171-R-92-
001
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Off ice Of
The Administrator
(A-101F6)
171-R-92-001
February ^1992
Guide To EPA Region 3
Program Data System
Printed on Recycled Paper
-------
EPA REGION III
DATA SYSTEMS
-------
GUIDE
TO
EPA REGION 3
PROGRAM DATA SYSTEMS
NNEMS Project
Prepared by Lori Bird
for the Environmental Services Division
EPA Region III, Philadelphia
August 1991
-------
DISCLAIMER
This report was furnished to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency by the student identified on the cover page, under a National
Network for Environmental Management Studies fellowship.
The contents are essentially as received from the author. The
opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed are those of the author
and not necessarily those of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Mention, if any, of company, process, or product names is
not to be considered as an endorsement by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
-------
Table of Contents
Introduction
Region III Program Data Systems
Alphabetical Listing of Program Data Systems
Individual System Summaries
Project Participants
Region III Program and Support Data Systems
Relevant Environmental Statutes
-------
INTRODUCTION
Scope
This is a list of EPA databases, maintained either by Region 3 or
headquarters, currently being used by Region 3 program staff. A
program data system is defined here as any computerized database
which contains information on environmental quality or
information on the status of a media program. A few private and
government systems, which are heavily used by EPA program
personnel, have also been included. Support systems such as
EPAYS and IFMS, used for financial management, and other
administrative systems are not included in the program list. In
Appendix A, however, there is an additional list of data systems
containing both program and support databases currently used by
Region III. A support system is defined here as a computerized
data system which does not contain program-specific information,
but is necessary or useful to regional program personnel.
Environmental models are not included in either list, although
they currently supply EPA with a broad range of environmental
data.
Methodology
This project is an expansion of the data systems summary compiled
by Jan Auerbach, of the Office of Water, in the report entitled
Multi-Media CIS/Risk Integration Project. As Auerbach's purpose
was to collect information on data systems that could be used for
CIS application, her system summary is significantly different
than the one found here. Rather, this list is a collection of
computerized databases which contain program-specific
information. A database inventory produced by the headquarter's
OIRM, entitled Information Systems Inventory, was used to
supplement Auerbach's list. The summary of program systems in
this report differs from the headquarters inventory in that it
contains: 1) only those systems actively used by Region III, and
2) systems created by Region III staff.
In an effort to obtain a complete list of program-specific data
systems, a preliminary list was circulated to all EPA staff via
LAN mail. Attached was a request for staff members to make note
of any systems that were omitted. As a result of the LAN
communication, approximately 25 additional systems were
identified and included in the final list. In the process of
summarizing existing systems, information was collected through
interviews with regional staff responsible for oversight of the
various databases. Summaries of the program databases were
typically reviewed by the regional contact persons before being
finalized.
-------
REGION 3
PROGRAM DATA SYSTEMS
General Databases
FINDS - Facility Index System
IRIS - Integrated Risk Information System
Multi-Media Databases
TRIS - Toxic Release Inventory System
IDEA - Integrated Data Enforcement Analysis
System 33/50
FFTS - Federal Facility Tracking System
Chesapeake Bay Federal Facility Tracking System
NEPA Tracking System
PIES - Pollution Prevention Information Exchange System
Air Databases
AIRS - Aerometric Information Retrieval System
Radon Database
NADB - National Allowance Database
ARTD Outreach Tracking System
SAMS - SIP Air Inventory Management System
Hazardous Waste Databases
RCRIS (HWDMS) - Resource Conservation and Recovery Information
System
RCRA Non-Notifiers System
EATS - Enforcement Action Tracking System
BRS - Biennial Reporting System
CERCLIS/WasteLAN - Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Information System
PAY - Contract Invoice Tracking
ACT - ARCS Contract Tracking System
RODS - Record of Decisions System
PA/SI3 - Preliminary Assessment Site Investigation Tracking
ERNS - Emergency Response Notification System
CR-ERNS - Continuous Release Emergency Response Notif. Sys.
EPCRA Enforcement Database
ROIS - Region 3 Operations Information System (UST)
ATTIC - Alternative Treatment Technology Information
SETS - Site Enforcement Tracking System
HAZARD - Hazardous Waste Superfund Collection Database
NPList - NPL Document Retrieval System
Pesticides and Toxic Substances Databases
FTTS - FIFRA and TSCA Tracking System
SSTS - Section Seven Tracking System
NPIRS - National Pesticide Information Registration System
PIN - Pesticide Information Network
PPIS - Pesticide Product Information System
PADS - PCB Activity Database System
ETS - EPCRA Targeting System
-------
Water Databases
STORET - Storage and Retrieval of Water Quality Information
PCS - Permit Compliance System
GIGS - Grant Information and Control System
305(b) - Waterbody System
304(1) - Section 304(1) Facility Tracking System
NEEDS - Needs Survey
FRDS - Federal Reporting Data System
UICTS - Underground Injection Control Tracking System
Ground Water Compendium
WETS - Wetlands Enforcement Tracking System
ODES - Ocean Data Evaluation System
104(g) - Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Training Database
AQUIRE - Aquatic Toxicity Information Retrieval
Regional Counsel Databases
DOCKET - Enforcement Docket
Penalty Tracking System
External Affairs
FOIA - Freedom of Information Act Tracking System
-------
REGION III
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF PROGRAM DATA SYSTEMS
104(g) - Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Training Database
304(1) - Section 304(1) Facility Tracking System
305(b) - Waterbody System
ACT - ARCS Contract Tracking System
AIRS - Aerometric Information Retrieval System
AQUIRE - Aquatic Toxicity Information Retrieval
ARTD Outreach Tracking System
ATTIC - Alternative Treatment Technology Information
BRS - Biennial Reporting System
CERCLIS/WasteLAN - Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Information System
Chesapeake Bay Federal Facility Tracking System
CR-ERNS - Continuous Release Emergency Response Notif. Sys.
DOCKET - Enforcement Docket
EATS - Enforcement Action Tracking System
EPCRA Enforcement Database
ERNS - Emergency Response Notification System
ETS - EPCRA Targeting System
FFTS - Federal Facility Tracking System
FINDS - Facility Index System
FOIA - Freedom of Information Act Tracking System
FRDS - Federal Reporting Data System
FTTS - FIFRA and TSCA Tracking System
GIGS - Grant Information and Control System
Ground Water Compendium
HAZARD - Hazardous Waste Superfund Collection Database
IDEA - Integrated Data Enforcement Analysis
IRIS - Integrated Risk Information System
NADB - National Allowance Database
NEEDS - Needs Survey
NEPA Tracking System
NPIRS - National Pesticide Information Registration System
NPList - NPL Document Retrieval System
ODES - Ocean Data Evaluation System
PADS - PCB Activity Database System
PA/SI3 - Preliminary Assessment Site Investigation Tracking
PAY - Contract Invoice Tracking
PCS - Permit Compliance System
Penalty Tracking System
PIES - Pollution Prevention Information Exchange System
PIN - Pesticide Information Network
PPIS - Pesticide Product Information System
Radon Database
RCRA Non-Notifiers System
RCRIS (HWDMS) - Resource Conservation and Recovery Info. Sys.
RODS - Record of Decisions System
ROIS - Region 3 Operations Information System (UST)
-------
SAMS - SIP Air Inventory Management System
SETS - Site Enforcement Tracking System
SSTS - Section Seven Tracking System
STORET - Storage and Retrieval of Water Quality Information
System 33/50
TRIS - Toxic Release Inventory System
UICTS - Underground Injection Control Tracking System
WETS - Wetlands Enforcement Tracking System
-------
FINDS - Facility Index System
Office of Information Resources Management
Regional Contact: Chuck Perritt
FTS 597-7839
Type: Mainframe in RTF
IBM 3090, ADABASE/NATURAL
Established: 1982 (1984 separated from HWDMS)
Scope: National
The Facility Index System, operated by the Office of Information
Resources Management, is the official database for assigning EPA
ID numbers to all facilities in the nation tracked by EPA
programs. The FINDS system serves as a tool for cross-
referencing facilities identified in EPA databases under
different program ID numbers. There are a number of standard
reports which can be retrieved from the system report menu
including a facility location and program report, a matrix of
program offices that monitor each facility, a matrix of facility
and program ID's, detailed facility information, and ad hoc
reports. Currently, the system contains many duplicate
facilities, but OIRM is working to correct these redundancies in
the system.
Data Updates
Information in FINDS is continuously updated by regional staff in
the Information Resources Management Branch. Facilities are
assigned new FINDS numbers if they are not already tracked by the
system. A search of the FINDS system is conducted before any
facility is assigned a new ID#. Reconciliations are performed
regularly to correct for duplications in the system.
Available Data
FINDS contains the following information: all facilities tracked
by EPA, FINDS #, program ID #s, EPA programs tracking each
facility, facility address, county, congressional district, and
SIC code. Latitude and longitude is not currently in the system
for all facilities, but will be updated in the future.
Information on latitude and longitude has been taken from other
systems and is of varying guality (some is specific and other may
be derived from zip code or county centroid).
-------
IRIS - Integrated Risk Information System
Office of Research and Development
Regional Contact: Jeff Burke
FTS 597-1876
Type: Accessed through Electronic Mail
Prime/Dialcom Electronic Publications (EPUB)
Established: 1987
Scope: National
IRIS, operated by the Office of Research and Development,
contains information related to human health risk assessment. It
is an on-line database of the agency's risk assessment and
regulatory information on chemical substances designed for those
with a fundamental knowledge of risk assessment. The core of the
system is a collection of files that contain hazard
identification and dose-response risk information for
approximately 500 chemicals. The risk information on these
chemicals has been arrived at after review and agreement by
scientists from across the agency using all available studies on
a substance. IRIS is a useful information resource tool which
points the user to the underlying human and or animal data used
to support the Agency's opinion. In addition, it contains
information on drinking water health advisories and EPA
regulatory actions. IRIS is available to the public and may be
accessed by all EPA staff through electronic mail.
Data Updates
IRIS is updated monthly by staff under the Director of Health and
Environmental Assessment in the Office of Research and
Development.
-------
TRIS - Toxic Release Inventory System
Office of Toxic Substances
Contact: Kurt Eisner
FTS 597-1260
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ADABASE/Natural
Established: 1987
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental statutes: CAA, TSCA, EPCRA
The Toxic Release Inventory System (TRIS), created pursuant to
the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986,
contains data regarding the release and transfer of toxic
chemicals from manufacturers. Maintained by the Office of Toxic
Substances, TRIS compiles information on over 300 toxic chemicals
and 20 chemical categories released or transferred from
manufacturing facilities throughout the 50 states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana
Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. TRIS tracks facilities
involved in the release or transfer of toxic chemicals, the
amount of the release, and the environmental medium affected.
Releases are characterized as affecting air, water, land,
underground wells, public sewage treatment plants, or off-site
areas. The manufacturing facilities included in the database are
those using at least 10,000 Ibs of one of the listed chemicals,
having more than 10 employees, and operating within the Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 20 through 39. Once data
is made available, it may be either accessed on-line or
downloaded by TRI users.
Data Sources and Updates
Information concerning releases by manufacturing companies are
sent to headquarters in July of each year for the preceding
calendar year. Data is then entered into the system by
headguarters staff and downloaded to RTP. Consequently, there is
at least a twelve month lag time in the availability of
information in the TRI system. (ie. 1990 data is reported in
July of 1991 and available by the end of 1991)
Available Data: 1987-present (12 month lag time in availability)
The database contains information from 1987, the year that TRI
went on-line, to present. Data for 1987 is considered to be less
accurate than information for other years because it was the
first year the system was in operation. Latitude and longitude
is now required for facilities reporting TRI data.
