Introduction

Since 1974, the Heidelberg College National Center for Water Quality Research has collected more than 90,000 water samples as part of its Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program. These samples have been collected at U. S. Geological stream gaging stations and have been analyzed for major nutrients and suspended solids. The sampling program has been designed to provide accurate and long-term pollutant loading data for Ohio�s major tributaries to Lake Erie and the Ohio River. The data also provide uniquely detailed data sets on ambient water quality in the streams and support investigations on pollutant sources and transport.

Through grants from the National Machinery Foundation and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission�s Lake Erie Protection Fund (SG 243-05), we are making these data sets available for public use in the form of Excel files. In addition, we are providing a �users guide� for the data sets along with an �analysis template� (also an Excel file) to help users analyze the data with graphs and common calculations.

Financial support for the river monitoring included within the Ohio Tributary Monitoring Program has come from many sources over the years. Major support in recent years has come from the Division of Soil and Water Conservation of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. More details on the funding for the program are provided in Sampling Stations and Methods.

User Comment Instructions

This website contains two major sections:

Part 1. User�s Guide to the River Data Sets

This section provides tutorials (pdf files) that (1) provide background information on the Water Quality Laboratory�s Tributary Loading Program, (2) describe and offer interpretations of the various graphs and the summary report produced by the AnalysisTemplatev3 program, and (3) relate the data and information from the Ohio Tributary Loading Program to various current scientific, sampling and policy issues related to the assessment and management of Ohio�s water resources.

Part 2. Access to RiverData files and the AnalysisTemplatev3 file

This section provides access to Excel files (RiverData files) containing data (flow and concentration) for the period-of-record for each of 11 stations included in the NCWQR�s 2005 water year tributary loading program. It also provides access to the AnalysisTemplatev3 Excel file (compatible with Office 2003) or the AnalysisTemplatev4 Excel file (compatible with Office 2007) that provides a variety of graphical analyses of data from the river data files, as well as summary report production options. A pdf tutorial on the use of the AnalysisTemplatev3 file is also included in Part 2 (a tutorial for v4 is in development).

Important Note for those who download data from this site:

It is intended that the Excel files be downloaded to the user�s own computer where the data sets can be analyzed and explored with the aid of the AnalysisTemplatevX. Users are, of course, free to examine and utilize data in the RiverData files using their own analysis and graphing programs. However, users are hereby advised that samples collected and analyzed within the NCWQR�s tributary loading system utilize stratified sampling techniques. The AnalysisTemplatevX program takes into account this stratified sampling in all of its calculations. If users ignore the stratified sampling, certain of the results and graphs will likely be very misleading and will fail to reflect the �reality� our program attempts to monitor.

Part 1. User�s Guide to the River Data Sets

Important notes on updates to Part 1

1. Background of the NCWQR�s Tributary Loading Program

a. Program Description � describes in more detail the goals and purposes of the tributary loading program.

b. Sampling Stations and Methods - provides information on the sampling stations, their watersheds, and the sampling methods.

c. Analytical Methods � summarizes the analytical methods used for nutrients and suspended sediments.

d. Data Set Description - describes the format for the data in the Excel files.

2. Tutorials on graphical analyses of the river data sets and on summary report calculations

a. Hydrographs, Sedigraphs and Chemographs

b. Loading Calculations, Annual Loads, and Unit Area Loads

c. Concentration Exceedency Curves

d. Time-Weighted and Flow-Weighted Mean Concentrations