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

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7d7wm3858](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7d7wm3858)

## Files and variables:

The zipped files contain all of the individual files that are required to open, project, and manipulate shapefiles. All of the shape (.shp) files used in this study contain the geometry and attributes of geospatial features (e.g., points, lines, polylines, polygons). The zipped file bundle contains the main file .shp and companion files including: .cpg, .dbf, .prj, .qmd, and .shx. 

The main .shp file can be opened and analyzed by Python, R, and many other programming languages, and open-source geospatial software such as QGIS, SAGA GIS, GRASS GIS, GeoDa, etc. These .shp files were the base of much of this study’s analysis.

**merged.zip**: contains data from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Ind...,