* National Library of Medicine (NLM) provides TRI data, obtained from TRIS, to the public. The NLM
system, as a public access system, does not include any confidential information. Data contained in the
NLM system is available to the public 18 months after the reporting year.
10
-------
IDEA - Integrated Data Enforcement Analysis
Office of Enforcement
Regional Contact: Larry Merrill
FTS 597-9864
Type: Mainframe system in RTF
ADABASE/Natural
Established: August 1991
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CERCLA, RCRA, TSCA, CWA, CAA
The Integrated Data Enforcement Analysis, a multi-media database
containing enforcement information, will be available for
regional use as of August 1991. IDEA, operated by the Office of
Enforcement, combines enforcement information from the following
national EPA databases: AFS (AIRS Facility Subsystem), CERCLIS,
DOCKET, FFIS, HWDMS/RCRIS, PCS, and TRIS. The system links
facilities found in these databases by the standard EPA
identifier, or FINDS number. As the FINDS system contains
incomplete list of EPA facilities (it contains many redundant
facilities), not all enforcement information available in the
individual program tracking systems can be accessed through IDEA.
IDEA allows the user to pull data in four fixed reports: brief
or detailed facility-specific compliance summaries, significant
violator reports, or summaries of region-specific TRI data
arrayed for specified pollutants. The Office of Enforcement is
working to expand the number of fixed reports in the near future.
Data Sources and Updates
The multi-media enforcement information provided in IDEA is
downloaded from PCS, CERCLIS, HWDMS, AIRS, TRI, and DOCKET
national databases. Data will be updated in the IDEA system on a
regular schedule to coincide with the schedules for updating the
supporting databases.
Available Data
Data availability is consistent with that of the individual
databases. Presently, data may be pulled in four distinct report
formats. The Office of Enforcement is working to expand the
methods of data extraction in the near future.
11
-------
system 33/50
Office of Air and Toxics
Regional Contact: Bill Reilly
FTS 597-9302
Type: IBM Compatible PC, DBase III Plus
Scope: Regional
Established: August 1991
Relevant Environmental Statutes: EPCRA, CAA, Pollution
Prevention Act
System 33/50, established to track the status of the 33/50
program, is a regional database which merges information from
TRIS with regional 33/50 information. The 33/50 program is a
voluntary pollution prevention program, co-sponsored by the Air
and Pollution Prevention Programs, which aims to reduce
industrial releases of seventeen toxic pollutants by 1995. The
program was given its name for its emphasis on achieving a 33%
reduction in industrial releases of the seventeen toxic
pollutants by 1992 and a 50% reduction by 1995. System 33/50 was
established to track the progress of emissions reductions for
those companies participating in the 33/50 program. The TRI data
available in the system provides information on the annual
releases of toxic pollutants for approximately 2300 companies in
Region III. In addition, the system contains data on 700 parent
companies participating in the 33/50 program with facilities in
Region III. Therefore, the system provides a cross-check on the
progress of companies which have made commitments to reduce their
toxic emissions.
Data Updates
During 1991, EPA sent letters to all companies with emissions of
33/50 chemicals soliciting their participation in the 33/50
program. Currently, data is updated in System 33/50 as responses
are received from those companies. A procedure for future
updates of 33/50 commitment data has yet to be established. TRI
data is updated annually by the staff at RTF, but data is
available with a lag time of eighteen months (ie. 1990 data is
available at the end of 1991).
Available Data: 1987-1989 (18 month lag in data availability)
Searches may be conducted by parent company or facility name, SIC
code, and state. Two types of reports are available through the
system, either a detailed profile of TRI data and 33/50
commitment information for the parent company or for the specific
facility.
* See TRI for information available in that system.
12
-------
FFTS - Federal Facilities Tracking System
Office of Federal Activities
Contact: Larry Teller
FTS 597-9861
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III
Established: 1988
Scope: Region III
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CAA, SDWA, TSCA, FIFRA, RCRA,
CERCLA, CWA
The Federal Facilities Tracking System (FFTS), operated by the
Regional Federal Facilities Coordinator, contains multi-media
information regarding compliance status, inspections, NEIC
rankings, and A-106 projects for Federal Facilities located in
Region III. The system was designed to track compliance
information for the following programs: SDWA, NPDES, AIR, TSCA,
FIFRA, RCRA, and CERCLA. However, compliance data in FFTS is not
complete and individual program tracking systems are better
sources for that information. The most important data available
in the system is a list of all Federal Facilities in the region,
approximately 550 in all, and the contact person for each
facility. The system can also generate a list of Federal
Facilities located in the Chesapeake Bay. FFTS is currently
undergoing revisions and may be updated more consistently in the
future.
Data Sources and Updates
Data for FFTS is collected by the Federal Facilities Coordinator
in ESD from individual media programs and states. This
information is then entered into the system as received.
Available Data: 1988 - present
Information available in FFTS includes: facility ID# (FINDS#),
contact, address, compliance with RCRA, CERCLA, SDWA, NPDES, CWA,
and CAA statutes, A-106 inspection information, IRP status, and
oil spills to major waterways. Latitude and longitude is
included for some systems, but is generally not available.
13
-------
Chesapeake Bay Federal Facility Compliance System
Chesapeake Bay Division
Regional Contact: Neil Swanson
FTS 597-6529
Type: Stand Alone IBM PC, DBase III Plus
Established: 1990
Scope: Region III
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CERCLA, RCRA, TSCA, CWA, CAA,
NPDES, AIR
The Chesapeake Bay Federal Facility Compliance System, created by
the Region III Chesapeake Bay Division, tracks the compliance
status of federal facilities located in the Chesapeake Bay. The
system has up-to-date information on compliance with all
environmental regulations for the 53 federal facilities in the
Chesapeake Bay. Access to the system is currently limited, but
has the potential to be accessed through the LAN. As some
facilities are tracked by EPA program databases under different
names, the list of facilities in this system may not be
comprehensive.
Data Updates
Data is updated by the Chesapeake Bay Division as soon as
information on facility compliance is obtained from the media
programs.
Available Data
Information available in the Chesapeake Bay Federal Facility
Compliance System includes: Federal Facility ID (FFID #),
facility name, partial address, compliance status, date of
compliance or agreement, brief violation description, and some
confidential information on facility. Latitude and longitude are
not included in this system.
14
-------
NEPA Tracking System
Environmental services Division
Regional Contact: Leon Poeske
FTS 597-7828
Type: LAN-Based IBM Compatible PC, DBase III Plus/Clipper
Established: August 1991
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: NEPA
The NEPA Tracking System, recently established by the
Environmental Services Division, tracks the status of the
Region's NEPA document reviews. As a management tool for
Regional assessment of the NEPA program, the system tracks
information on all NEPA documents such as EIS's, EA's, FONSI's,
and FEIS's reviewed by the Region. Specifically, the NEPA system
tracks project reviewers, comment review dates, brief project
summaries, and project location information. The database will
be available through the LAN, but access will be limited to NEPA
reviewers in the Region. The NEPA Tracking System is user
friendly and various -reports can be pulled via the system report
menu. Any reports not available through the system menu can be
generated if the user is familiar with DBase III+.
Data Updates:
A method for regular updates of the system has yet to be
established.
Available Data: 1990-present
Information available in the NEPA Tracking System includes:
document title (eg. EA, EIS, scoping letter, FONSI, FEIS),
location of project (state only), CEQ number, ERP number,
response due dates, EPA reviewer, origin of project (eg. DOT,
DOI), summaries of EPA actions taken, comments on further
actions, pollution prevention status, and type of reply (eg.
adequate, insufficient information). Locational information in
the system is limited to state.
15
-------
PIES - Pollution Prevention Information Exchange System
office of Pollution Prevention
Regional Contact: Nancy Grundahl
FTS 597-0355
Headquarters Contact: Jocelyn Woodman
FTS 260-4418
Type: Bulletin Board
Established: 1990
Scope: National (with some International Connections)
Relevant Environmental Statute: Pollution Prevention Act
PIES, operated jointly by the Offices of Research and Development
and Pollution Prevention, is a multi-media database containing
technical, policy, programmatic, legislative, and financial
information pertaining to pollution prevention. As part of the
Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC), the system
is available to anyone and may be accessed by Regional staff
through the LAN. PIES provides users with literature search
capabilities, a calendar of national conferences and workshops,
hundreds of case studies, a message center for interaction and
exchange among participants, and direct access to news and
documents relating to pollution prevention. In addition, there
are four major data files contained in PIES: a contact list, a
program summary data file, a legislative database, and Mini-
Exchanges.
Available Data
There are four major data files which contain the bulk of the
information available within PIES. The contact list, a directory
of over 400 federal and state personnel, can be searched by name,
state, and area of expertise. The program summaries file
includes descriptions of grant programs, research projects,
training, and outreach activities for federal, state and industry
pollution prevention programs. For legislative information on
pollution prevention, the legislative database contains
summaries, status, and the full text of all federal and state
pollution prevention laws. The mini-exchanges file allows users
to access information on specific topic areas such as the reuse
of waste materials and pollution prevention grant information.
16
-------
AIRS - Aerometric Information Retrieval System
Office of Air and Toxics
Regional Contact: Betty Harris
FTS 597-8324
Type: Mainframe system IBM 3090/ADABAS Natural
Established: 1978
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CAA
The AIRS system, operated by the Office of Air and Toxics,
contains national enforcement and ambient air quality information
collected pursuant to the Clean Air Act. The airs system is a
compilation of several air databases such as the Airs Facility
System (AFS), the Continuous Emission Monitoring system (CEM),
and the National Emission Data System (NEDS). The Airs Facility
Subsystem is the inspection and enforcement tracking system for
stationary sources. States are responsible for conducting
monthly inspections of NESHAP sources, and class B (minor)
facilities. AFS also tracks enforcement actions taken by both
states and EPA. The CEM subsystem records the most current
emissions information provided by the states from particular
monitoring sites which are usually power and asphalt plants. The
NEDS system, only two years old, tracks emissions data reported
annually from monitoring sites. This annual emissions monitoring
is not required and thus is less reliable than the CEM data.
Available Data: 1978-present (archived every 5 years)
AFS system includes the following data elements: facility name
and complete address, latitude and longitude, SIC code, AFS #,
all relevant pollutant information, and compliance status with
pollutants. Data for the last five years may be accessed readily
through the system.
17
-------
Radon Database
Air Radiation and Toxics Division
Regional Contact: Frank Coyle
FTS 597-4553
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+
Established: 1988
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CAA
The Radon Database, established by the Air, Radiation and Toxics
Division, is a menu-driven database containing information on
indoor radon levels obtained from radon surveys and commercial
radon testing labs. The system was designed by staff in Region
III and is serving as the national model for collection of indoor
radon measurement data. Currently, the system contains 270,000
radon readings taken from homes throughout the region.
Information in the system is based on data supplied by private
labs which conduct radon tests for homeowners and from the state
of Delaware. The system has been used by EPA as a public
awareness tool to encourage homeowners to test for radon as well
as providing information to the Congressional Delegation for
legislative hearings. The system is menu driven and is capable
of generating seven fixed output files, three of which are
graphics files designed to be used with the EPA CIS graphic
sytem. The other files provide total radon levels and
statistical analyses of information contained in the system. The
Radon System, although currently on only one machine in the
region, is available on disk and is easily transferable.
