How to submit data in our Electronic Data Delivery format
A DEQ training session explaining how to use the Electronic Data Delivery (EDD) template for pre-treatment annual reports. The session covers template navigation, data entry procedures, and additional requirements specific to pre-treatment data submission.
Summary
This training session was conducted by Nicole Morris, DEQ's pre-treatment coordinator, and Carter Thomas, DEQ's data steward, to explain the Electronic Data Delivery (EDD) template usage for pre-treatment annual reports. The session was requested at the last pre-treatment subcommittee meeting of ACWA to help users unfamiliar with the template. Carter Thomas demonstrated how to download the template from DEQ's website, navigate its various tabs (including monitoring location info, results info, and example data), and properly fill out data fields including monitoring locations, sample results, detection limits, qualifiers, and laboratory information. He emphasized the importance of using specific location identifiers, 24-hour time format, descriptive media types, and proper formatting for non-detect results (using 'less than' values rather than 'ND'). Nicole Morris then explained the additional requirements specific to pre-treatment annual reports, including the need to add a new sheet containing treatment plant flow data (influent and effluent), removal rates for each sampling day, and narrative information about disposal method changes, approved test methods, and data anomalies. She stressed that the results tab must remain as the sixth sheet for proper database integration. The session concluded with a Q&A period addressing questions about removal rate calculations, comment field sizing, data dictionary requirements, and specific formatting concerns from various municipal facilities.
Key Insights
- Nicole Morris explains that the training was specifically requested at the last pre-treatment subcommittee meeting of ACWA because some people have not used the EDD template before
- Carter Thomas states that the same EDD template used for toxics and copper biotic ligand model monitoring will be used for pre-treatment data with some additions
- Carter Thomas emphasizes that DEQ wants descriptive media types like 'municipal effluent' or 'surface water' rather than just 'water' to allow proper data filtering
- Nicole Morris clarifies that for non-detect results, DEQ wants to see 'less than the detection limit' rather than 'ND' or just zero, as those are not accurate enough for their purposes
- Nicole Morris explains that when adding pre-treatment specific data, users must ensure the results tab remains as the sixth sheet because it's set up to automatically route into the water quality database
- Carter Thomas notes that detection limits will always be less than or equal to reporting limits, explaining that you can detect things before you're sure you can report them
- Nicole Morris states that DEQ will accept the additional pre-treatment information sheet in whatever form it comes so long as it contains all the relevant required information
- Carter Thomas mentions that the template will change slightly to meet DEQ's new accessibility standards, but this won't affect functionality or the way data is filled out
Topics
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