MAJOR EPA INFORMATION SYSTEMS
USING
DATA PROVIDED PY STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES
for discussion at the
meeting of the
EPA/STATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
March 26, 1985
Dallas, Texas
Protection
N
-------
MAJOR EPA INFORMATION SYSTEMS
using
DATA PROVIDED BY STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES
AIR INFORMATION SYSTEMS
0 Storage and Retrieval of
Aerometric Data System (SAROAD)
Compliance Data System (CDS)
0 National Emissions Data System (NEDS)
WATER INFORMATION SYSTEMS
0 Storage and Retrieval of
Water Quality Data (STORET)
ambient air quality data
compliance status and
enforcement activities
re: facilities emitting
air pollution
.estimated emissions
of criteria air
pollutants
0 Permits Compliance System (PCS)
Federal Reporting Data System {PROS!
.ambient water quality
data and data on fa-
cilities discharging
pollutants into water
bodies
.permit and discharge
information on facilit-
regulated under the
National Pollution
Discharge Elimination
System program
•information on quality
of drinking water and
violations of drinking
water standards at
specific public water
supply systems
SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
0 Hazardous Waste Data Management
System (HWDMS)
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Informa-
tion System (CERCLIS)
i information on generators
transporters, treaters,
storers, and disposers
of waste regulated under
the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act
•information on maragerent
and cleanup actions
at hazardous waste sites
or E P a
s
*- -' .-.»• a 1 0>--
•it
-------
-2-
PESTICIDES AND TOXIC SUBSTANCES
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
and TSCA Enforcement
Systems ( FATES )
.information on compli
rates and enforcement
activities associated
with facilities that
produce and distrihut-
pesticides and toxic
chemicals and with
improper use of pesti
and toxic chemicals
ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
0 Grants Information and Control
System (GICS)
.information on use
of funds for construe
tion grants, program
and research grants,
and interagency
ments
-------
3/7/85
STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL OF AEROMETRIC DATA SYSTEM (SAROAD)
PURPOSE:
SOURCE OF
DATA:
DATA IN
SYSTEM:
-4
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY;
ACCESS:
To provide automated storage and retrieval
of ambient air quality data for Federal managers,
Data comes from a network of almost 6000
State and Local Air Monitoring Stations
(SLAMS) and National Air Monitoring Stations
(NAMS) operated by State/local air pollution
control agencies.
States are required to submit SLAMS/NAMS
data quarterly. Most States submit data
through batch processing on a monthly basis;
the data is edited and updated by Regions
personnel monthly and sent to EPA HO by
mail; a few States and Regions can send data
diretly by teleprocessing. A few other
States use EPA's UNIVAC to operate their own
systems, and make that data available to EPA,
SAROAD contains information on:
1) Parameters, including information on the
pollutant and meterological data items
measured, along with methods of collection
and sample analysis used.
2) Sampling sites and descriptive information
about the sites.
3) Air quality data.
0 Can handle data preparation, validation,
and retrieval of aerometric information
from the States and territories.
0 Is capable of processing data on a quarterly
or monthly basis.
0 Has mapping and graphics capability.
States do not have access to SAROAD data.
-------
SAROAD
-2-
3/7/85
CURRENT USE
PROBLEMS:
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS:
EPA SPONSOR:
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
EPA Headquarters and Regional offices use
SAROAD to access ambient air quality data,
as required for analysis and other needs.
EPA Headquarters Air office uses to develop
annual publications on pollutants by monitoring
site and on trends.
0 SAROAD data can not be easily integrated for
analysis with other air data systems
storing emissions (NEDS) or compliance
(CDS) information.
0 States can't access SAROAD and, as a
result, have no incentive to provide high
quality, timely data to EPA.
0 SAROAD is not a user friendly system;
input and use are difficult.
0 Can not store comments on data.
0 SAROAD data are on an obsolete EPA
computer (UNIVAC).
0 Software requires very experienced operators.
0 EPA is reviewing whether the Agency can
develop a new information system, AIRS,
that would provide States with direct
access to ambient, emissions, and compliance
data now located in SAROAD, NEDS, and CDS.