Data Updates
Radon information is updated by the Technical Assessment Section
of EPA, Region III. Typically, data is submitted by commercial
radon testing labs to EPA in June and is then reformatted to be
entered into the system.
Available Data: 1988-1990
Information in the system can be broken down by county, state,
and congressional district. (location information is determined
by zipcode) The system can sort the number of radon readings
that fall between 4-20 pCi/L and readings that exceed 20 pCi/L
for a particular geographic region. Total radon measurements may
also be derived from the database.
18
-------
NADB - National Allowance Database
Acid Rain Program
Regional Contact: Dave Campbell
FTS 597-9781
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+
(or available on the RTF mainframe in SAS)
Established: 1991
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CAA
The National Allowance Database (NADB), operated by the
headquarters Acid Rain Program, contains information on the
pollution allowances granted to public utilities under the Clean
Air Act Acid Rain Provisions. NADB contains data on fossil-fuel
steam generators of all sizes in the continental U.S. reported to
be operational by 1990 or presently planned to be operational.
In addition, information on 121 simple combustion turbine and
combined cycle units planned for construction between 1990 and
1995 is included in the system. The NADB program is available on
disk, but is not yet installed on any regional machines. The
program has potential for LAN accessibility, although it is not
very user friendly. All data in NADB is available for public
access.
Data Updates
Currently, the system contains all Phase 1 Allowance information.
Phase 2 information, for allowances relevant after the year 2000,
will be available through the system by December 1991.
Information in the system will change very little after Phase 2
data is entered, but periodic updates will be handled by staff in
headquarters Acid Rain Division.
Available Data
Information available on U.S. electric utilities in the NADB
system includes: phase 1 and phase 2 allowances under the CAA,
plant name, utility name, state, county, type of fuel, wattage,
control equipment used, plant capacity, boiler ID, and generator
ID. Latitude and longitude is not included in this system.
19
-------
ARTD Outreach Tracking System
Air Radiation and Toxics Division (ARTD)
Regional Contact: Ellen Jacobs
FTS 597-0717
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+
Established: 1989
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CAAA, Pollution Prevention Act
The ARTD Outreach Tracking System, operated by the ARTD Office of
Program Integration, tracks outreach activities such as
workshops, training, speeches, and press releases for the
regional Air Division. Used primarily for internal program
tracking, the ARTD system tracks financial as well as descriptive
information on outreach activities conducted by the division.
The menu-driven system allows the user to pull standard reports
on the status of division outreach activities. Currently, the
system is used to create quarterly outreach reports for division
managers and annual reports for the region.
Data Updates
Data is updated monthly by the Office of Program Integration.
All division staff are reguired to fill out appropriate forms
when participating in outreach activities. Approximately every
six months, a memo is circulated among division staff reminding
them to report all outreach activities.
Available Data: FY90-present
Information available in the system includes: regional staff
conducting outreach activity, audience, location (state only),
type of presentation (speech, training, workshop, etc.), subject
of presentation, travel cost, work hours, and whether outreach
pertained to CAA or Pollution Prevention Act.
20
-------
SAMS - SIP Air Pollutant Inventory Management System
Office of Air Quality Planning and standards
Regional Contact: Raymond Forde
FTS 597-8239
Type: LAN Based IBM Compatible PCs, DBase III+/dBXL
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CAA
SAMS (3.0), operated by the Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards Technical Support Division, was designed to assist the
states in reporting emission inventory data to EPA. The system,
entirely menu-driven, consists of several modules including:
point source data; a county-wide summary of point, area, and
mobile source emissions; a utility for importing and exporting
data; and a reports section for printing. The Region will be
switching to an updated version of SAMS (4.0) which will contain
information on point sources only. Eventually, the entire system
will be uploaded to AFS to allow headquarters access to the state
emission data.
Data Updates
The system has been updated approximately every four years.
However, under the new CAAA of 1990 reporting is required every
three years beginning with the base year of 1990. Data is
currently uploaded to the system from disks provided by the
states. State information comes from a variety of sources
including questionnaires, monitoring samples, and materials
balance calculations.
Available Data: 1985-1988
The point source information available in the system includes:
plant data, point data, point emissions data, process data,
process base year emissions data, and process projection year
emissions data. The summary area module contains information on
point, area and mobile source emissions on a county-wide,
township, or modeling grid code level.
21
-------
RCRIS (formerly HWDMS) - RCRA Information System
Office of Hazardous Waste
Regional Contact: Gmerice Wilson
FTS 597-6505
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ADABASE/Natural/Focus (RCRIS) or S2K (HWDMS)
Established: 1984
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental statute: RCRA
RCRIS is a national computer system designed to effectively
manage the hazardous waste program mandated by the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. The RCRIS system,
operated by the Office of Hazardous Waste, contains notification,
permit, compliance, corrective action and inspection information
on facilities covered under the RCRA. Currently, both RCRIS and
HWDMS exist to track information on hazardous waste handlers, but
all states in Region III will be using RCRIS by the beginning of
FY92. The system has six modules which contain information on
regulated hazardous waste facilities, generators and
transporters; the status of permit applications for hazardous
waste facilities; inspections, violations, enforcement actions,
and return to compliance; permit writing and program enforcement
which is necessary for an effective corrective action program;
national management and evaluation needs of the RCRA program; and
data which supports the development and analysis of facility
management plans. There are many standard reports, available
through the system reporting menus, which can be used to retrieve
information from the system.
Data Updates
RCRIS is updated by both the states and EPA via batch uploads and
merges on a monthly basis to the National Oversight Database.
The Regions are responsible for some quality assurance and
control of the data. (The HWDMS system is updated continuously by
EPA.)
Available Data: 1984-present
Information available within RCRIS includes: handler information
(ie. transporter, TSD), violations, inspections, enforcement
actions, closure information, process codes (ie. incinerator,
treatment), status of permit activity, RCRA ID # (same as FINDS
ID|), RCRA permit #, and waste codes. Latitude and longitude are
handler reported and historically not reliable.
22
-------
RCRA Non-Notifiers system
RCRA - States Enforcement Section
Regional Contact: Janemarie Newton
FTS 597-1857
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+/Clipper
Established: 1990
Scope: Region III
Relevant Environmental Statute: RCRA
The RCRA Non-Notifiers system, operated by the RCRA States
Enforcement Section, was established to track facilities which
have not notified EPA of their hazardous waste activity. The
Non-Notifier System was created to track facilities that have
been inspected by EPA or the States, but are not tracked by RCRIS
because they do not have RCRA ID numbers. Non-notifying
facilities are targeted for inspection if they are suspected by
EPA or the States to handle hazardous waste or if EPA or states
receive citizens complaints. Currently, the Non-Notifiers System
contains information on approximately 80 facilities in Region 3
which are suspect hazardous waste handlers. The program was
designed and is currently maintained by Booz Allen, a contractor
for the Region. The program is kept on disk and can be
transferred easily.
Data Updates
Information in the RCRA Non-Notifiers System is updated by EPA as
information is received from the states. At the end of each
fiscal year, all data in the system is replaced. However, paper
files are kept of facilities that have been recorded in the
system during each fiscal year.
Available Data: Current Fiscal Year
Data is kept in the RCRA Non-Notifiers System for one fiscal year
and is then replaced. A paper copy of all systems in the system
for a fiscal year is kept. Information available on Non-
Notifying facilities includes: RCRA enforcement actions, RCRA
inspections, and facility address. Latitude and longitude is not
tracked in this system.
23
-------
EATS - Enforcement Action Tracking System
RCRA Enforcement Section
Regional Contact: Rita Tate
FTS 597-8175
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+/clipper
Established: 1990
Scope: Region III
Relevant Environmental Statute: RCRA
EATS, operated by the RCRA Enforcement Section, is a regional
database created for internal tracking of RCRA enforcement
actions. Used primarily as a management tool, the system records
important steps in the creation of RCRA enforcement actions
including correspondence with the Office of Regional Counsel and
issuance dates. The system allows the user to generate two
standard reports: a snapshot of all enforcement actions, and an
Office of Regional Counsel report. EATS is used only by the
Region III RCRA Enforcement Section.
Data Updates
Information for updates is collected from enforcement staff by
the EATS system administrator monthly.
Available Data:
Information available in EATS includes: facility name, address,
FINDS #, last step completed in creation of enforcement action,
date last step completed, next step to be completed, target date
for next step, date action sent to ORC, date comments received
from ORC, date action issued, RCRA enforcement officer, and EPA
attorney.
* RCRIS, the national database for RCRA handler tracking, contains more detailed information on
enforcement actions and hazardous waste handlers.
24
-------
BRS - Biennial Reporting System
Office of Solid Waste
Regional Contact: Charlie Howard/Grace Hanrahan
FTS 597-6197 FTS 597-1128
Type: Mainframe in HQ
ES 9000, IBM PC/FOCUS
Established: 1990
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: RCRA
The Biennial Reporting System (BRS), operated by the Office of
Solid Waste, was established to track information reported
biennially by hazardous waste handlers as required under the
Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendment of 1984. Hazardous waste
handlers, identified in the Code of Federal Regulations, have
been required to submit information regarding all hazardous waste
generated, treated, stored, or disposed. The reporting
information, compiled in the Biennial Hazardous Waste Report.
includes: the quantities and nature of hazardous waste generated
during the previous year; the disposition of the hazardous waste;
any efforts undertaken to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste
generated; and the changes in the volume and toxicity of waste
actually achieved during the year in question compared with
previous years (provided that information is available).
Currently, states and EPA regional offices are in the process of
entering 1989 reporting data into the system. By the end of
1991, the 1989 reporting data should be available for use. The
BRS system is menu-driven and allows the user to pull standard
reports from the reporting menu.
Data Updates
Hazardous waste handlers covered under RCRA are required to
report their hazardous waste activity every two years to the
states. This information must be submitted to the states by
April of the year following the reporting period. (ie. 1989
reporting data was due in April of 1990) States then track the
information and transfer it in automated form to the EPA. The
data entry procedure takes approximately one year. Next, the
state data is sent to the EPA regional office which loads it on
the EPA mainframe to create a regional BRS database. After some
quality assurance, the data will be loaded into the BRS National
Oversight Database. Hence, information in the system will be two
years old.
Available Data: (2 year lag in data availability)
Information available in BRS includes: type of handler, amount
of waste, type of waste, where it was received from or sent to,
EPA ID# (FINDS #), RCRA permit #, TRI # (if facility releases
toxic pollutants), SIC code, waste minimization activities,
generator status, on-site waste management status, and changes in
volume or toxicity of waste (as compared with previous years).
25
-------
CERCLZ8 - Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Information System
(WasteLAN - CERCLIS on the LAM)
Office of Superfund
Regional Contact: Cornelius Carr/Regina Pope
FTS 597-3162 FTS 597-7498
Type: Mainframe in RTF, ADABASE, Natural (CERCLIS)
LAN-based IBM Compatible PC, Foxbase + (WasteLAN)
Established: 1982 (CERCLIS), 1989 (WasteLAN)
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA
CERCLIS, operated by the Office of Superfund, tracks information
for the management and oversight of the Superfund program.
