Dataset: Surface waters in socially vulnerable areas are disproportionately under-monitored for nutrients in the U.S. South Atlantic-Gulf Region

In this study, we investigated: Are water quality monitoring stations
proportionally distributed across communities of varying social
vulnerability? We specifically focus on nutrient monitoring of surface
waters in the South Atlantic-Gulf region, a water-rich area with diverse
land uses and communities spanning the social vulnerability spectrum. We
used 2018-2022 data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water
Information System and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Storage and
Retrieval database to compare station locations to census tract-scale
metrics from the U.S. Center for Disease Control Social Vulnerability
Index (SVI) and hydrography from the USGS. Statistical analyses revealed a
significant disparity in the distribution of active monitoring station
placements, with more monitoring stations in lower vulnerability areas and
fewer in highly vulnerable areas. Stations were also clustered in areas of
similar SVI values; areas were less likely to be monitored if they were
near areas of differing SVI.