This dataset consists of 262 variables which describe various known and suspected point and non-point sources of contaminants and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Contaminant data was summarized to the NHDPlus Version 2.1 catchment level (1:100K). Contaminant data summarized span a time range of 2001 to 2016 and include regulated facilities, pesticides, manure and biosolids application data, mercury deposition, animal feeding applications, septic systems, landfills, and land use and land cover. These data are presented in a comma separated file, which includes all variables summarized and the NHDPlus Version 2.1 FEATUREID field (also known as COMID). The FEATUREID field can be used to relate these summaries to the NHDPlus Version 2.1 data suite for mapping and other analytical purposes. Total (TOT) and Divergent (DIV) upstream summaries were generated using the NHDPlusV2 Catchment Attribute Allocation and Accumulation Tool (CA3TV2). Using this method, upstreams summaries are generated for 82,263 of the 83,637 NHDPlus catchments in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These data will be used to investigate source-sink linkages between contaminant sources, water quality issues, and impacted receptor populations (e.g., smallmouth bass) throughout the Bay Watershed. Information gained from this work may also be used to evaluate the success of mitigation activities and help to prioritize new locations for mitigation, implementation of best management practices, or habitat conservation actions.
Potential contaminant sources and other landscape variables summarized for NHDPlus Version 2.1 catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (ver. 2.0, June 2021)