0 SAROAD is being converted to EPA's IBM 3081
mainframe.
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Systems Manager: John Bosch
National system operates on EPA's UNIVAC 1110
mainframe. Regional offices perform data
entry and report production by signing on
to the UNIVAC.
-------
3/7/85
PURPOSE;
SOURCE OF
DATA:
DATA IN
SYSTEM:
DATA ACCESS:
Compliance Data System (CDS)
To provide Federal and State air program
managers information on compliance status and
enforcement activities related to facilities
subject to Federal and State air emission reg-
ulations for New Source Performance Standards
(NSPS), State Implementation Plans (SIPs), and
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air
Pollutants (NESHAPS).
Facilities' emission limitations are contained
in permits maintained by State and local air
pollution agencies; State and local agency
staff conduct inspections of facilities'
compliance with these limitations and then
report their findings to Regional offices.
0 States send data to Regional Offices peri-
odically (generally quarterly); they can
submit electronically, on computer files,
or on manually coded forms.
0 Regional staff load the manually submitted
data from the States into their CDS system.
0 ID information on facilities required to
meet air emisison regulations (e.g., name,
address)
0 Inspection schedules
0 Violations
0 Compliance status and schedules
0 Enforcement actions (e.g., administrative
orders, penalties)
9 Legal actions (e.g., DOJ referrals, Civil/
criminal cases)
States can access CDS directly through tele-
communiation lines or through links to
Regional computers.
Several States that have their own management
information systems use a converter program
to reformat data to meet CDS input specifica-
-------
CDS
-2-
3/7/85
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY:
tions, with very little interaction with
Regions.
Regional Offices obtain reports through
their own mini-computers.
EPA's Headquarters Air program staff use
terminals at Headquarters to access the CDS
system directly.
Produces
charts:
a variety of reports, graphs, and
CURRENT USE:
0 "Quick look" reports, listing the name,
address and compliance status of facilities.
0 Source data reports containing compliance
status information and enforcement action
information for specific sources.
e Milestone reports showing the number of
emission points by compliance status for
the States within a Region and for the
Region as a whole.
0 Summary reports of enforcement actions taken
by States and Regions, type of action in all
air quality control Regions (AOCRs).
9 Reports summarizing the compliance status
and enforcement actions for selected facilities
0 Special reports in "prevention of significant
deterioration" (PSD) showing the status of
facilities undergoing the permit
associated with PSD regulations.
review steps
25 to 30 States use CDS.
EPA uses CDS to track the compliance status
of industries subject to EPA air emissions
and planning requirements.
EPA Headquarters staff use CDS to report to
the Deputy Administrator on items tracked in
EPA's accountability report.
-------
CDS
-3-
3/7/85
PROBLEMS:
0 While EPA Headquarters thinks the quality of
data in CDS good, timeliness of information
in CDS can be a problem. Some States report
information on a quarterly basis. This
lag between available and actual information
at any given time is considered too long by
some users.
0 Cannot easily cross-reference information in
CDS with related ambient and enforcement infor-
mation in SAROAD or NEDS.
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS:
EPA SPONSOR:
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
0 CDS has been modified to maintain "continuous
emissions monitoring" (CEM) data. The GEM
subset provides users with quarterly reports
of excess emissions.
0 EPA plans to more actively promote use of
CDS by all the States.
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAOP'
System Manager: Howard Wright
0 National system operates on EPA IBM 3081
mainframe. Regional Offices have their own
CDS versions on PDP-11/70 minicomputers.
0 Six States directly access CDS; States that use
their own systems use a converter program
to send data to CDS.
COBOL.
Software is written in
-------
3/7/85
DATA SOURCE:
National Emissions Data System (NEDS)
PURPOSE: To provide Federal air pollution program
managers information on estimated emissions
of criteria air pollutants from facilities
subject to compliance with provisions of the
Clean Air Act (CAA).