CERCLIS contains information on abandoned, inactive, and
uncontrolled hazardous waste sites as well as information on the
status of site clean-ups. WasteLAN is the regional LAN-based
version of CERCLIS designed to allow regional personnel greater
access to superfund information. Whereas, CERCLIS resides on the
mainframe in Research Triangle Park, WasteLAN is accessed through
the regional LAN.
Data Updates
Data is entered into WasteLAN by regional staff. WASTELAN has
both a regional Information Management Coordinator who is
responsible for data quality control and assurance. Information
is electronically transferred to headquarters for inclusion in
CERCLIS weekly. In addition, some financial information is
downloaded from CERCLIS to the WasteLAN weekly.
Available Data: 1982-present
Information available in WASTELAN/CERCLIS includes: general site
information, CERCLA ID #, EPA ID # (FINDS #), major events in
site cleanup, scientific information on cleanups, enforcement
actions, responsible parties, and financial information on clean-
ups. Latitude and longitude is included in the system, and is
determined by zipcode.
26
-------
PAY - ARCS Contract Invoice Tracking
Waste Management Division (Region I)
Regional Contact: Rob Heffernan
FTS 597-8183
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, FoxBase
Established: 1990
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA
PAY, created by the Waste Management Division of Region I, is a
computerized management system designed to track historical cost
information for the Alternative Remedial Contracting Strategy
(ARCS). ARCS contracts are 10 year Superfund cleanup contracts
established in 1988. PAY is a menu-driven system which contains
information on dollars obligated, dollars paid, and the balance
remaining for all ARCS work assignments current and completed.
Designed to serve as a management tool for Regional Project
Officers, PAY calculates up-to-date cost information on work
assignments. The reporting menu allows users to pull reports on
dollars obligated, dollars paid to date, remaining balance, and
cost history information. Currently, historical cost information
is being entered and the system should be fully functional by
November of 1991. PAY is available on disk and is easily
transferable.
Data Updates
Currently, historical cost information (from 1988 to the present)
is being entered into the system. In the future, PAY will be
updated by ARCS staff on a monthly basis as information is
received from Research Triangle Park and regional ARCS
contractors.
Available Data: 1988-present
Information available in the system includes: project ID,
project name, fiscal quarter, dollar amount obligated, dollars
aid to date, remaining balance, last payment date, last amount
paid, account #, activity, work assignment #, site description,
date processed, date committed, and date obligated.
27
-------
ACT - ARCS Contract Tracking System
Office of the Comptroller
Regional Contact: Jim Clark
FTS 597-9921
Type: LAN-based system in FoxPro
Established: 1990
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA
ACT, operated by the Office of the Comptroller, is an automated
contract tracking system designed to assist Regional Contract
Officer's in the management of Alternative Remedial Contracting
Strategy (ARCS) contracts. ARCS contracts are 10 year Superfund
cleanup contracts established in 1988. The ACT system tracks the
vast amounts of information associated with ARCS contracts,
including due dates for deliverables, contracting officer
approvals, and award fee determinations, and enables contracting
officers to monitor and control contract ceilings, funding, and
expenditures. The system can also extract and manipulate
individual contract data into summary or comparison reports to
support various information needs. Currently, only staff in the
Comptroller's Office have access to the system, but Superfund
program staff will also have access by October of 1991.
Data Updates
Data is updated by the Comptroller's Office once a month or as
needed.
Available Data: 1988-present
Information available in ACT includes: invoice information such
as labor, indirect costs, direct costs, travel, equipment, and
fees; work assignment data such as date issued, completion date,
budget, approved work plan amount, dollars funded, work
assignment #, and revisions; general contract information such as
EPA contract officer, and contractor; and cumulative information
such as total dollars obligated and invoiced, number of work
assignments, and total hours.
28
-------
RODS - Records of Decision
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
Regional Contact: Paul Leonard
FTS 597-8485
Type: Mainframe in Headquarters
ES 9000/Basis
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA, SARA
RODS, operated by the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response,
contains the full text of all Records of Decision (ROD's),
documents describing EPA's planned course of action for cleanup
of a superfund site, written by EPA. The RODS database, an
entirely menu-driven system, allows the user to search EPA
Records of Decision by key words or key identifiers. Every word
in each ROD is indexed in the system. The RODS database can be
used to find the following types of information: technologies
used to cleanup previous sites; previous cleanup levels;
historical information on waste types, concentrations, media, and
quantity. The system allows the user to display either specific
information identified through a search or the entire text of the
ROD. Also, there is a system reporting menu which provides the
user with five options for printing RODS data.
Available Data
The following information can be extracted from RODS or used to
search for a particular Record of Decision: site name, alias
name, ROD date, region, location (city, state), ROD ID#, site ID#
(same as FINDS#), key words, contaminated media, key
contaminants, selected remedy, abstract, figures, and text
sections.
29
-------
PA/SI3 (LETTRAK)- Region 3 Preliminary Assessment
Site Investigation Tracking System
Superfund Remedial Brancb
Regional Contact: Lisa Cunningham
FTS 597-0984
Type: LAN Based IBM Compatible PC/DBase III+ Clipper
Established: 1990
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA, RCRA
PA/SI3 (also called LETTRAK) is operated by the Federal
Facilities Section of the Superfund Remedial Branch and contains
information on all Federal Facilities in the Federal Facilities
Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket. Used primarily as a
management tool, the menu-driven system tracks important dates of
correspondence between EPA and Federal Facilities in the Federal
Facility Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket. Several standard
reports can be generated via the system's reporting menu
including an inventory of preliminary assessments; site
investigation and installation restoration program (IRP) reports;
facility status reports; and listings of documents related to
facilities. PA/SI3 contains only regional information and is not
linked to any other systems. In the future, the Office of
Regional Counsel may have direct access to the system.
Data Updates
PA/SI3 is updated quarterly by a contractor, PRC Environmental
Management, Inc., for the Region.
Available Data: 1970's to present
Information available in PA/SI3 includes: site name, responsible
agency, site address, site contact, date preliminary assessment
completed, date of site investigation, IRP date, EPA demand
letter dates, preliminary assessment deficiency letter dates,
some facility documents, publication dates, and status of
facility (eg. NPL, on-going, proposed NPL, etc.), EPA ID # (FINDS
I), FFID #, and docket listing date.
30
-------
ERNS - Emergency Response Notification system
Regional Response Center
Regional Contact: Josie Matsinger
FTS 597-9899
Type: Mainframe operated by Deptartment of Transportation
LAN-based IBM Compatible PC (in Region)
Established: 1987
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental statutes: CERCLA, SARA, CWA
ERNS is a national database containing information on releases of
oil and other hazardous substances reported to the Federal
government. It is managed and operated by the EPA, US Coast
Guard, National Response Center and Department of
Transportation's System Center (TSC). ERNS contains primarily
initial notification information on spills, but also includes
verification information on those incidents that are verified by
EPA. There are several standard reports available through the
menu-driven reporting system: status reports, spill summaries,
state reports, individual spill reports, group spill reports,
comprehensive spill reports and a FOIA program is also available
for extracting data. As required under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), all release information in ERNS is
available to the public. Citizen requests for information must
be written and directed to the Office of External Affairs.
Data Updates
Incidents are reported to all 10 EPA regions, states, National
Response Center (NRC), and US Coast Guard for inclusion in the
system. In Region III, ERNS is updated daily by the EPA Regional
Response Center staff as spill information is received via
telephone on written spill reports. Once a week, information is
electronically transferred to the Dept. of Transportation for
inclusion in the national system.
Available Data: 1987-present
Information available in ERNS includes: name and address of
discharger, incident location, material spilled, amount released,
medium effected (eg. air, land, groundwater), source of spill
(eg. highway, railway, offshore, pipeline), cause of spill,
damages, injuries, deaths, agencies notified, and response
actions taken.
* There is also an ERNS-ARIP computer program, created by the Chemical Emergency Preparedness and
Prevention Office, used with the Regional ERNS system to extract data which falls under at least one of
the following Accidental Release Information Program (ARIP) criteria: a release that resulted in death or
injury, a release that was deemed of a sufficiently large quantity (quantities specified by ARIP), a release
that involved a chemical listed by EPA as an extremely hazardous substance, or a release that was one
among a series of releases from the same facility.
31
-------
CR-ERKS - Continuous Release Emergency
Response Notification System
superfund Removal Branch/ Oil Title III Section
Regional Contact: Carol Oleksiak
FTS 597-0496
Type: Mainframe operated by Deptartment of Transportation (DOT)
Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC (in Region)
Established: 1990
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CERCLA
CR-ERNS, created by the Emergency Response Division of EPA,
tracks information on continuous releases of hazardous substances
from facilities in the U.S. In accordance with the Continuous
Release Rule (55 FR 30166) effective September 1990, facilities
are reguired to report initial continuous releases to EPA
National Response Center and submit written follow-up reports to
EPA regional offices. CR-ERNS was established to track
continuous release information and to establish priorities for
review and evaluation of release reports. Each regional CR-ERNS
system contains a screening level risk assessment model, called
the Priority Assessment Model (PAM), developed to assist EPA
regional personnel in the evaluation of the long-term threat
posed by a continuous release. The PAM model employs fate and
transport models to estimate the risks associated with the
continuous release. The report menu in CR-ERNS allows the user
to generate several fixed reports including: general facility,
PAM evaluation, and detailed PAM evaluation reports. Currently,
the system contains information on 19 facilities in Region III
and 53 facilities have yet to be added to the system.
Data Updates
Initially, continuous releases are reported to the National
Response Center via telephone and uploaded to the Department of
Transportation (DOT) mainframe. Then, that information is
downloaded to the EPA regions. Finally, the regions add
information from the written reports on continuous releases and
upload this information to the DOT mainframe.
Available Data: 1990-present
Information available in CR-ERNS includes: facility, address,
CAS #, CR-ERNS notification #, chemical or hazardous substance
mixture released, quantity released (upper and lower bound of
amount released in 24 hours), source of release, stack height,
medium effected (air, land, surface water, groundwater, or
fugitive emissions), and size and location of sensitive
populations and ecosystems.
32
-------
EPCRA Enforcement Tracking system
Superfund Removal Branch, Oil and Title III Section
Regional Contact: Stephanie Branch Wilson
FTS 597-3240
Type: LAN Based IBM Compatible PC, DBase III Plus/Clipper
Established: 1991
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CERCLA, EPCRA
The EPCRA Enforcement Tracking System, operated by the Oil and
Title III Section of the Superfund Removal Branch, contains
information on facilities that are suspected to have failed to
notify Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC's) of accidental
releases of hazardous substances. Cases are targeted for
inclusion in the system through the Emergency Response
Notification System ERNS or citizen complaints. The EPCRA
Enforcement Tracking System, an entirely menu-driven system,
tracks information from the initial incident notification through
case settlement, inspections, and Accidental Release Information
Program (ARIP) trigger process. The user may retrieve the
following standard reports via the system report menu: an
individual LEPC report, a list of LEPC's by state, a list of all
LEPC's, an individual case report, and a list of current cases.
The EPCRA Enforcement Tracking System contains only regional
information and is not linked to any other systems.
Data Updates
The system will be updated biweekly by staff in the Oil and Title
III Section as information is received from ERNS and the media
programs.
Available Data: 1989-present
Information available in the system includes: discharger,
discharger address, incident location, material type and
quantity, CAS #, case development data, compliance status,
enforcement actions, ORC settlement dates, inspections, Local
Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) information, and Accidental
Release Information Program (ARIP) trigger.
"CAMEO, designed for the states to track accidental releases of hazardous substances, is available in
Region III, but contains only information for the state of Delaware.
