Ecological Risk Models and Tools

RISK Tools

EPA has developed help for assessing and managing environmental risks, including guidance documents and tools ( the models and databases), used in our own risk assessments. In some cases, these resources are broad enough to be relevant across all statutes that EPA administers while in other cases, they are more applicable to specific EPA programs.

The lists below are separated by human health and ecological risk assessment and then by databases, models and other tools. See additional information about these tools below.

On this page:

Models & Databases
ToolsKeywordsLocation in EPA EcoBox
U.S. EPA. National Lake Fish Tissue StudyChemical; Data Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General - Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Tools; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods); Water/Sediments

Stressors - Chemical

Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment

U.S EPA. (1992). National Study of Chemical Residues in Fish Volume IIAquatic Receptors; Chemical; Data Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General - Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Tools; Water/SedimentsStressors - Chemical; Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment; Exposure Pathways - Food Chains; Effects - Aquatic
U.S. EPA. (1985). Aquatic Fate Process Data for Organic Priority PollutantsData Source; Fate and TransportStressors - Chemical
U.S. EPA. (1993). Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook Volume I and IIData Source; EPA; General - Exposure Factors; General - Phases of ERA; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods)

Phases of ERA - Tools

Exposure Factors

U.S. EPA. (2005). Guidance for Developing Ecological Soil Screening LevelsData Source; EPA; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods); Terrestrial ReceptorsEffects - Terestrial
U.S. EPA. (2005). Methods/Indicators for Determining When Metals are the Cause of Biological Impairments of Rivers And Streams: Species Sensitivity Distributions and Chronic Exposure-Response Relationships from Laboratory DataAquatic Receptors; Chemical; Data Source; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods)

Stressors - Chemical

Effects - Aquatic

U.S. EPA. (2012). CADDIS Volume 5: Causal DatabasesData Source; EPA; General - Phases of ERAPhases of ERA - Tools
U.S. EPA. Aquatic Life Benchmarks and Ecological Risk Assessments for Registered PesticidesAquatic Receptors; Data Source; General - Pesticide ToolsEffects - Aquatic
U.S. EPA. CADDIS Volume 5: CADLinkData Source; General - Phases of ERAPhases of ERA - Tools
U.S. EPA. Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) DataAir; Data Source; Fate and Transport; GeneralStressors - Chemical; Exposure Pathways - Air
U.S. EPA. Compilation of Air Pollutant Emissions Factors (AP-42)Air; Data SourceExposure Pathways - Air
U.S. EPA. Database of Sources of Environmental Releases of Dioxin-Like Compounds in the United StatesChemical; Data Source; Fate and Transport; GeneralStressors - Chemical; Stressors - Chemical
U.S. EPA. ECOTOXicology Knowledgebase (ECOTOX)Aquatic Receptors; Data Source; Terrestrial Receptors

Effects - Aquatic

Effects - Terestrial

U.S. EPA. EnviroAtlasData Source; General - Mapping/Geographic Tools; Habitat or Ecosystem-Level; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods)Receptors - Endangered Species
U.S. EPA. EnvirofactsData Source; General ToolsEffects - Effects in ERA
U.S. EPA. Freshwater Biological Traits DatabaseAnimals; Biota; Data Source; General - Exposure Factors

Exposure Factors

Receptors - Biota

U.S. EPA. Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program (GLFMSP)Aquatic; Data Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General; General - Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Tools; Water/SedimentsExposure Pathways - Water and Sediment; Exposure Pathways - Food Chains
U.S. EPA. Kow (based) Aquatic BioAccumulation Model (KABAM)Aquatic; Data Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General - Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Tools; General - Exposure Factors; General - Pesticide Tools; Model; Water/Sediments

