BetaBetaDataset
To provide downloadable national geospatial water datasets that support watershed assessment, water resource management, environmental monitoring, GIS analysis, and regulatory water program activities in the United States
The WATERS (Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results System) framework was developed by the EPA to integrate information from multiple water programs by linking them to the national surface water network based on datasets such as NHDPlus, the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), and the Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD)
The platform includes national and state-level geospatial datasets for impaired waters, assessed waters, Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), watersheds, hydrography, monitoring locations, catchments, water program features, and related environmental water datasets. It also includes designated use(s) of a waterbody, water quality monitoring results, assessments of water quality, public beach closures, and the location of dischargers
The datasets are produced using state-submitted water program data, EPA water program databases, hydrographic datasets, georeferencing processes, GIS integration methods, and spatial indexing to the NHDPlus hydrography framework.