Both tables are available for downloading from the Reference Tables Page.

Composite/Grab Number: A numeric value representing the total number of grab samples in a composite sample.

Composite Sample: A series of water samples taken over a given period of time and weighted by flow rate.

Composite Method: The method by which a composite of two or more samples is created. The entire reference table can be see here.

Composite Statistic: Statistics (e.g. average, maximum, minimum) and performance types (e.g., accuracy, precision) that STORET may store for a (non-effluent) composite of several grabs. The entire reference table can be see here.

Contact: Person registered as the owner of station, sample, and result information. You may access this information selectively by creating a Contacts Query or you may view the entire Contacts information reference table.

E

Effluent: Wastewater--treated or untreated--that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. This term generally refers to wastes discharged into surface waters.

Effluent Monitoring Intent Code: The code used to segregate data collected from different monitoring activities, but which were conducted under the same agency code.

Effluent Monitoring Intent Name: The name used to segregate data collected from different monitoring activities, but which were conducted under the same agency code. The NPDES program has gathered a considerable amount of effluent data through its permit application forms, including data on 126 priority toxic pollutants, which were provided on the NPDES application form 2C. Access to the Form 2C data stored in STORET is recommended via parameter code 84093, which identifies those stations that have form 2C data stored. The entire reference table can be see here.

Effluent Statistic: A reference table containing effluent statistic types. When the primary activity category for a sample is Effluent Permit Condition or Effluent Sample, an effluent statistic type may be present for a sample/parameter/result combination. The entire reference table can be see here.

End Time: The composite sample end time based on a 24-hour clock.

Ending Date: The term used in the query process to denote the maximum date the sample start date may be in order for the sample to be included in the report.

Enviromapper: The GIS based mapping software that can be used to visually select the stations to be included in a query.

EPA: The United States Environmental Protection Agency.

EPA Major Basin Code: The code representing the archaic EPA major basin developed as part of a drainage area delineation scheme.

EPA Minor Basin Code: The code representing the archaic EPA minor basin developed as part of a drainage area delineation scheme.

F

FIPS: Federal Information Processing Standards. (See Hydrologic Unit Codes.)

First Date Recorded: In the Aggregate Data Summary, it is the oldest Sample Start Date for the specified parameter.

H

HUC: Hydrologic Unit Code

Hydrologic Unit Code: The code used to identify the hydrologic unit of the station based on FIPS. The entire reference table can be downloaded from the Reference Tables Page.

Hydrologic Unit Region: The first two digits in the Hydrologic Unit Code that divides the country into twenty-one regions. Visit the USGS Homepage to learn more about Hydrologic Unit Regions.

L

Last Date Recorded: In the Aggregate Data Summary, this value is the most recent Sample End Date for the specified parameter. However, if only grab samples exist for this parameter, this value represents the most recent Sample Start Date.

Latitude: The angular distance north or south of the earth's equator along a meridian of longitude.

LDC: The STORET Legacy Data Center

Legacy Data Center: An interim relational database that houses data migrated from the Legacy STORET system. See the Purpose Page for a detailed description.

Legacy STORET Level: Legacy STORET breakdown of station type qualifiers into six levels. Each has a table that can be viewed from the Reference Tables Page.

Legacy STORET Station Type: The text code that preserves the encoded legacy station type field. This value can be decoded to determine the legacy station type codes.

Longitude: The angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England.

M

Migration: The movement of data from the mainframe legacy STORET application to the new Legacy Data Center.

Miles Up Reach: The value used to identify the station location indicated by the number of miles up the reach.

O

Old EPA Basin Code: A concatenation of the two digit EPA Major Basin Code, the two digit EPA Minor Basin Code, and the two digit Sub Basin Code.

On/Off Reach: Flag indicating if a station is on an indexed search.

Organization: The owner of the station, sample, and result information. See Agency.

Organization Code: The eight digit code identifying the organization responsible for the data. It identifies the owner of the data and is used to provide authorization for updating or deleting data for specific organizations. Organization codes were user defined prior to 1977. Since 1977, they have been assigned by the STORET system manager. The combination of an organization code and a station identifier uniquely identifies a site. See Agency Code.

Organization Name: Name identifying the organization responsible for the data. It identifies the owner of the data and is used to provide authorization for updating or deleting data for specific agencies. See Agency Name.

Output Format: Reports can be created in three different formats depending on the user's choice.