As a requirement of the Clean Air Act,
States are required to obtain emissions
information from the approximately 55,000
industrial and municipal facilities regu-
lated under the Act. Most of this information
is reported to the States by the facilities
themselves; States also get emissions informa-
tion from operating or construction permits,
emission inventories, and other activities.
8 State air agencies annually submit estimated
emissions information on the facilities in
their jurisdiction to EPA Regional offices.
Most States have automated systems they
use to prepare computer tapes of this
. data; other States send hard copy reports
to the Region.
0 Regional staff edit State tapes/data, do
quality checks, and then notify Headquarters
to update the NEDS master file.
DATA IN SYSTEM;
Emissions data on each of the five criteria
pollutants (particulates, SOx, NOx, CO, and
reactive volatile organic compounds (VOO).
Emissions estimates are provided for:
0 Point sources, i.e., stationary sources
large enough to be identified and tracked
individually. These are generally plants
with actual emissions of more than 100
tons/year are of the 5 criteria pollutants.
0 Area sources, i.e., stationary and mobile
sources which individually emit less
than 100 tons/year and are too small and
too numerous to keep individual records
on. Area sources are reported collectively
on a county basis (e.g., automobiles by
county).
-------
3/7/85
NEDS
-2-
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITIES:
ACCESS TO DATA:
0 Generation of overall point source/area
source data.
0 Development of estimates on emission of
each of the criteria pollutants regulated
under the CAA for a specific facility or
other source.
0 Generation of various reports, ranging
from listings of individual point and
area sources to summary reports which
aggregrate data in a variety of ways or
condense the data from many sources into
one report.
0 Numerous selection and sorting criteria
available for reports processing.
0 States do not have direct access to NEDS
data, with the exception of a few States
that have a computer link,
0 Regions and EPA HQ access NEDS in two ways
- batch capability
- interactive retrieval
CURRENT USE:
0 EPA Headquarters uses to store and retrieve
data on area sources.
• EPA HO uses NEDS data for supporting acid
rain research.
0 Determine national air emissions trends.
PROBLEMS:
0 Quality of data poor.
0 Data not reported by States in a timely
way, or kept updated; they do not have
access to it once they report it, so they
have no incentive to ensure good data.
0 Cannot handle emissions data for lead,
inhalable particulates (PMio>» air toxics,
or acid deposition precursors other than SOX
and NOX. (There is an auxiliary system
for lead data.)
0 System is housed on a obsolete computer.
0 Extremely difficult to cross-reference
with air systems containing ambient (PAROAD)
-------
NEDS
3/7/85
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS:
EPA SPONSOR:
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
or compliance (CDS) data.
* Very limited ability to store comments on
data.
0 No ability to accommodate additional data
States may want to put in.
0 Software requires very experienced operators.
EPA is considering developing a new system
under ADABASE (AIRS), although budget restrictions
may preclude this.
Updating of NEDS is under consideration.
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Systems Manager: Charles Mann
National system operates on EPA's UNIVAC
1110 mainframe, using COBOL.
-------
3/7/85
Storage and Retrieval of Water Ouality Data (STORET)
PURPOSE:
SOURCE OF DATA:
To provide EPA Federal/ State, and local
water pollution control officials with
capability for automated storage, retrieval,
and analysis of ambient water quality data,
including levels of conventional and toxic
pollutants in water and sediment, and in
plants and animals found in the water.
State water quality officials operate water
quality monitoring programs, including operating
networks of water quality sampling stations,
conducting intensive stream surveys, and
evaluating biological quality. The data
from field and laboratory analyses are
collected by State/local officials or con-
tractors, and submitted to STORET either
directly or through Regional offices.
The STORET system also contains data on
facilities discharging into U.S. water bodies.
States can submit data by:
0 Keypunching data onto cards and transmitting
via a card reading terminal
0 Entering data via a low-speed keyboard
terminal (batch or interactive) or, in
one State, a personal computer
0 Entering data by mailing tapes to EPA Headquarters
DATA IN SYSTEM:
0 Water monitoring station and sample
identification data, which describes and
categorizes the type ( fish tissue, sec-
tional, facility, well) and geographical
and hydrological location where a sample
was taken and the conditions under which a
sample was taken (e.g., fish tissue or
facility sample taken on a certain date,
at a certain time, using specific sampling
techniques, and in water of a certain
depth)?