Exposure Factors

Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment

Exposure Pathways - Food Chains

U.S. EPA. National Aquatic Resource SurveysData Source; Habitat or Ecosystem-Level; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods); Water/SedimentsReceptors - Endangered Species; Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment
U.S. EPA. National Recommended Water Quality Criteria – Aquatic Life Criteria TableAquatic Receptors; Data SourceEffects - Aquatic
U.S. EPA. National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish TissueAquatic Receptors; Chemical; Data Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General; General - Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Tools; Water/SedimentsStressors - Stressors in ERA; Stressors - Chemical; Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment; Exposure Pathways - Food Chains; Effects - Aquatic
U.S. EPA. Nitrogen and Phosphorus Pollution Data DownloadsChemical; Data SourceStressors - Chemical
U.S. EPA. Nutrient Indicators Dataset (NID)Chemical; Data SourceStressors - Chemical
U.S. EPA. ReachScanAquatic; Data Source; General - Bioaccumulation/Bioconcentration Tools; Model; Water/SedimentsExposure Pathways - Water and Sediment
U.S. EPA. Recovery Potential Screening (RPS) Training and User SupportData Source; EPA; Habitat or Ecosystem-Level; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods)Receptors - Endangered Species
U.S. EPA. Report on the Environment (ROE): Ecological ConditionData Source; General; Habitat or Ecosystem-Level; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods)Receptors - Endangered Species
U.S. EPA. Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs)Aquatic Receptors; Chemical; Data Source; Model; Terrestrial ReceptorsStressors - Chemical; Effects - Aquatic; Effects - Terrestrial
U.S. EPA. Standards for Water Body HealthAquatic Receptors; Data SourceEffects - Aquatic
U.S. EPA. Technical Air Pollution ResourcesAir; Chemical; Data Source; EPA; Model; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods)Stressors - Chemical; Exposure Pathways - Air
U.S. EPA. Terrestrial Residue EXposure (T-REX) modelData Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General - Exposure Factors; General - Pesticide Tools; Model; Soil; TerrestrialExposure Factors; Exposure Pathways - Soil; Exposure Pathways - Food Chains
U.S. EPA. TerrPlantData Source; Food Chains and Food Webs; General - Exposure Factors; General - Pesticide Tools; Model; Soil; TerrestrialExposure Factors; Exposure Pathways - Soil; Exposure Pathways - Food Chains
U.S. EPA. Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA)Data Source; General; Habitat or Ecosystem-Level; Other (e.g., Guidance, Methods); Physical; Water/SedimentsReceptors - Endangered Species; Stressors - Stressors in ERA; Stressors - Physical; Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment
U.S. EPA. Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results System (WATERS)Data Source; Habitat or Ecosystem-LevelReceptors - Endangered Species
U.S. EPA. WebFIREChemical; Data SourceStressors - Chemical
Water Quality Data (WQX)Data Source; General; Water/SedimentsStressors - Stressors in ERA; Exposure Pathways - Water and Sediment

Tools

ToolKeywordsYear
Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS)Water Quality Assessments2014
EcoBoxEcological Exposure2017
https://assessments.epa.gov/risk/document/&deid=363030Ecological Risk Assessment Center (ERASC)Superfund Ecological Risk Assessments2014
Ecological Stressor IdentificationStressor Identification2000
​EnviroAtlasWellbeing2017
Flowthru Data Reader (for the Turner Design Model)Real-Time Dye Tracing2004
Global Change Explorer (GCX)Projection Data, Adaptation2019
HexSimModeling Simulator2020
Provisional Peer-Reviewed Toxicity ValuesToxicity Values, Superfund2020
Regional Removal Management Levels for Chemicals (RMLs)Regional2015
Simulating Metacommunities of Riverine Fishes (SMRF) ModelModeling Simulator2021
EPA’s Ecosystem Services Tool Selection PortalGuidance, Decision Making2023
All Ages Lead Model (AALM)Lead, Water2024
Ecological Risk Assessment at Urban and Industrial Sites: Discussion Document,
Ecological Risk Assessment in Urban or Developed Waterways: Discussion Document   		Ecological Risk Assessment, Urban, Industrial, Waterways, Discussion Document 2025

Additional Information

These pages to include dynamic lists of various risk assessment resources pulled from the EPA ExpoBox (human health exposure assessments) and EPA EcoBox (ecological risk assessment) web sites. These are the most current set of resources, updated biannually, and also include link(s) to the relevant ExpoBox and EcoBox supporting pages which provide additional details about using these resources.

Learn more about these applications from the basic information on ExpoBox and the basic information on EcoBox web sites.

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Last updated on August 26, 2025