r/EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water (WH-556F) EPA 500/9-90-001A June 1990 Office Of Water Information Resources Management Annual Report (In Brief) Fiscal Years 1989-90 Water Programs Data for Decision Making Information Resources Management: Tools For Making Water Program Decisions ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Table of Contents Page Title 1 INTRODUCTION 3 IRM PLANNING 5 INFORMATION ACCESS AND USEFULNESS Data Standardization and System Integration Hardware and Software Enhancements 9 STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS Training and Outreach Joint and Interagency Projects 14 OFFICE AUTOMATION 17 LOOKING AHEAD 18 ACRONYMS U.S. Knv.ii -,71; --.- ' •• U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Introduction This Report Highlights IRM Activities Taking Place in FY 1989-9O As the challenge to restore and maintain our nation's water quality becomes more complex, it is increasingly important that we effectively manage more environmental data than ever before. Technological advances like personal computers and geographic information systems help us to accomplish this objective. These advances also help us to solve problems more effectively by facilitating partnerships comprised of: Federal, State, local, and tribal governments; the private sector; and the public. The collection and use of environmental information is the basis for critical program decisions and the evaluation of the effectiveness of our environmental programs. Success depends on the quality, completeness, and timeliness of information in the information management systems of our water programs and the ease of obtaining information from these systems. The Agency's Water Program is committed to providing the necessary information to its managers to ensure that decisions are based on the best possible information and that adequate information exists to measure program effectiveness. Each year the Water Program initiates many information resources management (IRM) activities to strengthen its program management capabilities. This first annual IRM report highlights activities initiated and either completed or in progress by the Water Program in FY 1989-90. The Report targets Headquarters' accomplishments and initiatives primarily in the areas of information access and utilization. Future reports will update Headquarters activities initiated in FY 1990; address quality assurance and data collection efforts aimed at maximizing the integrity of water program information, such as monitoring protocols and Information Collection Request (ICR) development; discuss Regional activities in more detail; and measure the Program's progress in meeting its IRM goals. U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Introduction The Report Takes Both a Broad View (Volume I) and Detailed Look (Volume II) IRM Planning Information Access and Usefulness Strengthening Partnerships Office Automation The Annual Report is organized into two volumes. Volume I, the Annual Report in Brief, provides a broad overview of the Water Program's IRM goals and highlights major activities undertaken to support these goals. Volume II contains more detailed descriptions both of the activities introduced in Volume I and other important initiatives. Additionally, it includes program contacts for each project. Both volumes are organized around four key water program goals: Identify the information needed to make well-informed decisions and evaluate environmental program effectiveness. Improve access to data for water-related decisions and overcome obstacles preventing the use of information in program decision making and implementation. Work with the public and private sectors to create information networks that support cross-program and cross-media solutions. Increase the use of office automation technology to improve staff productivity and facilitate information exchange among water programs. U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 IRM Planning Goal: PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Accomplishments • UIC Assessment • Agency-Wide Drinking Water Information Study • Data Sharing/Systems Compatibility Study Initiatives: • Sludge Feasibility Study • OW Systems Modernization Identify the information needed to make well-informed decisions and evaluate environmental program effectiveness. An important Water Program goal is to make IRM planning an integral component in the strategic planning for each individual water program and for the water program as a whole. Integrating IRM planning into the Water Program's strategic planning activities ensures that it is collecting appropriate data to support its critical program decisions and evaluate environmental program effectiveness in meeting environmental goals. Through effective IRM planning, water programs are striving to: • Increase the recognition of the importance and value of different types of information to decision making; • Ensure that programs assess their information needs prior to initiating or significantly enhancing systems; • Promote coordination within and outside the Agency to: Share information to capitalize on previous investments; Guarantee timely and useful feedback during system development; and Maximize the usefulness of the data collected; • Eliminate duplication and gaps in data collected; and • Select appropriate technology to ensure effective use of resources. During the past two years, the Water Program has placed increasing emphasis on ensuring that individual programs use a systematic approach to assess information collection and management needs before systems are developed or enhanced. This approach helps participants to systematically assess their needs for information management systems, define system requirements, identify and evaluate options for implementing the systems, select the best option, plan for system implementation, and test and implement the