0 Parametric data which shows the results of
the field observations or laboratory
analyses.
-------
3/7/85
STORET
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY:
ACCESS TO DATA:
CURRENT USE;
0 Tabular listings of data values, statistical
summaries of parameter values, environmental
mapping, and a number of graphical displays.
0 Interactive retrieval procedures that
provide listings of individual data values
for specific sites, and summaries and
plots of such values.
0 Numerous water quality monitoring station
selection options including:
- choosing areas of interest by latitude/
longitude coordinates,
- selection by State and county
- selection by hydorlogic basin, or by
river segment by type of monitoring
sites: water, sediment, fish, well,
facility.
0 State/local and Federal officials have
direct and interactive access to STORET
through the use of high and low speed
terminals.
0 Principal uses are:
- Establishment of water quality baselines
- Analysis of trends
- Determination of impacts of municipal
and industrial discharges into the Nation's
waters
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of
pollution abatement efforts
- Preparation of reports to Congress
- Development of environmental impact
statements
- The setting and revision of standards
and criteria and the writing of permits
for effluent discharge
-------
3/7/85
STORET
mm "3 mm.
PROBLEMS:
- Reporting violations of established
water quality standards
- Providing graphic displays (such as
station location displays, which
illustrate monitoring coverage
over a selected geographical area)
- Generation of waste load allocations
- Support for EPA's basic water monitoring
program
0 Other activities/analyses supported include:
- Ground water monitoring
- Pretreatment analysis
- Fisheries protection
- Water rights compliance
- Shellfish protection
- Urban and non-point source runoff
- Acid rain
- Underground injection control
- Acid mine drainage
Principal users are:
- EPA Headquarters and Regional offices
- State Water Quality Agencies
- U.S. Forest Service
- U.S. Army Corpos of Engineers
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Numerous local, regional, interstate and
private organizations
0 Quality of some data in the system is not
adequately specified by persons inputting
data
0 Necessary to learn IBM's Timesharing Option
(TSO) to gain access for batch processing,
although this is not the case for interactive
communication
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS:
0 The Office of Water has formed a workgroup
of Headquarters, Regional, and State staff
to work on ways to improve the ability to
integrate information systems containing
water quality and related data.
-------
3/7/85
STORET
-4-
0 EPA will modify STORET to expand record
key to accomodate data from various inedia.
0 EPA has modified input procedures to
allow users to do more advanced analysis
of water quality data.
0 EPA will build interfaces to other
water databases such as the Office
of Water's Industrial Discharge Pile;
STORET will provide a single source
for access to water quality and related
data.
SPA SPONSOR:
0 EPA will operate a clearinghouse function
for user-written programs and routines to
provide another tool for the pooling and
sharing of data and analyses.
Office of Water Regulations and Standards
System Manager: Edmund M. Notzon
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
National system operates on EPA's IBM 3081
mainframe. Regional, State, and other users
access STORET via IBM's Timesharing Option
(TSO) or WYLBUR terminal command language.
-------
3/7/85
PERMIT COMPLIANCE SYSTEM (PCS)
PURPOSE:
SOURCE OF
DATA:
DATA IN
SYSTEM:
To provide capability for automated storage,
retrieval, and analysis by Federal and State
managers of permit and discharge information on
facilities regulated under the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program
administered by EPA's Office of Water.
Reports submitted to State and EPA authorities
by the more than 65,000 industrial and municipal
facilities that have permits under the NPDES
program. Facilities must sample effluent on a
daily, weekly, or monthly basis and then regu-
larly report the monitoring results to State
or EPA authorities, depending on their delegation
status.
0 14 States with NPDES delegation enter data
into PCS themselves:
— Dial-up Regional minicomputer and enter
using interactive software
— Dial-up EPA National Computer Center (NCC)
to enter data in batch mode or interactive
mode
0 Regions are required to perform coding for
balance of delegated States and for non-
delegated States.