33
-------
RIOS - Region 3 Operations information System
Office of Underground Storage Tanks
Regional Contact: Rose Nino
FTS 597-0270
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase I11+
Scope: National
Established: 1987
Relevant Environmental Statute: Solid Waste Disposal Act
RIOS, operated by the Office of Underground Storage Tanks, tracks
information on underground storage tanks throughout the nation in
accordance with the National Program Progress Measures. The
system contains information on state quarterly activities, site
cleanups initiated by owners, and innovative technologies. ROIS
is used mainly by the region for quarterly STARS reporting. Five
different types of fixed reports are available through the menu-
driven system: trust fund reports, cost recovery reports,
exception site reports, regional reports, and grant reports
(grant information not regularly updated by region). Information
may also be downloaded from the system to allow the user to
create additional reports. Currently, only one individual in the
Regional UST Program has access to the system.
Data Updates
Data is provided to ROIS by the states each quarter. States
typically track information on their own systems and send a paper
copy to EPA at the end of each quarter. EPA then updates ROIS
regionally and sends the information to headquarters via modem.
Updates are typically completed within 10 days after the end of
each quarter.
Available Data: 1988-present
Information available in the system includes: states submitting
complete applications for State Program approval, states with
approved programs, site cleanups initiated for petroleum
releases, tank releases under control, UST closures reported,
reported confirmed releases, emergency responses taken with
Federal and State funds, sites where enforcement actions were
taken, and innovative technologies.
* Most states use a system called Revelations for their quarterly tracking and have locaiional information
on all tanks tracked by the region.
34
-------
ATTIC - Alternative Treatment Technology Information Center
Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration
Regional Contact: Paul Leonard
FTS 597-8485
Headquarters Contact: Greg Ondich
FTS 382-5747
Type: IBM Compatible PC/ DBase III+ Clipper
Established: 1988
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: RCRA
ATTIC, operated by the Office of Environmental Engineering and
Technology Demonstration, contains technical information on
innovative treatment methods for hazardous wastes. The on-line
system, entirely menu-driven, has literature search databases, a
technical assistance directory, a water treatability database, a
message center, a calendar of events, a listing of publications,
and a bulletin board for user interaction. Currently, ATTIC
contains approximately 4,000 document abstracts. The databases
in ATTIC may be searched on-line or downloaded for the user to
print out. The technical information in ATTIC for hazardous
waste treatment may be grouped in the following four categories:
thermal, biological, solidification/stabilization, and
chemical/physical.
Data Updates
Information is updated continuously by a headguarter's
contractor. Reports are received from various sources for update
to the system. The lag time between receipt of information and
availability in the system is approximately two months. All data
is subject to review and evaluation by the contractor before
being entered into the system.
Available Data
Information available in ATTIC includes: literature search
databases, a technical assistance directory of EPA technical
staff which can be accessed by category of expertise, a water
treatability database, a bulletin board for information sharing,
a calendar of events, and a listing of publications including
over 4,000 document abstracts.
35
-------
SETS - Site Enforcement Tracking system
Office of Waste Programs Enforcement
Regional Contact: Maxine Booker
FTS 597-9944
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ES 9000/FOCUS, Clist
Established: 1984
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA
SETS, operated by the Office of Waste Programs Enforcement,
contains information on EPA notifications to Potentially
Responsible Parties (PRP's), individuals or corporations which
have been notified of the potential liability for the costs of
response work associated with the release of hazardous
substances. SETS tracks all "general" and "special" notices sent
by EPA to PRP's as required under Sections 104 and 122 of CERCLA.
All information in SETS is available to the public under the
Freedom of Information Act. There are a number of standard
reports available through the menu-driven reporting system
including: PRP summary reports, PRP reports by site, PRP reports
by name, and NPL reports by site.
Data Updates
Data is entered into the system daily by regional staff and
uploaded to RTP weekly. Information for updates comes from
regional project managers. Quality assurance and control of the
data is handled by headquarters.
Available Data; 1984-present
Information available in the system includes: site name,
address, all potentially responsible parties (PRP's) for site,
CERCLA ID #, FINDS #, status of NPL listing, date of notice
letter, and type of letter.
* SETS tracks information on Potentially Responsible Parties, information on parties actually held
responsible for cleanup are tracked in CERCLIS.
36
-------
Hazardous Waste Database
Information Resources Center
Regional contact: Dawn Shellenberger
FTS 597-6633
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+
(is being converted to EZ-REF)
Established: 1987
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA
The Hazardous Waste Database, operated by the Hazardous Waste
Technical Information Center (HWTIC), is a regional database
which serves as an index to RCRA and Superfund guidance and
technical reports. The system was created to provide program
guidance and technical information to EPA staff. Currently
available in EPA libraries, the system is being converted to
compact disk and will be available on the LAN by November of
1991.
Data Updates
A contractor for the Region, Labat-Anderson, is responsible for
maintenance and periodic updates of the system. There is no set
schedule for updates. Information is entered into the system as
it is received from headquarters, regional program staff, and
materials ordered by the Information Resource Center.
Available Data: 1980-present
The majority of information in the system was taken from
materials published after 1980. The Hazardous Waste Database
allows the user to search for information in the system by title,
author, publisher, date, and key words.
* Additional information may be found in the RODS system,
operated by the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, which
contains the entire text of Records of Decision.
37
-------
NPList - NPL Document Index
Information Resources Center
Regional Contact: Dawn Shellenberger
FTS 597-6633
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase IIJ+
Established: 1990
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CERCLA
The NPList, operated by the Hazardous Waste Technical Information
Center (HWTIC), is a regional database which serves as an index
to documents in the Region 3 National Priorities List (NPL)
docket. The system was created in 1990 by the HWTIC to
facilitate public access to information on sites proposed or
actually listed on the NPL.
Data Updates
A contractor for the region, Labat-Anderson, created NPList and
is reponsible for maintenance and periodic updates of the system.
There is no set schedule for updates. Information is entered in
the system as it is received from the regional NPL Coordinator
and is accessible as site information appears in the Federal
Register.
Available Data
The system indexes the Hazardous Ranking System scoresheets and
supporting documentation, public comments and final support
documents for all Region 3 sites proposed to or included in the
NPL. Information can be accessed by site name, alternate site
name, location, or document number. In addition, searches for
final and deletion dates may be conducted by site name
38
-------
PTTS - FIFRA and TSCA Tracking System
(formerly FATES)
Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Regional Contact: Renee Duncan
FTS 597-0442
Type: Stand Alone IBM compatible PC, DBase III Plus
Scope: Regional
Established: 1987
Relevant Environmental Statutes: FIFRA, TSCA, EPCRA
FTTS, operated by the Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances,
is a national database which tracks enforcement and inspection
information covered under FIFRA and TSCA regulations. State and
EPA inspections of PCB's, asbestos, Section 8 of SARA and Section
5 of TSCA are recorded for facilities located in region III.
FTTS also tracks information regarding referrals (inspections
done by request), case reviews of inspected facilities,
enforcement actions, management of state grants, certification
and training of states, and STARS reporting forms. Enforcement
data includes dates of all notices and detailed tracking of
settlement conditions whereby penalties may be lowered if
facilities take certain environmentally beneficial actions.
Currently, the FTTS system is not accessible through the LAN and
information is retrieved by a contractor for the Pesticides and
Toxics Branch.
Data Updates
Date in FTTS is updated daily by a contractor for the Region as
information is received from state and EPA inspectors.
Enforcement actions are updated whenever necessary.
Available Data; 1987-present
National information must be requested through headquarters as it
cannot be accessed directly by the region. Data available in
FTTS includes: facility contact and address (not including
latitude and longitude; inspection date, type, and agency;
enforcement action date, type, and docket #. Latitude and
longitude are not included in this system.
* National Compliance Database (NCDB), operated by headquarters OPTS, contains all FTTS information
prior to 1987.
39
-------
SSTS - Section Seven Tracking System
(formerly FATES)
Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Regional Contact: Renee Duncan
FTS 597-0442
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ADABAS, Natural
Scope: National
Established: Converted from FATES Feb. 1991
Relevant Environmental Statute: FIFRA
The SSTS system, created pursuant to Section Seven of FIFRA, is a
national database containing production and registration
information for pesticide products. Approximately 550 companies
in Region 3 are registered under FIFRA and tracked through SSTS.
Although it is a menu-driven system, some knowledge of ADABAS is
necessary to generate reports in SSTS. National information on
product registrations is also available through the system.
Data Updates
New company registrations are handled by the regional office,
SSTS is updated with new registration information daily.
Data Available; 1985-present
Information available in SSTS includes: name and address of
pesticide producer, amount of pesticide produced (confidential
information with restricted access), and type of pesticide.
Latitude and longitude are not included in this system.
* Information on registrations prior to 1985 are contained in the FATES system and must be obtained
from headquarters.
40
-------
NPIRS - National Pesticide Information Retrieval system
Office of Toxic Substances
Regional Contact: Renee Duncan
FTS 597-0442
Type: Mainframe at Purdue University
Scope: National
Established: 1988
Relevant Environmental Statute: FIFRA
NPIRS, operated by Purdue University, is a collection of
databases containing information on all U.S. registered
pesticides used in agriculture, industry, and general commerce.
The system, containing a variety of pesticide information
databases, includes a Pesticide Product Database and a Tolerance
Database. The Pesticide Product Database, which tracks
information on the 45,000 pesticides currently registered for use
in the U.S, provides basic registration data and chemical
information on active ingredients in registered pesticides. The
Tolerance Database contains all pesticide tolerances listed in
the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) including maximum
permissible residue levels by chemical and food commodity. As
NPIRS requires an annual user fee, EPA will be phasing out its
use of the system over the next year. NPIRS allows the user to
browse data or download information to a disk for printing.
Data Updates
Data is updated quarterly by staff at Purdue University.
Information is supplied by EPA and state pesticide regulatory
agencies.
Available Data; 1947-present
Information is taken from sources with publishing dates ranging
from 1947 to present. Data available in NPIRS includes: general
registration information, chemical composition and formulation,
chemical names, trade names, CAS #, percent of active ingredients
in registered pesticides, registered sites of applications, pests
for which pesticide is registered, registered site/pest
combinations, product type, toxicity warning, and all pesticide
tolerances listed in the CFR.
41
-------
PIN - Pesticide Information Network
Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Regional Contact: Renee Duncan
FTS 597-0442
Headquarters Contact: FTS 557-1919
Type: Bulletin Board
Scope: National
Established: November 1989
Relevant Environmental Statute: FIFRA
The Pesticide Information Network, a menu-driven system operated
by the Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, is an expansion
of the previous system called the Pesticide Monitoring Inventory
(PMI). The expanded PIN system now encompasses the Pesticide
Monitoring Inventory, but has two additional subsystems. The
three basic files contained in PIN are: the pesticide monitoring
inventory (PMI). the restricted use products file (RUP). and the
chemical index. The first, PMI, is a collection of pesticide
monitoring projects conducted by Federal, State and local
governments, as well as private institutions. The second file,
RUP, contains information on all pesticide products that have
been classified as restricted use pesticides under 40 CFR Part
152. The last file, the chemical index, is a list of all
chemicals which appear in the first two files including chemical
names, synonyms, and CAS numbers. Information may be downloaded
from the system by the user.
Data Updates
Data in the Restricted Use Products file is updated by
headquarters staff in the Office of Pesticides and Toxic on the
first of each month.
