"This file contains data about estuarine and Great Lakes sites that were sampled for the National Coastal Condition Assessment in 2020, 2021 & 2022."		

Data have been thoroughly reviewed, however they are not considered final until the NCCA Report is published. Data may be updated at any time. The changelog for the associated file may be found below the column name definitions.              
                            		
End-users are responsible for reviewing the suitability of these data for their purposes.     


"""For information about NCCA protocols, please check the NCCA 2020 Field Operations Manual, Site Evaluation Guidelines; Lab Operations Manual, and Quality Assurance Project Plan on the NCCA Website: https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/manuals-used-national-aquatic-resource-surveys#National%20Coastal%20Condition%20Assessment""                                         "		
	"""Please bring any questions about the data to the attention of Hugh Sullivan, NCCA Lead at sullivan.hugh@epa.gov. ""                                             	
		
COLUMN HEADING		DESCRIPTION
PUBLICATION_DATE		Date the dataset was published to the NARS site
UNIQUE_ID		Unique site ID based on location that does not depend on year sampled or any other factor.  Form is NCA_ss_nnnnn  where ss state and nnnnn is number that starts at 10001.  No missing values allowed. Text
UID		Unique identifier for the site/visit
SITE_ID		NCCA Site ID for the study and year sampled
VISIT_NO		"Sequential visit in each year, typically 1 or 2."
DATE_COL		Date samples were collected at the site. Use ACTUAL_DATE column for collection date of individual sample types.
PSTL_CODE		"State two letter postal code for site sampled. 50 state postal codes plus AS, MP, GU, PR, VI for American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, Guam, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.  No missing values allowed."
WTBDY_TYPE	MARINE|GREAT_LAKES	"Waterbody type, based on VALXSITE from verification form"
NCCA_REG		"National Coastal Condition Assessment Region.  Northeast includes states ME, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, MD, DE, and VA.  Southeast includes NC, SC, GA, and east coast of FL.  No missing values allowed."
LAB		Code for laboratory used to analyze sample
SAMPLE_TYPE		Code identifying sample type
TEST_TYPE		Test Type (Marine/Freshwater)
BATCH_ID		Laboratory batch number
ORGANISM		Name of organism used in toxicity testing. Freshwater sample test organism is Hyalella azteca. Estuarine sample test organism is Leptocheirus plumulosus.
REP		Sequential replicate number
SAMPLE_ID		Number identifying the sample
CHAMBER_ID		Chamber ID for sample replicate
LOADED		Number of organisms loaded for test
NUM_SURVIVAL		Number of surviving organisms
PROP_SURVIVAL		Proportion of organisms surviving
RETEST		"Was sample retested? Y=Yes, Blank=No. Only retest test results are shown. Failed test results are not published and not used in assessment."
NARS_FLAG		NARS Flag. ND = Nondetect; H = holding time issue; S = shipping issue; L = Less than reporting limit but above MDL; NR = No result reported; Q = other quality issue. See NARS_COMMENT.
NARS_COMMENT		"Comment explaining NARS_FLAG or other qualifying information, if applicable."
		
Changelog		
		
Publication Date 
Of Most recent
File Posted to
NARS Data Page 
        		Change
10/31/2024		Initial publication