0 Identification information for industrial
and municipal facilities with NPDES permits
0 Outfall and limits data from NPDES permits
0 Effluent data from monthly Discharge Monitoring
Reports (DMRs) submitted by NPDES permittees
0 State and EPA inspection data
0 Compliance schedules and violations
0 Enforcement actions and dates
-------
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY:
DATA ACCESS:
CURRENT USE
PROBLEMS;
PCS
-2-
3/7/85
0 Identification of effluent, compliance schedule,
and DMR reporting violations.
0 Generation of standard and ad hoc reports,
including:
— Quarterly Non-Compliance Report (ONCR)
— Compliance Schedule Forecast Report showing
events and dates for compliance actions
— Limit Summary Report listing discharge
limits by facility for each NPDES parameter
— Quicklook and Milestone Reports which
allow users to retrieve and tally information
in PCS
0 INQUIRY retrieval capability which allows
users to perform interactive queries.
0 PCS ADABAS data entry which allows users to
perform interactive data entry.
0 User documentation and support for training
and technical assistance.
0 States access PCS to retrieve data by submitting
batch or interactive requests to NCC.
0 Some States request hard copy reports from
EPA Regions.
0 EPA Regions and Direct State users maintain
at a minimum identification and inspection
information for all NPDES permittees.
* Regions and States use as program management
too and to report required data to EPA Head-
quarters.
* EPA HO uses PCS for reports to Agency management
and Congress re: NPDES program.
0 Some information is incomplete.
* Unable to store daily effluent limits, main-
tains only monthly average for each parameter;
some users need daily values for permit
writing and enforcement actions.
-------
PCS
-3-
3/7/85
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS;
0 Conversion to EPA standard Data Base Management
System (ADABAS) just completed? is to provide
improved data entry and reporting, additional
tracking capabilities.
a EPA preparing clear policy re: PCS use that
should address major data quality issues
(completeness and timeliness).
0 National Municipal Policy tracking will be in
PCS by end of PY 85.
EPA SPONSOR:
Office of Water Enforcement and Permits (OWEP)
System Manager: Dela Ng
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
National system operates on EPA IBM 3081
mainframe using ADABAS data base management
software
Regional minicomputer data entry software
operates on DEC 11/70 minicomputers
Remote users (Regions and States) access system
by means of dial-up service through Tyranet and
Telenet public data networks
-------
3/7/85
PURPOSE OF
SYSTEM:
SOURCE OF
DATA:
DATA IN
STEM:
•V, -.
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY:
Federal Reporting Data System (FPDS)
To provide Federal managers with a centralized
data base of information on public water
supply system {PWSSs) to assist them in their
program oversight responsibilities.
Public water supply systems must regularly
monitor the quality of their drinking water
and report that quality to State agencies.
When a violation occurs, State agencies
periodically (each quarter) report these
violations to EPA.
0 25 States use EPA's Model States Information
System (MSIS) to maintain data on their
Public Water Supply programs. These States
transmit the data quarterly (via direct
telecommunication or magnetic tape) to the
Region, which performs a quality control
check and forwards it to EPA which updates
FRDS. Several other States have their own
software package and either send hardcopy
reports (generated from their system) to the
Region or automatically send reports to FRDS
using a converter program.
0 The remaining States send hardcopy reports
to the Region, which enters the data in FRDS,
0 Facility identification information for each
PWSS, including identification number,
location (e.g., latitude/longitude), owner,
water source, type of treatment provided,
plant type, and any variances granted.
0 Violations data describing the type, severity
and date of violation.
0 Enforcement information (e.g., type, date,
status).
0 Provides lists of all
compliance status.
active PWSSs and their
-------
3/7/85
FRDS
-2-
DATA ACCESS:
CURRENT USE!
PROBLEMS:
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS:
0 Creates charts summarizing the regulated
community (e.g., percent of population
served, average size of each type of PWSS,
violations by county or State).