Data Available
PIN contains the most up-to-date information on pesticide
monitoring projects performed by government and private
institutions, a list of all Restricted Use Pesticides, and a list
of all chemical names, synonyms, and CAS numbers for chemicals of
interest to the Office of Pesticides. Searches in PIN can be
conducted by CAS number, county, and search conditions of
unlimited length character strings.
42
-------
PPIS - Pesticide Product Information system
Office of Pesticide Programs
Regional Contact: Renee Duncan
FTS 597-0442
EPA Headquarters Contact: FTS 557-9351
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ES 9000, ADABASE/Natural
8 cope: Nationa1
Established: June 1990
Relevant Environmental Statute: FIFRA
The Pesticide Product Information System, established by the
Office of Pesticide Programs, is a compilation of regulatory
information specifically regarding product registrations required
under FIFRA. PPIS includes information on registrations,
transfers, cancellations, suspensions, sites, pests, and
restricted use products. Chemical vocabulary, a sub-section of
the PPIS, is a menu-driven system providing information on
specific chemicals. The chemical vocabulary includes information
on chemical name, Caswell number, Chemical Abstracts Service
number, pesticide chemical code and chemical family. PPIS will
be used by the region within the year.
Data Updates
PPIS is updated weekly by the Office of Pesticide Programs in
headguarters.
Available Data:
Information available in PPIS includes: registrant name and
address, chemical ingredients, toxicity category, and brand name.
43
-------
PADS - PCB Activity Database System
Office of Toxic Substances
Regional Contact: Renee Duncan
FTS 597-0442
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III Plus
Scope: National
Established: 1988
Relevant Environmental Statute: TSCA
PADS, operated by the Chemical Regulation Branch of the Office of
Toxic Substances, tracks information on PCB handlers in the U.S.
As required under the Notification and Manifesting for PCB Waste
Activities Rule (54FR52716), PCB handlers report their PCB waste
handling activities to EPA. The system currently contains
approximately 4,000 PCB waste handlers including generators with
on-site storage facilities, commercial storers, transporters, and
permitted disposers. PADS allows the user to conduct ten types
of searches (by zipcode, facility name, etc.) in order to access
handler information. Data in PADS is used primarily to provide
the public with information in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). PADS allows the user to generate several
standard via the system reports menu. PADS is available on disk
and is easily transferable.
Data Updates
Information is updated by the headquarters Office of Toxic
Substances and distributed via disk to the regions every six
months.
Available Data: 1988-present
Information available in the system includes: site, address,
installation contact, facility owner, EPA ID # (or FINDS #), type
of activity (generator, storer, transporter, disposer), date PCB
activity was reported,
44
-------
ET8 - EPCRA Targeting System
Office of Toxic Substances
Contact: Kurt Eisner
FTS 597-1260
Type: Mainframe in RTF in ADABASE/Natural
or IBM Compatible PC/DBase IV
Established: 1991
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statutes: SARA, Section 313 EPCRA
The EPCRA Targeting System (ETS), operated by the Office of Toxic
Substances, is a national database used for targeting facilities
for annual inspection as reguired under the Emergency Planning
and Community Right-to-know Act (EPCRA). ETS links the
facilities found in both the Dun and Bradstreet, a commercial
database containing information on U.S. companies, and TRIS, an
EPA database containing reported industrial releases. Thus, ETS
provides a list of facilities to be considered for EPA
inspection. There are five fixed reports available through the
menu-driven reporting system: facility details, targeted
facilities, contact history/tips and complaints, deleted
facilities, and facility listings.
Data Updates
New Dun and Bradstreet data is released every six months. TRIS
data is updated as release information is reported by companies
in July of each year.
Available Data:
Information available in ETS includes: facility name, address,
parent company, SIC Code, EPA ID, annual sales, TRI reporting
status, source of tip or complaint, and brief compliance history.
Latitude and longitude is available and determined by zipcode.
45
-------
STORET - Storage and Retrieval
of Water Quality Information
Office of Water
Regional Contact: Chuck Kanetsky
FTS 597-8176
Type: Mainframe in RTF
DBASE 2000
Established: 1961 (by US Public Health Service)
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CWA
STORET is the largest national water database containing raw data
on U.S. waterways. The system contains water quality, fish
tissue, ground water quality, pollution related fish kills,
biological, and sediment data on U.S. water collected by the
states. STORET data is currently used for periodic water quality
analyses and for biennial water quality assessments as required
under section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act. Data may be used to
generate standard statistical analyses, graphs, or maps of
station locations, dischargers and waterways. There are nine
fixed reports available through the STORET report menu.
Additional reports can be created to access information on any
number of parameters in the system with extensive STORET
training.
Data Sources and Updates
River monitoring is conducted by states and other agencies from
independent monitoring sites. Monitoring frequency varies from
state to state (daily, monthly, quarterly). STORET also contains
some data obtained through one time analyses. Data is entered
into STORET by the states and subject to individual state quality
assurance tests.
Available Data: 1961-present
Some limited data is available as far back as 1920. Consistent
and reliable information regarding state monitoring of fish
tissue, biological, and sediment data is available from 1960 to
present. There are approximately 3000 unique water quality
parameters in STORET within the following broad categories:
radiological, phosphorous, pesticides, flow, biological,
bacteriological, solids, nitrogen, oxygen demand, general
organics, general inorganics, dissolved oxygen, metals, and
physical. Information may be accessed by latitude and longitude,
monitoring station code, county, and hydrological information.
46
-------
PCS - Permit Compliance system
Office of Water Enforcement and Permits
Regional Contact: Edna Jones
FTS 597-0441
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ES 9000/ADABASE, Natural, COBOL
Established: 1974
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CWA
PCS, operated by the Office of Water Enforcement and Permits,
tracks permit, compliance, and enforcement status of facilities
under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Program. PCS contains information on more than 63,000 active
water discharge permits issued to major and minor facilities
across the U.S. Currently, users are required to submit batch
jobs to retrieve reporting data from PCS. However, a menu-driven
system, called PCS panels, is being developed to allow users to
pull standard reports from the system.
Data Updates
States are responsible for updating information on both major and
minor facilities. Data is updated monthly and there is
approximately a one month delay between the time data was
reported and available in the system.
Available Data: 1974-present
Information available in PCS includes: NPDES #, facility name,
state, county, permit requirements, monthly monitoring
information for majors, inspection data, enforcement actions, and
compliance schedules. Latitude and longitude is available for
approximately 75% of the major facilities and is accurate to the
outfall level.
47
-------
6ICS - Grants information and Control System
Office of Information Resources Management
Regional Contact: Brenda Kidd
FTS 597-3358
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ADABAS/Natural
Established: 1973
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statutes: All
GICS, operated by the Office of Information Resources Management,
is a management system used to track the Region's wastewater
treatment plant construction grants program. GICS also contains
other program grants information for application and
appropriation of funds for the S105 and S106 Program, Chesapeake
Bay Program, Water Supply Program, Solid Waste Program, State
Revolving Loan Fund, and the Research and Development Program.
Data in the system is utilized by both Regional and Headquarters'
water programs for monitoring output commmitments, outlay
estimates, project status, and for interdivisional coordination
to assure that outputs are being met and that future planning is
based on the most accurate data possible. The user community
consists of the Construction Grants Branch, Program Management
and Support Branch, Office of Assistant Regional Administrator
for Policy and Management, three (3) District Offices of the Army
Corps of Engineers and six (6) State agencies. The user
community is responsible for data collection and report
retrieval.
Data Updates
Data is regularly entered into the system by authorized
individuals from the user community; primarily, the Regional GICS
data entry clerk. State and COE representatives, and Regional
Grants Specialist have limited data entry access to the system.
The GICS has a built in audit system to check and verify accuracy
of entries to every field in the database.
Available Data: 1973-present
Information available in GICS includes: applicant's name and
address, project name, congressional district, funding sources,
project description, community size, milestone payments, grant #,
relevant program permit #, contractor, contract #, subcontracts,
and project status.
48
-------
305(b) - Waterbody System
Office of Water
Regional Contact: Maggie Passmore
FTS 597-6149
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ADABASE/Natural
Established: 1988
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CWA, Section 305(b)
The 305(b) Waterbody System, created by the Office of Water
pursuant to Section 305(b) of the revised Clean Water Act,
contains information on the quality of the nation's waterways
required for the biennial water quality reports to Congress. The
305(b) system contains descriptive data about the status of our
nations waterways taken from the raw monitoring data found in
STORET, the major national water quality database. Information
stored in the 305(b) database is recorded in a form consistent
with the reporting format of the 305(b) reports completed by the
states for review by Congress every two years. Water quality
information may be retrieved from the 305(b) System in either
tabular or map form. The system is menu-driven, but only
moderately user friendly. Use of the system requires some self-
training, as formal training is not provided by the Office of
Water.
Data Sources and Updates
States are responsible for periodic updates of the system. Data
is either transferred from individual state PC's to headquarters
or is directly entered through the mainframe. States in Region
III typically update the waterbody system annually, although
states are not required to update the system.
Available Data
Information available in the Waterbody system includes:
waterbody identification information, waterbody assessment
status, lake status, trophic condition and trends in publicly
owned lakes, lakes with acid deposition/mine drainage problems,
waters impaired or threatened due to non-point sources, causes
and sources of impairment, waters impaired or threatened which
need total maximum daily load/wasteload allocations.
49
-------
304(1) Regional Tracking system
Office of Water
Contact: Tom Henry
FTS 597-8243
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III Plus
Established: 1988
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CWA, Section 304(1)
The 304(1) Tracking System, operated by the Office of Water, was
developed by the region to track information regarding facilities
covered under section 304(1) of the 1987 Amendments to the Clean
Water Act. Section 304(1) reguires dischargers of toxic
pollutants, outlined in section 307(a) of the act, to meet water
quality standards within three years. The system, started in
1988, tracks the status of dischargers in meeting the Individual
Control Strategies (ICS) designed by the facilities to control
the discharge of 307(a) toxic pollutants. The 304(1) database is
the only system which identifies facilities under section 304(1)
of the Clean Water Act. It is not linked to any other data
systems. Most facilities are expected to be in compliance with
Section 304(1) by 1994. Therefore, the database may not be
useful after that time. There are no menu-driven reports in the
system. However, users familiar with DBase III Plus would be
able to create reports easily.
Data Updates
Data is updated by the region as information is received.
Information in the system is the most up to date and pertinent
data on these systems.
Available Data: 1988-present
The system contains 137 facilities covered under section 304(1),
receiving stream and basin, NPDES permit #, permit status,
relevant pollutants for 304(1) listing, pollutants included in
permit, whether permit is appealed, type of appeal, approved
Individual Control Strategies and approval dates, and record of
dates of meeting control strategy milestones.
50
-------
NEEDS - Needs Survey
Office of Municipal Wastewater Pollution Control
Regional Contact: Tom Maher
FTS 597-8224
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ES 9000, IBM PC/ Wylbur, IMS, TSO
Established: 1986
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statutes: CWA
The Needs Survey, conducted by the Office of Municipal Wastewater
Pollution Control, contains information on funding requests for
construction or improvement of municipal wastewater treatment
facilities. The system, used by EPA and the states to assess the
capital investment required to build or improve wastewater
treatment facilities, contains needs information for 33,000
facilities in the nation. Information in the system is used to
prepare the Biennial Needs Survey report to Congress as required
under Section 205(a) and 516(b) of the CWA. Currently, NEEDS is
used primarily by the states, but EPA is responsible for
oversight of the system. Individual project reports can be
generated by the user, but more extensive print-outs must be
obtained through headquarters. There is a fee for accessing the
system.