1. HTML: This type of report will load up directly into the browser and can be saved in .htm format for later viewing within the browser. This report type is the fastest to download, but is not as easy to read as a PDF.
2. PDF: This type of report requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, available from the Adobe Homepage. This report will either open automatically or prompt for confirmation depending on the browser's preferences. PDF documents maintain formatting information better than HTML, but they are slower to download.
3. TXT: This type of report will load up directly into the browser and should be saved to the hard drive for viewing in a spreadsheet. The file is comma delimited, so any spreadsheet application (such as Excel) can separate the columns easily. It is important to import all of the columns as text, so that leading zeros are not dropped from numbers like the HUC.

P

Parameter: The substance or property being measured. The parameter is replaced by the concept of a Characteristic in new STORET. The entire list of parameters can be downloaded from the Reference Tables Page.

Parameter Code: Numeric code uniquely identifying a STORET parameter. Legacy STORET parameter codes also have non-result usage. Examples of non-result parameter codes include: sample qualifiers, result qualifiers, lab descriptors, people descriptors, and location descriptors.

Parameter Group: Major groups of STORET parameter codes. The entire reference table can been viewed here.

Parameter Name (Short or Long): The description associated with the parameter code. Parameters have one long name and three short names.

Pipe ID: Pipe identifier for an effluent sample.

Primary Activity Category: Codes used to define a sample type and categories based on the media number in legacy STORET. The entire reference table can be viewed here.

Primary Secondary Combo: System generated unique identifier for an assignment between a Primary and Secondary Activity Category.

R

Replicate Number: BIOS sample replicate number.

Report Type: There are three different types of reports you can receive.

1. Station Description Report: This type of report contains information pertaining only to the stations included in the query. No sample or result data is included in the report. However, sample/result related user inputs may limit the stations that appear in the report.
2. Summary Data Report: This report contains basic station information, the number of results, and the date range for each available parameter.
3. Detailed Data Report: This is the raw data collected for individual results. Basic station and sample information associated with each set of parameter codes, result values, and remark codes are included on each page of this report.

Reporting Units: The code representing the measurement scale that accompanies a numeric value (e.g., degrees Centigrade, mg/l). The entire reference table can be viewed here.

Result: Data value for a sample result or a code representing an observation (e.g., WMO codes). Result values can be numeric or alphanumeric values. Non-detects are remarked values in the legacy system.

Result Remark: A single character code and definition used to further quantify a result.

RF1 Reach Segment: The reach segment portion of the reach index system.

S

Sample: Monitoring activity (e.g., ambient samples, measurements, observations, QC samples) that is performed at a specific date, time, and location in order to characterize the environment.

Sample Depth: The distance from the water surface at which a sample was taken.

Sample End Date: The date on which the final composite sample was taken. Not present for a grab sample or if the UMK is present.

Sample Media Analysis Type: The analysis types used to describe a parameter code (e.g., filter fraction, weight basis). The entire reference table can be viewed here.

Sample Start Date: The date on which a grab sample was taken or the start date of a composite sample.

Sample Type: The method by which a composite of two or more samples is created. Examples of composite methods include grab and continuous.

Simple Query: The search method geared towards users who are unfamiliar with the legacy STORET system and require information based on general criteria. Search criteria are inputted in a step-by-step process in order to limit potential errors. The three types of simple queries are the State/County Query, the Hydrologic Unit Code Query, and the Canadian Query.

Start Time: The time at which a grab sample was taken or the start time of the composite sample, based on a 24-hour clock.

Station: The recorded location where monitoring activities occur.

Station Alias: User-assigned alternative identifiers for stations in legacy STORET as captured in the Agency Station File (ASF). One station may have up to three aliases.

Station Depth: The usual or typical depth of water at the station, measured in feet.

Station ID: The code used by the legacy system to denote the primary station identifier.

Station Name: The text that was originally used to describe the location. This field may contain the Major and Minor Basin names or other information such as addresses.

Station Type Indicator Description: The type of water the station tests (Surface Water, Ground Water, or Pipe Water).

Store Date: The date the data was entered into the STORET system.

STORET: Storage and Retrieval of Water-Related Data. See the Purpose Page for more information.

Sub Basin Code: Code representing the user defined sub basin developed as a part of a drainage area delineation scheme.

T

Tissue Name: Name used to describe the tissue of a sample in legacy STORET.

U

UMK: User Multi-purpose Key. This free text is not present if End Date is not null.