0 Provides tables showing status of systems
(e.g., violations by type of violation,
disposition of violations).
o provides summaries of all enforcement
actions, highlighting those which have
not been resolved.
0 Each State may access FRDS using an online,
interactive retrieval package.
0 Headquarters and Regional staff access the
system directly using the same online
retrieval software as the States.
0 Headquarters uses FRDS to evaluate the
performance of each Region in overseeing the
State programs. Headquarters also uses the
system to prepare information for Congress
and to develop summaries for SPMS reporting.
0 The Regions use FRDS to assess the performance
of each delegated State (e.g., ensure that the
State takes timely and appropriate compliance
actions against facilities with major problems.
Regions provide copies of FRDS reports to
their States.
0 A few States (7-8) directly use the capabilities
of FRDS to assist them in managing their
responsibilities.
-° The system maintains data by individual
Federal fiscal year beginning with FY 79.
Some managers have indicated they need the
capability to compare information from one
quarter with the same information from the
prior year. At present, they may have to
perform multiple retrievals from FRDS to get
this information.
0 ODW is modifying FRDS to allow it to constantly
maintain data for a minimum of 5 Federal
fiscal years in order to allow users to more
easily analyze compliance trends and target
inspections.
-------
3/7/85
FRDS
EPA SPONSOR:
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
Office of Drinking Water
System Manager: Larry Weiner
National system operates on EPA's IBM 3081.
The application uses the System 2000 data base
management system.
-------
3/7/85
HAZARDOUS WASTE DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (HWDMS)
PURPOSE:
To provide Federal and State managers with
automated systems capability for managing
facilities regulated under the Resource Conser-
vation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which regulates
generators, transporters, treaters, storers,
and disposers of hazardous waste.
SOURCE OF
DATA:
All companies that generate, transport
treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste
are required to submit information to the
State environmental agencies or EPA Regional
offices responsible for RCRA.
The data in HWDMS is collected by State or
Federal officials, depending upon which
government level is authorized responsibi-
lity for the RCRA program. With the excep-
tion of seven States, the data is sent to
the EPA Region where regional staff or
their contractors enter the data into the
system. The seven remaining States enter
data directly into HWDMS using the EPA
regional minicomputers from terminals locateo
in the State offices.
DATA IN SYSTEM:
Facility level data including facility loca-
tion, mailing, owner and operator names and
addresses; geographic information on the
location of the facility; SIC codes.
Waste process design type and capacity
available at the facility, and the types of
wastes actually processed as reported by
facilities on their RCRA Notification
Forms and Part A, Permit Applications.
Action-events in the Part B permitting pro-
cess; financial management data; closure/
post-closure actions; and ground-water
monitoring actions.
Compliance and enforcement data related to
compliance monitoring and enforcement actions
that do not involve litigation. (Actions
involving litigation are tracked when they
-------
HWDMS
-2-
3/7/85
are filed and completed; civil and criminal
actions are tracked in more detail in a
system called DOCKET).
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY:
HWDMS provides the following functional sup-
port to EPA Headquarters program offices,
Regions, and States:
0 inventory of facilities regulated by RCRA.
0 RCRA Notification and Part A Permit Appli-
cation processing support.
0 Management tracking capabilities for the
Part B permitting process, RCRA ground-
water monitoring actions, financial manage-
ment reporting, closure/post-closure
requirements, and compliance monitoring
and enforcement actions.
DATA ACCESS:
Seven States access HWDMS to enter data
directly.
Regional Offices directly access the system
and print HWDMS reports locally.
EPA Headquarters staff can access HWDMS
using terminals in the EPA Headquarters
Office.
CURRENT USE:
Data collected in HWDMS is used to produce
reports for EPA Headquarters, Regions and
States that track permitting, ground-water
monitoring, and compliance monitoring and
enforcement actions. Includes summary report.
statistical studies and various types of
facility listings.
EPA Headquarters uses the system as a primary
source of data for management of the RCRA
program, to include program planning, budget-
ing, and resource distribution.
The Regions use the system in their day to
day management of the RCRA prgram. (Many of
the states would like to use the system in
the same manner.)