Data Updates
States update technical information and financial data every two
years. A contractor for EPA headquarters, Roy Weston, controls
data quality. States and EPA regions cannot change existing
records, but can add new data to the system.
Available Data: 1972-present
Information available in NEEDS includes: facility name,
authority name (municipality), GICS #, total dollar amounts
requested, category of need (plant, stormwater, combined sewer
overflow, etc.), population, technical information (oxidation
ditch, lagoon, etc.), state, county, authority facility #, and
eligible needs.
51
-------
FRDS - Federal Reporting Data System
Office of Drinking Water
Regional Contact: Charlotte Dennis
FTS 597-2460
Type: Mainframe located in RTF, IBM 3090/COBOL II PLEX
Scope: National
Established: 1977 (Quarterly reporting began in 1985)
Relevant Environmental Statute: SOW A
The Federal Reporting Data System, operated by the Office of
Drinking Water, is the official tracking system for the nation's
public water systems (PWS's) covered under the Safe Drinking
Water Act of 1974. The system contains the compliance and
enforcement status of 1500 public ground and surface water
systems in Region III. FRDS tracks two types of violations -
maximum contaminant level (MCL) violations for over 500
pollutants and violations of monthly monitoring requirements.
The contaminants monitored and tracked within the system include:
turbidity, bacteria (coliform), inorganic chemicals, organic
chemicals (VOC's), and radiation. Monitoring data is only
included in the system for facilities that have been found in
violation of contaminant levels. The FRDS system is used
primarily by EPA for compliance monitoring and oversight of the
region's water systems, as well as annual reporting of
Significant Non-Compliers (SNC). Access to the system is limited
and extensive training is required in order to conduct data
retrievals.
Data Updates
Data updates are completed by the region at the end of every
monitoring quarter. States provide data via disk to the region
and the information is then added to the FRDS system. All state
data is subject to EPA quality assurance and control. Data is
available to FRDS users 60 days after the end of each monitoring
quarter.
Available Data: 1977-present
FRDS contains information on well surface waters, treatment
plants, intake, pumping and storage facilities. The information
available in FRDS includes: violation information (non-
compliance with EPA and/or primacy standards), state and EPA
enforcement actions, population served by system, on-site visit
data, availability of source (eg. permanent, reserve), entry
point, source treatment processes, treatment objective, service
areas (eg. residential, school, recreation), facility address,
county, facility owner type (eg. federal, private), non-
compliance profiles, variance and exemption to normal standards,
state discretionary data, and statistical summary information on
each PWS. Latitude and longitude information is included for
about half of the systems in FRDS and is to be added to the
remaining facilities over the next two years.
52
-------
DICTS - Underground Injection Control Tracking System
Underground injection Control Section
Regional Contact: Karen Johnson
FTS 597-9928
Type: Mainframe in RTF
ES 9000, Focus
Established: 1982 (changed format in 1987)
Scope: Pennsylvania
Relevant Environmental Statute: SDWA
The UICTS system, operated by the Region III Underground
Injection Control Section, contains compliance, inspection, and
permitting information on approximately 120 Class II facilities
in Pennsylvania with over 3500 wells. In accordance with the
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and EPA Headquarters minimum data
requirements, UICTS tracks UIC reporting information. In
addition, it tracks compliance with construction and operating
procedures, mechanical integrity tests, permit issuance data, and
EPA enforcement actions. Information may be retrieved from the
menu-driven system in three fixed report forms: facility,
inspection, and compliance reports. Although it is maintained on
a mainframe in Research Triangle Park, UICTS is used only by
Region III. Currently, UICTS is not integrated with any other
regional or national databases.
Data Updates
Data is entered into UICTS weekly by regional staff. In
addition, field contractor data is uploaded to the system
monthly. The information in UICTS is collected from EPA and
contractor inspections (state information is not included).
Available Data: 1988-present
Currently, UICTS contains the following information on Class 2
Wells: UICTS permit number and description, construction
details, depth of aquifer, inspection dates, results of
inspection tests, violation notices and date issued,
administrative orders and date issued, record of public
notification, facility address, county, and comment reviews in
the permit issuance process. Latitude and longitude are
contained in the system, but are inaccurate. The staff and
system contractors will be improving this data over the next
year.
* Class 5 Well information is contained in a DBase III file updated by the UIC section. This information
may eventually be added to the UICTS system.
53
-------
Groundwater Compendium
office of Groundwater Protection
Regional Contact: Patricia Iraci
FTS 597-3424
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+
Established: 1986
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental statute: CWA
The Groundwater Compendium, collected by the Region III
Groundwater Protection Section, contains information on
groundwater contaminant levels in Region III. The compendium,
used primarily for internal planning and prioritization, provides
locational information on groundwater contamination from spills,
hazardous waste sites, etc. Established to identify regional
hotspots only, the system was not intended to track all
groundwater contamination incidents. During the period from
1986-1988, the compendium was used to generate assessments of
regional groundwater quality twice a year. There is one fixed
report form that may be retrieved via the menu-driven system
containing site and contaminant information. However, additional
reports may be generated with knowledge of DBase III+ to retrieve
groundwater incident report data not included in the fixed report
form. The compendium may be used for CIS applications in the
future.
Data Updates
Information for the compendium was taken from newspaper
clippings, emergency response spill reports, and the NPL list.
Every six months the Groundwater Protection Section circulated a
memo requesting the Hazardous Waste Division to fill out
Groundwater Contamination Incident Reports. This information was
then entered into the system by staff in the Groundwater
Protection Section.
Available Data: 1986-1988
Information available in the system includes: site name, county,
state, contaminant source, major contaminant, type of water
supply affected, RCRA facilities which require groundwater
monitoring, and announced and final NPL dates. Some latitude and
longitude is included in the system, but is of varying quality.
54
-------
WETS - Wetlands Enforcement Tracking System
Wetlands Enforcement Section
Regional Contact: Jeffrey Lapp
FTS 597-3642
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, DBase III+
Established: 1991
Scope: Regional
Relevant Environmental Statute: CWA
WETS, a regional tracking system established by the Wetlands
Enforcement Team, contains information on the status of wetlands'
violations and enforcement actions throughout Region III.
Started in FY91, WETS primarily tracks active wetland enforcement
cases, but will retain data on closed cases for historical
violation information. There are three menu-driven reports which
can be generated via the system reporting menu including: active
cases handled by individual EPA investigators, active cases by
state, and a comprehensive list of active cases. Users familiar
with DBase III+ may also create additional reports. WETS was
established for regional tracking and is not currently linked to
any other EPA databases. The system is not available on the LAN
and there are no plans to make it LAN accessible in the future.
Data Updates
Data is updated in the system at least quarterly. For data
quality control, only one individual within the Wetlands
Enforcement Team is reponsible for updating the system.
Available Data: 1991
Information available in WETS includes: site name, site
address, docket #, file #, individual owner or company name,
state, township, county, waterbody, date of violation, violation
description, date of notice to EPA, EPA contacts, enforcement
action, date of action, proposed and final penalty, DOJ contacts,
public notice date, hearing date, ALT deadline, and case status.
Latitude and longitude is not included in WETS.
55
-------
ODES - Ocean Data Evaluation System
Office of Marine and Estuarine Protection
Regional Contact: Bill Muir
FTS 597-2541
Type: Mainframe in RTF, IBM 9000, SAF/TSO CLIFT/FORTRAN
Established: 1991 (established in Region III)
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: Marine Protection, Research and
Sanctuaries Act of 1972
The Ocean Data Evaluation System, operated by the Office of
Marine and Estuarine protection, is a national database used for
tracking marine monitoring information. In 1983, Region III
established a water quality monitoring program along the Mid
Atlantic Bight, an area 10-15 miles off shore between New Jersey
and North Carolina, to investigate and control water pollution in
this area of heavy public use. ODES contains near coastal water
quality information collected to assess coastal eutrophication
and potential impacts of sewage discharges from wastewater plants
at Bethany Beach, Delaware, Ocean City, Maryland, and Virginia
Beach, Virginia. Information dating back to 1987 is currently
available in the ODES system. ODES data may be retrieved in a
variety of reporting formats including: statistical reports
(ANOVA and regression), graphs, simplified deposition calculation
models, plume models, and maps. Data can also be downloaded for
the user to conduct additional analyses not provided through the
menu. Nationally, ODES is used for CIS application, but the
software necessary for this is not yet available in Region III.
Data Updates
Marine monitoring surveys are conducted four times a year
primarily in the summer months between May and September when
pollution levels tend to be highest. Samples are taken from more
than 40 monitoring stations. Currently, information dating from
1987 through 1991 is being entered into the system. In the
future, data will be entered into ODES three to six weeks after
it is collected from monitoring surveys. Quality assurance and
control is done by Tetra Tech, Inc. to ensure the integrity of
the data.
Available Data: 1987-1990
The water quality information available in ODES is based on
coastal eutrophication and public health studies. The specific
parameters collected in eutrophication studies include: nitrate,
nitrite, nitrogen, phosphate, phosphorous, phaeophytin, dissolved
oxygen, pH, salinity, temperature, and conductivity. The public
health studies include data on levels of: total coliform, fecal
coliforms, fecal streptococcus, pseudomonas, and acanthamoebae
protozoa. In the future, data will be available on benthic
infauna, sediment pollutants, sediment grain size, and plankton
abundance.
56
-------
104(g) - Facilities Training System
Office of Wastewater Enforcement and Compliance
Regional Contact: Jim Kern
FTS 597-3423
Type: Mainframe in RTF
Established: 1987
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CWA, Section 104(g)
The 104(g) database, operated by the Office of Wastewater
Enforcement and Compliance, is a national database which tracks
on-site technical assistance provided for municipal wastewater
treatment facilities. As required under Section 104(g) of the
Clean Water Act, EPA provides about $2 million to states for
training and technical assistance in the operation and
maintenance of wastewater treatment plants. The 104(g) database
was created to gather information on the successes and problems
of wastewater treatment facilities, primarily through the
recording of performance limiting factors (PLF's). There are
four standard reports available through the menu-driven reporting
system: headquarters listing, NPDES report, list system data,
count facilities. The user may also generate ad hoc reports
through the menu system. The 104(g) database is primarily used
by headquarters to track program performance.
Data Updates
Data is updated in the system quarterly by the regions. States
provide quarterly paper reports, required under grant conditions
and regulations, which are then entered into the system by the
regional contacts. Some states enter quarterly reporting
information directly into the system; however, this does not
occur in Region III. For quality assurance and control of the
data, EPA circulates quarterly 104(g) reports to the states for
review.
Available Data: 1987-present
Information available in the 104(g) system includes: NPDES #,
construction grant #, capacity of plant, type of plant (eg.
aerated lagoon, activated sludge, contact stabilization), result
of technical assistance (eg. compliance, in-training, improved),
performance limiting factor (or problem causing plant to be out
of compliance), state, community, and date of training.
* There is also a regional 104(g) system, written in PCFile, which tracks this information for regional
program reporting. The regional 104(g) system contains the following additional information: date laciliu
achieved compliance, and date of closeout report.