system. U.S. EPA/OW 3 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 IRM Planning Underground Injection Control Program Mission Needs Assessment Agency-Wide Drinking Water Information Study Data Sharing and Systems Compatibility Study Sludge Tracking Feasibility Study OW Systems Modernization Initiative Please see appendix for a list of acronyms. Several projects completed in FY 1989 or currently in progress illustrate this commitment to utilize systematic approaches for IRM Planning. Purpose: Assess the adequacy of information collected and the usefulness of current information management systems. Accomplishment: Initiated development of standard data set, definitions, linkage of key data elements, and decentralized data management system to replace costly national system. (ODW*, FY 1988-89) Purpose: Evaluate the need for and availability of drinking water information to support decision making throughout EPA. Accomplishment: Reached consensus on needs and developed an action plan identifying several outreach initiatives to publicize the availability of ODW information and encourage sharing of program information. (OW, ODW, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Improve knowledge about and coordination of priority Agency water-related data bases. Accomplishment: Recommended steps to be taken for each priority data system to facilitate data sharing and compatibility with other data systems. (Steering Committee for Water Quality Data Systems, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Examine approaches for developing an information tracking system to support sludge program requirements of the 1987 Water Quality Act Amendments. Accomplishment: Will develop and choose among alternatives to meet the requirements for a sludge tracking system. (OWEP, FY 1989 - 90) Purpose: Develop framework for IRM activities in the Water Program over the next decade. Accomplishment: Agreed upon the need for and the basic framework of a long term approach and formed a work group to develop strategy. (OW, OIRM, FY 1990) 4 U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Information Access and Usefulness Goal: Improve access to data for water-related decisions and overcome obstacles preventing the use of information in program decision making and implementation. The Water Program is moving toward an integrated approach to program management that will have a significant impact on its information management activities. The intent is to: • Reduce duplication of information among water programs; and • Promote joint efforts to increase program effectiveness in meeting environmental goals. Because today's water programs involve all levels of government, we have placed increasing emphasis on working with Federal, State, local, and tribal programs to manage and protect water resources. Therefore, improving access to information is a major program priority. We are achieving this through: • Developing standard minimum data sets, common definitions, consistent collection and monitoring protocols, and promoting data integration; and • Identifying and implementing information system enhancements to ensure access by a broader base of users. as. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Information Access and Usefulness PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Accomplishments • Ground-Water Minimum Data Set * UIC Minimum Data Set • 305(b) Reporting Waterbody System Initiatives! * Ground-Water Indicators • PCS Locational Information Ground-Water Minimum Data Set Project Underground Injection Control (UIC Minimum Data Set Workgroup A. Data Standardization and Integration Historically, much of the data the Water Program collected came from a variety of different sources and was submitted in varied and often incompatible formats. Inconsistencies in definitions and monitoring protocols have made this data of limited value in supporting management decision making outside of the specific purpose for which it was collected. Currently, an important objective of our water programs is focusing on developing minimum data sets, standard definitions and formats, and consistent collection and monitoring protocols to increase the usefulness of the information to all users. The following projects illustrate the Water Program's commitment to improving access to and broadening its application of data. Purpose: Enable sharing and assessment of ground-water data that is of known and reliable quality. Accomplishment: Developed FY 1989 EPA Order on Ground-Water Minimum Data Set. This Order requires collection of the 22 minimum data elements for all EPA funded ground-water monitoring to ensure Agency-wide consistency. Will develop definitions of the 22 to further support the consistency of the data. (OGWP, FY 1989) Purpose: Ensure data consistency among all State UIC Programs. Accomplishment: Will develop an approved minimum data set, definitions and formats to ensure national data consistency, and guidance to support implementation. (ODW, FY 1989) U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Information Access and Usefulness Indicators to Measure Ground- Water Program Progress Automated §3O5(b) Reporting by Creating the Waterbody System Inclusion of Locational Information in PCS PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS A ccomplishments * FRDSII * PAL * Access to STORET Initiatives: * Reach File Enhancements Purpose: Develop a set of consistent environmental indicators for measuring program progress and characterizing and reporting ground-water trends, which will ultimately help programs to measure ground-water program progress. Accomplishment: Developed set of indicators which are being tested in a series of FY 1990 pilot projects. (OGWP, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Facilitate national consistency of State data collected for the §305(b) Report. Accomplishment: Standardized the content and format of State §305(b) Report submittals and