-------
HWDMS
-3-
3/7/R5
PROBLEMS:
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS
EPA SPONSOR:
Regions and Headquarters use HWDMS to
respond to Freedom of Information Act
requests.
HWDMS was designed and developed to support
one aspect of the RCRA program, i.e., the
Notification and Part A permit processes.
However, the system has been modified over
the years to provide various types of support
for which it was never intended. Requirements
of the system have changed constantly as the
RCRA program matured. The net result is a
very large, complex System 2000 (S2K) data
base attempting to serve the different types
of information needs for the different levels
of users — aggregate information that allows
Headquarters to perform its oversight functio?
more detailed information on a facility-speci
basis for Regions and States, etc.
Because of changes to the system, its comple.
ity, and personnel turnover in the Regions,
there is a serious training need. There is
a very limited number of users who really
understand the capabilities and operation of
the system.
The System 2000 (S2K) data base query langua
is not very easy to use, especially with a
very large, complex system such as HWDMS.
System modifications are planned to allow re-
porting of FY85 compliance monitoring and
enforcement data.
The HWDMS Version 5 and Version 6 data
structures are to be merged to provide
capabilities Regions need for daily program
management and those Headquarters needs
for oversight reporting.
The development of an extensive edit capabili
for operation on EPA's IBM mainframe to
allow States to submit their RCRA State
reporting data in machine readable form is
planned.
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
System Manager: Steve Levy
-------
HWDMS
-4-
3/7/85
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
The system operates on EPA's IBM 3081 main-
frame. There are ten physically separate
System 2000 (S2K) data bases, one for each
Region.
Data entry software was written in INFORM
and operates on the Region PDF 11/70 mini-
computer. The ten S2K data bases are
consolidated weekly using IDMS input/output:
capabilities and EPA-developed Relational
Data System (RDS) software to consolidate
the data into one large National data base.
-------
3/7/85
COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE,
COMPENSATION, AND LIABILITY INFORMATION SYSTEM (CERCLIS)
****
formerly the
EMERGENCY AND REMEDIAL RESPONSE INFORMATION SYSTEM (ERRIS)
and the
PROJECT TRACKING SYSTEM (PTS)
PURPOSE:
SOURCE OF
DATA:
DATA IN
SYSTEM:
To provide EPA Headquarters and Regional Superfund
managers with an automated inventory of abandoned
and inactive, or uncontrolled, hazardous waste
sites. CERCLIS also provides the capability for
storing and retrieving information on management
and cleanup actions under way at these sites.
The data in CERCLIS is the data collected by State
and Federal officials and reported as part of
hazardous waste site identification and cleanup
activities.
Regional offices evaluate and enter all data with
the exception of some financial data, which is
entered by Headquarters staff.
CERCLIS was developed by modifying the software
for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Res-
ponse's Emergency and Remedial Response Information
System (ERRIS) and the Project Tracking System
(PTS). The CERCLA enhancement will allow inte-
grated analysis of both sets of information.
ERRIS and PTS are operating now; CERCLIS will
replace these systems by the end of March.
0 Identification and location of uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites
0 Planned milestones for cleanup and progress
against those milestones
0 Cost of cleanup
0 Descriptive data
0 Region-specific data
-------
CERCLIS
-2-
3/7/85
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY:
0 CERCLIS allows generation of a variety of
standard reports including:
- site and alias name and location listings
- site descriptive listings
- event description listings
- event schedule listings
- financial listings
- site and event statistical reports
0 An ad-hoc query capability is also provided for
those users who are familiar with the S2K natural
language capability.
DATA
ACCESS:
CURRENT USE:
PROBLEMS:
0 States do not have direct access to EPRIS/PTS
and will not have direct access to CEFCLIS.
0 OSWER staff in Headquarters can access the
system directly.
0 Regional office staff can also access the
system directly. Standard reports and the
results of ad hoc queries are printed locally
in each Regional office.
0 Reports and machine readable files from the
system are available to State and other
outside users on request.
