Water Quality Data
The IDEM Office of Water Quality (OWQ) has been collecting water quality data across the state for many years. Since 1990 data has been collected and maintained in a central repository called the Assessment Information Management System (AIMS), including the surface water monitoring activities conducted for the last 20 years. The OWQ Surface water program, Nonpoint Source staff, and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) programs, the Integrated Report, and the 303(d) Impaired Waters Listing/Delisting programs use this system and data. The parameters collected include general chemistry and other field measurements, aquatic biological life integrity and community variables, and habitat evaluations. This data is available to the public upon request. The OWQ’s Water Quality Monitoring Strategy 2017-2021 identifies key water quality monitoring objectives and the monitoring approaches used to collect the data necessary to achieve them.
For sources of IDEM data already available through geographic or mapping services, the e303(d) Tool offers location and other data on impaired waters. It also includes the TMDLs completed for listed waters, watershed management planning (WMP) activities and the reports associated with the TMDLs and WMPs. Other data includes information from the Drinking Water and Ground Water programs, as well as data from the Wetlands and Combined Sewer Overflow programs. OWQ Compliance and Permits staff are also available to provide information and available data not already available through the AIMS database. Additionally, the Virtual File Cabinet (VFC) is another source of data specific to particular facilities or projects. Also, state-maintained water quality data may also be available through outside sources, such as U.S. EPA and local county health departments.
There is also water-related data within the data management systems maintained by the Office of Land Quality. This would include data collected from Confined Feeding Operations (CFOs)/CAFO facilities or other waste management regulated facilities. More information on CFO/CAFO requirements and available data is available on the IDEM OLQ: Animal Farms site.
There may also be a need to review air monitoring data within your watershed due to atmospheric deposition of pollutants from stacks. This data can be gathered from the IDEM website under Air Quality: Monitoring.