Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content

Try the next-generation Data Catalog at catalog-beta.data.gov and help shape it with your feedback.

Field, laboratory, and third-party quality-control data associated with sites and analytes monitored by the USGS National Water Quality Network, October 2017 through September 2022

Metadata Updated: January 21, 2026

From October 2017 through September 2022, the National Water Quality Network (NWQN) monitored 110 surface-water river and stream sites and more than 1,800 groundwater wells for a large number of water-quality analytes, for which associated quality-control data and corresponding statistical summaries are included in this data release. The quality-control data—for samples that were collected in the field (at all 110 surface-water sites, 350 groundwater wells, and 16 quality-control-only sites), prepared in the laboratory, or prepared by a third party—can be used to assess the quality of environmental data collected by the NWQN through the estimation of bias and variability in reported results. The general analyte groups that were monitored at NWQN surface-water and (or) groundwater sites and have associated quality-control data in this data release include major ions, nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, hormones, pharmaceuticals, radionuclides, microbial indicators, sediment, and environmental tracers. For each analyte group, the data tables contain results for one or more of the following types of quality-control samples, where relevant: blanks, matrix spikes, and replicates collected at field sites; laboratory blanks, reagent spikes, and matrix spikes prepared by the USGS National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) (quality-control samples prepared by other analyzing laboratories are not included in the current data release); and third-party blanks, spikes, and reference samples prepared by the USGS Quality Systems Branch (QSB). For each relevant analyte, tables of summary statistics characterize the frequency and concentrations of blank detections, the typical magnitude of and variability in spike and reference-sample recoveries, and the typical variability between replicate concentrations. Tables included in this data release: Table1_SiteList.txt: Information about National Water Quality Network sites that have associated quality-control data. Table2_AnalyteList.txt: Information about National Water Quality Network analytes that have associated quality-control data, including available aquatic-life and (or) human-health benchmarks and selected information regarding analytical methods. Table3_BlankData.txt: For all relevant analytes, results for blanks collected at field sites, prepared in the laboratory, or prepared by a third party. Table4_SpikeData.txt: For all relevant analytes, results for matrix spikes prepared in the field, matrix spikes prepared in the laboratory, reagent spikes prepared in the laboratory, or reagent spikes prepared by a third party. For matrix spikes, results of paired environmental samples are included. Table5_ReplicateData.txt: For all relevant analytes, results for field replicates and paired environmental samples. Table 6_ReferenceData.txt: For all relevant analytes, results for third-party reference samples. Table7_BlankStats.txt: For all relevant analytes, summary statistics for each type of available blank sample. Table8_SpikeStats.txt: For all relevant analytes, summary statistics for each type of available spike sample. Table9_ReplicateStats.txt: For all relevant analytes, summary statistics for field replicates. Table10_ReferenceStats.txt: For all relevant analytes, summary statistics for reference samples.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date January 13, 2026
Metadata Updated Date January 21, 2026

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI USGS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date January 13, 2026
Metadata Updated Date January 21, 2026
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/USGS_64b176cfd34e70357a2a013c
Data Last Modified 2023-11-02T00:00:00Z
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:12
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/usgs-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Datagov Dedupe Retained 20260121130127
Harvest Object Id 8aaf971a-b43e-42a1-a4e2-a3ca44929797
Harvest Source Id 2b80d118-ab3a-48ba-bd93-996bbacefac2
Harvest Source Title DOI USGS DCAT-US
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -171.2109, 17.6440, -171.2109, 71.5249, -66.0938, 71.5249, -66.0938, 17.6440, -171.2109, 17.6440}
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 61881dc760d06d1fb63746db8ef7129df8cbc1eeca094b79c17bf18b7aee8026
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": -171.2109, 17.6440, -171.2109, 71.5249, -66.0938, 71.5249, -66.0938, 17.6440, -171.2109, 17.6440}

Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.