established electronic submission of Water Quality Assessment data, shortening State report preparation time, and providing States with analytical tools to assess their own data. (OWRS, FY 1989) Purpose: Promote the use of PCS information in spatial analysis. Accomplishment: Will provide information to aid with water quality assessments in specific geographic areas, such as river reaches; ensure consistency with the Agency Locational Standard; and increase the ability of other program offices to use PCS data to cross reference permitting and compliance information. (OWEP, FY 1989-90) B. System Enhancements One of the key objectives of the water program is to increase the use of information available from water systems by simplifying access to them. Furthermore, another Water Program priority is to make the information within the systems available to a broader user base throughout and outside the Agency. The Water Program has a number of efforts underway to increase user friendliness and availability of its systems. U.S. EPA/OW 7 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Information Access and Usefulness Federal Reporting Data System (FRDS} II Project Personal Assistance Link (PAL) Reach File Enhancements Access to STORET Purpose: Increase the use of FRDS for management decisions and facilitate data entry by the Regions and States. Accomplishment: Incorporated a number of enhancements, including new functions, such as non-compliance tracking, that are available to users and will help them manage State-based programs more effectively; PC- based data entry procedures facilitate use of the system. (ODW FY 1989) Purpose: Increase use of PCS by managers. Accomplishment: Developed user friendly PC-based software that allows managers to generate 14 common reports and increases the use of the system by decision makers. (OWEP, FY 1989) Purpose: Increase use of the reach file in analytical work. Accomplishment: Will enable users access to a substantially larger set of hydrographic and water data across the United States for use in OW program analysis and assessments and multi-media CIS integration. (OWRS, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Make it easier for non-technical users to use and operate STORET. Accomplishment: Implemented menu driven processes and help features that make it easier for users to analyze and extract water data from the system, and reduces the cost and time required to analyze data and produce reports. (OGWP, OIRM, FY 1989) 8 U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Strengthening Partnerships Goal: Work with the public and private sectors to create information networks that support cross-program and cross-media solutions. Over the past few years, the Water Program has worked increasingly with Regions, States, local, and tribal governments, other Federal Agencies, citizen groups, and universities to fulfill its mission. The Agency has increased its reliance on broad-based coalitions and State and local initiatives to protect water resources and resolve pollution problems. Assisting partners in using Federally-maintained water information is integral to this evolving partnership. Likewise, we encourage other programs to share their information as part of the overall effort to use information effectively. The Water Program has developed a variety of training and outreach "tools" to educate and inform our partners about the information available to help them implement their programs. The Water Program is also seeking the support and assistance of other public and private sector groups to collect and disseminate water-related information so that we utilize our collective resources effectively. A. Training and Outreach A major objective is to increase awareness of information available and how it can be timely and useful in program implementation. In FY 1989-90, the Water Program has been establishing a variety of information networks to provide our partners with useful and timely information. These efforts have included creating training courses and forums, bulletin boards, clearinghouses, and information catalogues to publicize the availability of water information to potential users. Several efforts in this area are highlighted in this section. as. EPA/OW 9 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Strengthening Partnerships Regional Forums PCS Managers Training Public Access to PCS OW Electronic Bulletin Boards Purpose: Provide an overview of the information in major water information systems, describe how to access and use them, and introduce enhancements. Accomplishment: Conducted eight of a planned ten forums (the remainder will be conducted in FY 1990) that reached a large number of potential users, and initiated a dialog between Headquarters system managers and Regional, State, and local staff about their systems and information needs. (Steering Committee for Water Quality Data Systems, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Increase managers' awareness of what information is in PCS and its potential use. Accomplishment: Provides managers with a user-friendly PC-based course presenting basic training in the use of PCS to facilitate decision making. (OWEP, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Increase public access to PCS. Accomplishment: Developing methods of distributing PCS data via the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) or an on-line data base to ensure that the public has access to information in an automated format. (OWEP, FY 1990) Purpose: Create a forum for EPA and subscribers to exchange information by providing a quick and inexpensive mechanism for its distribution. Accomplishment: In the process of planning or have developed several bulletin boards providing timely information on various program issues: • Coastal Protection Issues: COASTNET (OMEP, FY 1990) • Ground-Water Protection: Public Technology Local Exchange (LEX) (OGWP, FY 1990) • Regulatory