57
-------
AQUIRE - Aquatic Toxicity Information Retrieval
EPA Environmental Research Laboratory - Duluth
Regional Contact: Susan McDowell
FTS 597-0355
Headquarters Contact: Robert Spehar
FTS 780-5564
Type: Mainframe accessed through DECnet or Prime-net
DEC 1I/785/FORTRAN
Established: 1981 (user friendly system created in 1988)
Scope: National
Relevant Environmental Statute: CWA, CERCLA, Marine Protection,
Research and Sanctuaries Act
AQUIRE, a menu-driven system operated by the Environmental
Research Laboratory in Duluth (ERL-D), contains information on
the toxicity of chemicals (not including oils) to fresh and
saltwater organisms (not including bacteria and amphibians). The
system currently contains more than 100,000 individual test
records for approximately 5,000 chemicals and 2,500 species taken
from 6,000 publications. It includes acute, chronic, and
bioaccumulation effects. AQUIRE, an entirely menu-driven system,
allows users to extract information by chemical, species, or
effect parameters. A new subfile of AQUIRE, the Acute Toxicity
of Organic Chemicals file, contains data on the effects of 500
chemicals on fathead minnows. The system is available to all
interested government agency staff members and is very user-
friendly.
Data Updates
Information in AQUIRE is extracted from over 6,000 scientific
publications from all over the world. Most of the literature
used in this system was published after 1972, and current
publications are reviewed constantly. Each year, the database
acquires data from approximately 800 new publications. Selected
toxicity results and test conditions from laboratory and field
aquatic toxicity tests are extracted and added to the database.
In a typical year, 300 chemical, 40 test organisms, and 4,000
individual test records are added to the AQUIRE system. All
entries are subject to quality control and technical critique by
staff at the Duluth Lab.
* A magnetic tape of AQUIRE is available through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
58
-------
Enforcement Docket
Office of Regional Counsel
Regional Contact: Sue Canning
FTS 597-8913
Type: Mainframe system in RTF
ADABASE/Natura1
Scope: National
Established: 1980
Relevant Environmental statutes: TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, CWA, CAA,
SDWA, FIFRA, EPCRA
The Enforcement Docket system, operated by the Office of Regional
Counsel, is a national database which tracks all EPA legal
actions including civil and administrative cases, defensive
litigation, assistance disputes and bid protests. The system
provides docket numbers to all regional enforcement actions such
as Administrative Complaints, Administrative Orders (AO), and
Federal Facility Notices of Noncompliance (NON). Information may
be retrieved from the system through on-line access, standard
retrievals or AD Hoc reports via the batch retrieval system.
Data Updates
DOCKET is updated daily by the Office of Regional Counsel as
information is received from ORC staff. Currently, a contractor
is responsible for entering data into the system.
Available Data: 1980-present
Information available in DOCKET includes: civil and
administrative cases, defensive litigation, assistance disputes,
bid protests, case Docket #, case name, case type, applicable
law, case summary, major milestone events, attorneys, defendants,
intervenors, facility violation information, SIC code, penalties,
enforcement actions and issue dates, EPA funds spent on
enforcement actions, facility address, and FINDS #. Latitude and
longitude are included in this system, but are not considered to
be accurate.
* Citizen Suit tracking is handled by individual media programs.
59
-------
Penalty Tracking System
Office of Regional counsel
Regional Contact: Sue Canning
FTS 597-8913
Type: Stand Alone IBM Compatible PC, PC File
Scope: Region III
Established: 1986
Relevant Environmental Statutes: RCRA, CERCLA, CAA, CWA, SDWA
FIFRA, TSCA, EPCRA
The Penalty Tracking System, operated by the Office of Regional
Counsel, is a PC-based system which tracks information on
penalties assessed to facilities found in violation of
environmental statutes. This system was designed for regional
use only and is not based on a national model or national
guidelines. The Penalty Tracking System contains information on
all penalties assessed by Region III within the last five years.
Information in the system is highly confidential and restricted
use would be necessary for any data sharing. Data from this
system has been used to generate reports on penalty collections
within the region.
Data Updates
Information is updated daily as it is received by the Office of
Regional Counsel. Verification of penalty payment data is made
with the finance department's records quarterly.
Available Data; 1986-present
The Penalty Tracking System contains the following fields of
information: case name, facility name, relevant environmental
statute, case Docket #, EPA attorney, defendants, site involved,
penalty amount due, due date, amount of payment made, and payment
date.
60
-------
FOIA - Freedom of Information Act Tracking System
Office of External Affairs
Regional contact: Rich Van Hoist
FTS 597-2321
Type: Lan-Based IBM PC,
Established: 19
Scope: Region III
Relevant Statute: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The FOIA system, operated by the Office of External Affairs,
tracks public requests for information authorized under the
Freedom of Information Act granting public access to government
documents. Each day, Region III receives between 15-40 requests
for information which are tracked and managed through the FOIA
system. As an internal management tool, the system facilitates a
rapid response to public requests for information.
Data Updates
FOIA requests are received by the region daily and entered into
the tracking system on the day of receipt.
Available Data;
Information tracked in the FOIA system includes: individual
requesting information, company or home address, date of request,
type of information being sought, EPA employee to supply
information, date request should be filled (10 days after receipt
of letter).
61
-------
REGION 3
PROGRAM and SUPPORT DATA SYSTEMS
General Databases
FINDS - Facility Index System
IRIS - Integrated Risk Information System
Chem-Bank
On-line Library System
NTIS - National Technical Information System
Multi-Media Databases
TRIS - Toxic Release Inventory System
IDEA - Integrated Data Enforcement Analysis
System 33/50
FFTS - Federal Facility Tracking System
Chesapeake Bay Federal Facility Tracking System
NEPA Tracking System
PPIC - Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse
Air Databases
AIRS - Aerometric Information Retrieval System
ACTS - Asbestos Contractors Tracking System
Radon Database
NADB - National Allowance Database
Significant Violators Tracking System
ARTD Outreach Tracking System
National Air Toxics Information Clearinghouse
RPTS - Regional Priority Tracking System
BIOS - Biogenetic Emissions System
SAMS - SIP Air Inventory Management System
SPECIATE - Air Toxic Emission Factors
Hazardous Waste Databases
RCRIS (HWDMS) - Resource Conservation and Recovery Information
System
RCRA Non-Notifiers System
EATS - Enforcement Action Tracking System
BRS - Biennial Reporting System
CERCLIS/WasteLAN - Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Information System
SCEES - Superfund Cost Estimate and Evaluation System
PAY - Contract Invoice Tracking
WARP - Cost Estimate Generation
ACT - ARCS Contract Tracking
RODS - Record of Decisions System
PA/SI3 - Preliminary Assessment Site Investigation Tracking
ERNS - Emergency Response Notification System
CR-ERNS - Continuous Release Emergency Response Notif. Sys.
EPCRA Enforcement Database
ROIS - Region 3 Operations Information System (UST)
62
-------
ATTIC - Alternative Treatment Technology Information
SETS - Site Enforcement Tracking System
HAZARD - Hazardous Waste Superfund Collection Database
NPList - NPL Document Retrieval System
Pesticides and Toxic Substances Databases
FTTS - FIFRA and TSCA Tracking System
SSTS - Section Seven Tracking System
NPIRS - National Pesticide Information Registration System
PIN - Pesticide Information Network
Pesticide Use Surveys
EDRS - Enforcement Docket Retrieval System
Pesticide Monitoring Inventory
PPIS - Pesticide Product Information System
PADS - PCS Activity Data System
ETS - EPCRA Targeting System
Water Databases
STORET - Storage and Retrieval of Water Quality Information
PCS - Permit Compliance System
GICS - Grant Information and Control System
305(b) - Waterbody System
304(1) - Section 304(1) Facility Tracking System
NEEDS - Needs Survey
FRDS - Federal Reporting Data System
UICTS - Underground Injection Control Tracking System
Ground Water Compendium
WETS - Wetlands Enforcement Tracking System
ODES - Ocean Data Evaluation System
104(g) - Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Training Database
Ground Water Protection System
AQUIRE - Aquatic Toxicity Information Retrieval
Regional Counsel Databases
DOCKET - Enforcement Docket
Penalty Tracking System
LEXIS
Sguare Note
External Affairs Databases
FOIA - Freedom of Information Act Tracking System
Region III Radio Stations
EPA Region III Mailing List
CIS Data Systems
DLG - Digital Line Graph
GIRAS - USGS Land Use Database
Dun & Bradstreet - Business Addresses
DEM - Digital Elevation Model
DIME/TIGER - Census Boundaries
Soils Mapping
GRIDS - Geographic Resources and Information System
63
-------
Financial and Contract Management Systems
IFMS - Integrated Financial Management System
EPAYS - EPA Payroll System
MATS - Management Audit Tracking System
Automated Management Control Plan
Superfund Tracking System
FSR List
IAG List
64
-------
Region III Participants
General Databases
FINDS
IRIS
Multi~Media Databases
TRIS
IDEA
System 33/50
FFTS
Chesapeake Bay Federal
Facility Tracking System
NEPA Tracking System
PIES
Air Databases
AIRS
Radon Database
NADB
ARTD Outreach Tracking
SAMS
Hazardous Waste Databases
RCRIS (HWDMS)
RCRA Non-Notifiers System
EATS
BRS
CERCLIS/WasteLAN
PAY
ACT
RODS
PAIS3
ERNS
CR-ERNS
EPCRA Enforcement Database
ROIS
ATTIC
SETS
HAZARD
NPList
Chuck Perritt
Israel Milner
Kurt Eisner
Larry Merrill
Bill Reilly
Larry Teller
Neil Swanson
Leon Poeske
Nancy Grundahl
Betty Harris
Frank Coyle
Dave Campbell
Ellen Jacobs
Raymond Forde
Gmerice Wilson
Janemarie Newton
Rita Tate
Grace Hanrahan
Regina Pope
Rob Hefferman
Jim Clark
Paul Leonard
Hank Sokolowski
Josie Matsinger
Carol Oleksiak
Stephanie Branch
Rose Nino
Paul Leonard
Maxine Booker
Diane McCreary
Diane McCreary
Pesticides and Toxic Substances Databases
FTTS
SSTS
NPIRS
PIN
PPIS
PADS
Don Lott, Renee Duncan
Don Lott, Renee Duncan
Don Lott, Renee Duncan
Don Lott, Renee Duncan
Don Lott, Renee Duncan
Don Lott, Renee Duncan
65
-------
ETS Kurt Eisner
Water Databases
STORET Chuck Kanetsky
PCS Edna Jones
GICS Brenda Kidd
305(b) Maggie Passmore
304(1) Tom Henry
NEEDS Tom Maher
FRDS Charlotte Dennis
UICTS Karen Johnson
Ground Water Compendium Patricia Iraci
WETS Jeff Lapp
ODES Bill Muir
104(g) Jim Kern
AQUIRE Susan McDowell
Regional Counsel Databases
DOCKET Sue Canning
Penalty Tracking System Sue Canning
External Affairs
FOIA Rich Van Hoist
66
-------
RELEVANT ENVIRONMENTAL STATUTES
CAA Clean Air Act, 1990
CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act
CWA Clean Water Act
EPCRA Section 313 of SARA, Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-know Act, 1986
FIFRA Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act,
1976
Marine and Estuaries Research and Protection Act
NEPA National Environmental Protection Act, 1980
Pollution Prevention Act, 1990
RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 1976
SARA Superfund Ammendments and Reauthorization Act
SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act, 1978
SWDA Solid Waste Disposal Act
TSCA Toxic Substance Control Act, 1976
67
------- |