Communication and Knowledge-Based System (KBASE) (OWP, FY 1990) • Wastewater Treatment Issues Wastewater Treatment Information Exchange Bulletin Board (OMPC, FY 1989-90) (OMEP, OGWP, OWP, OMPC, FY 1989-90) 10 U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Strengthening Partnerships Technology Transfer and Clearinghouses PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Accomplishments • GIS * Toxic Release Inventory Initiatives: GIS Electronic Reporting Pilot Wetlands Fauna! Lists LISTS Enhancements Purpose: Improve public access to water information and publications through central repositories of information and publications. Accomplishment: Established several data bases and clearinghouses that serve as sources of OW program-related information: • OW Information Resource Center (WPO, FY 1990) • Clean Lakes Clearinghouse (OWRS, FY 1989) • Environmental Financing Network (EFIN) (OMPC, FY 1990- 91) • Wetlands Data Base (OWP, CENR, CSG, FY 1989) • OGWP State Files Database (OGWP, FY 1989) • Drinking Water Hotline (ODW) • EPA Library Water Collection (OW, FY 1989-90) (WPO, OWRS, OMPC, FY 1989-90) B. Joint Projects The scope and direction of the Water Program is shifting to a more locally-oriented focus that, due to the complexity of the problems localities face, increasingly require integrated problem solving and information management. At the same time resources to accomplish this mission remain scarce. Therefore, it has become important to 4300! resources with our public and private partners to collect, store, and disseminate water information. An advantage of these cooperative efforts is that they encourage the development of mutually compatible information management systems, common minimum data sets, standard data definitions, and consistent monitoring protocols. The result is higher quality information available to support decision making and to evaluate program effectiveness. Efforts in this area are highlighted in this section. U.S. EPA/OW 11 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Strengthening Partnerships Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Electronic Reporting Pilot Toxic Release Inventory Enhancement of LISTS Purpose: Improve management decisions by integrating different types of data and displaying them spatially. Accomplishment: Developed local innovative decision making tools for characterization, protection, and management of natural resources. Specific projects include: • Boston Harbor Monitoring Project (OMEP, Region I, FY 89) • GIS as a support tool for decision-making in the Wellhead Protection (WHP) Program (OGWP, Regions I, III, VII, IX, X, FY 1990) • Trinity River and Dallas/Fort Worth GIS Project (OWP, Region VI, FY 1989) • Big River GIS Project (OWP, Region I, URI, FY 1989) Purpose: Reduce reporting burden on permitted facilities through the use of electronic submission of Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) from permitted facilities into PCS, and provide higher quality data to State and Federal agencies. Accomplishment: Will develop working prototype that reduces manual data entry by Tennessee State staff. (Region IV, TV A, OWEP, FY 1990) Purpose: Promote effective use of TRI data by water program offices. Accomplishment: Developed action plans to use TRI data as a screening tool in various water programs. (OWRS, OWEP, ODW, FY 1989-90) Purpose: Improve access to standard analytical methods commonly used by the Agency. Accomplishment: Will implement Cataloging Steering Group recommendations to enhance LISTS to satisfy the Agency's need for a data base to incorporate standard analytical methods. (Cataloging Steering Group, OWRS, FY 1990) 12 U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Strengthening Partnerships Wetlands Fauna/ Purpose: Enable permit writers to use wetlands faunal lists in Lists evaluating dredge and fill permits. Accomplishment: Will develop lists that identify the type and likely presence of flora and fauna in wetland communities. CINQ OWP, FY 1990) as. EPA/OW 13 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Office Automation: The State of IRM for Water Programs Goal: Increase the use of office automation technology to improve staff productivity and facilitate information exchange among water programs. Information management in the Water Program is continuously changing due to the availability of newer automation tools and the evolving needs of the programs. Over the past two years, the Water Program has experienced a dramatic change in its operating environment. During FY 1989 and 1990, the number of PCs in the Water Program increased from approximately 300 to more than 600. Approximately 75 percent of Office of Water staff have a personal computer work station. These workstations have increased the number of tools available to help us maintain our productivity and improve our effectiveness as we meet a changing set of program objectives (e.g., tracking and analyzing work, statistical analyses, desktop publishing, presentation graphics). Thus far, some manual processes have been replaced by automated systems. However, we have far to go before we are using the personal computer workstation in a way that dynamically realizes the potential of office automation. To that end, we are beginning to increase efforts in training, staff development, and ongoing needs analyses to capitalize on our investment in technology. This chapter describes the Water Program's automation activities, which include planning and acquisition, training, and office procedures automation. A. Planning Several Offices within the Water Program are conducting projects to improve their automation capabilities. The Office of Drinking Water's State Programs Division has formed an office automation workgroup that meets weekly to discuss office automation issues. The workgroup is composed of representatives from each branch and section within the division. The group's purpose is to identify and develop strategies for implementing the division's short term and long term automation needs. Currently, the workgroup's focus is on short term needs, such as assessing the division's need for training, setting up a library of training materials, and setting priorities for hardware and software purchases. In the near future, the focus will shift to meeting long term goals. US EPA/OW 14 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Office Automation: The State of IRM for Water Programs The Office of Ground-Water Protection has formed an Information Management Committee consisting of representatives throughout OGWP. The committee's purpose is to discuss issues and problems that have arisen with the office's automation equipment. The committee sets priorities based on the professional needs of the staff, and then makes recommendations to OGWP management regarding the types of equipment the office should purchase. The Office of Municipal Pollution Control has begun conversion to a PC Local Area Network (LAN), which will be completed in FY 1990. The LAN will increase productivity and performance by enabling file sharing and will decrease hardware and software costs. B. Training Currently, most water program staff and managers do not take full advantage of the PC's capability to provide them with easy access to a large amount of information to support decision making. Our goal for FY 1990-91 is to overcome this obstacle by improving the utilization of existing computer resources and by helping to encourage managers and staff to recognize the value of using PCs to save time and effort. To accomplish this goal, the programs are being encouraged to explore and select approaches tailored to meet their specific needs. For example, the Office of Ground-Water Protection has used on-site WIC Specialists to assist with education and training of OGWP staff; responsibilities have included developing brown bag seminars on word processing topics, such as creating tables and outlines, using fonts, and using columns. C. Office Procedures Automation During the past few years, the Water Program's use of PC-based software for administrative activities has increased. Programs are beginning to rely on PCs to support every day activities, such as budget, tracking, electronic mail, and desktop publishing. For example, most programs now have PC-based correspondence tracking systems, and OWEP uses a dBASE application to track Regional proposals and funding for special projects. Many Water Program staff avoid using EPA's mainframe because they find it difficult to use. Several offices are U.S. EPA/OW 15 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Office Automation: The State of IRM for Water Programs developing "user-friendly front ends" to assist staff in using the mainframe for program and administrative purposes. For instance, to develop its Spotlight Report, OWEP downloads data from the EPA mainframe to a PC, where the data is manipulated, and subsequently uploaded back to the mainframe to generate maps. As automation of office procedures expands, water program offices will work together to develop effective and tailored training programs and promote technology transfer among the offices through better communication. In the coming year (FY 1990-91), the Water Program will place more emphasis on facilitating the development of tailored training programs and effective communication forums to share project results to help eliminate duplication of effort. 16 U.S. EPA/OW ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Looking Ahead This is the first in a series of tools designed to improve communication about the information the water program manages, how to obtain it, and our efforts to enhance its availability and usefulness. The focus of the next issue of the annual report will be expanded to include discussion on several additional areas. For instance, EPA is placing increasing emphasis on efforts taking advantage of projects in other Federal agencies to acquire information to support Agency decision making. Other areas receiving more attention are quality assurance/quality control issues, which include items such as monitoring protocols and data verification, and information collection issues such as ICR development. Finally, the next issue will highlight our continuing efforts to encourage the increased understanding and use of automation in the workplace. U.S. EPA/OW 17 ------- IRM Initiatives and Accomplishments FY 1989 - 1990 Acronyms CENR Center for Environmental and Natural Resources CSG Council of State Governments DMR Discharge Monitoring Report CIS Geographic Information System EFIN Environmental Financing Network FRDS Federal Reporting Data System IBM Information Resources Management KBASE Regulatory Communication/Knowledge-Based System LAN Local Area Network LEX Ground-Water Protection: Public Technology Local Exchange NCC National Computer Center NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NTIS National Technical Information Service ODW Office of Drinking Water OGWP Office of Ground-Water Protection OIRM Office of Information Resources Management OMPC Office of Municipal Pollution Control OMEP Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection OW Office of Water OIVEP Office of Water Enforcement and Permits OIVP Office of Wetlands Protection OWRS Office of Water Resources and Standards PAL Personal Assistance Link PC Personal Computer PCS Permits Compliance System SAIMS Source Assessment and Information Management Staff SIRMO Senior Information Resources Management Officer STORET STOrage and RETrieval Data Base TNC The Nature Conservancy TRI Toxic Release Inventory TVA Tennessee Valley Authority U 1C Underground Injection Control URI University of Rhode Island WHP Wellhead Protection IVIC Washington Information Center IVPO Water Policy Office WTIE Wastewater Treatment Information Exchange U.S. EPA/OW 18 U.S. Government Printing Office ------- |