0 Regional and Headquarters staff produce standard
reports for Headquarters and Regional office
managers for program planning, management,
evaluation, and external reporting.
0 Regional office staff produce special reports
for use in their Regions.
Superfund program is relatively new (Dec., 1Q80)
and is still evolving. Headquarters use of the
system differs from regional needs in some
areas. Therefore, active regional participation,
which is required to assure data quality and
completeness, is often lacking.
-------
CERCLIS
-3-
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS;
EPA SPONSOR;
CERCLIS will have additional data and
capabilities which ERRIS and PTS have lacked,
including:
0 An identifier for sites where dioxin is present.
0 The capability to include other than remedial
event information.
0 Reports combining site level and program/event
level data.
0 Multiple occurances of the same event type
(remedial removal, enforcement, etc.) for a
site and multiple occurrences of the same
event type (preliminary assessment, feasibility
study, etc.) for any given program.
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, OSWER
System. Manager: Terry Overson
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
National system operates on EPA's IBM 3081 main-
frame and uses the S2K database management softwar*-
Regional and Headquarters offices perform data
entry on POP 11/70 mini computers. Data entry
software on the minicomputers was written and
operates in INFORM.
-------
3/7/35
FIFRA and TSCA Enforcement Systems (FATES)
PURPOSE: To provide Federal managers automated capability
to store and retrieve available State and Federal
information on establishments that produce
pesticides, and information on compliance
rates and enforcement activities associated
with the Federal Insecticides, Fungicides,
and Rodenticides Act (FIFRA), which regulates
production and distribution of pesticides,
and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
DATA SOURCE:
DATA IN
SYSTEM:
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY;
State agencies responsible for monitoring
compliance with pesticide use regulations
submit hard copy reports on enforcement
actions they have taken to the Regional
offices, which then enter data into mini-
computers for transmission to EPA Headquarters.
0 List of pesticide-producing establishments,
identifying parent company and types and
amounts of products manufactured annually.
0 Results of FIFRA and TSCA inspections and
data on samples taken.
0 Status of FIFRA and TSCA enforcement actions
0 For States with which EPA has cooperative
agreements, projections and accomplishments
for inspections, enforcement actions, and
certifications.
0 Is a single integrated repository of data
on enforcement actions related to pesticides
and toxic substances.
0 Produces lists of pesticide-producing
establishments, identifying parent company
and types and amounts of products manufactured
0 Produces list of inspections, including name
of site and types of samples taken.
" Compares projections vs accomplishments for
enforcement and certification.
-------
3/7/85
FATES
0 Lists enforcement cases, showing type of
response, responsible party, case milestones,
and samples involved.
8 Provides compliance histories for specific
companies or establishments, listing all
prior inspections, samples, violations, and
enforcement actions.
0 Generates, for specific States, a comparison
of enforcement and certification projections
and accomplishments.
DATA ACCESS:
CURRENT USE:
PROBLEMS:
PLANNED
ENHANCEMENTS ;
0 States do not have access to FATES.
0 Regional Offices request reports through
their minicomputers. In EPA Headquarters,
OPTS staff use a terminal at Headquarters
to access the system directly.
0 Limited use by Headquarters and Regional
office pesticides and toxic substances staff
to develop specific reports.
0 There are serious problems with data quality
and timeliness of updates.
0 System is difficult to use, so it is not
frequently used.
0 Reports do not meet some Regional needs.
0 States do not have access to FATES.
0 User support is in some cases inadequate.
0 The reporting format was recently modified
to make the system's output more useful to
OPTS in preparing HO accountability reports.
0 EPA is working to eliminate technical problems
that have damaged portions of the data base,
rendering much of the data suspect.
0 Efforts to promote increased Regional Office
use of FATES are planned.
-------
PATES
3/7/85
0 OPTS has determined that it may be necessary
to redesign FATES or even create a new system
better suited to the needs of all users,
including States.
EPA SPONSOR:
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE:
Office of Compliance Monitoring, Office of
Pesticides and Toxic Substances
System Manager: John Martin
0 National System operates on EPA IBM 3081
mainframe.
9 Regional data entry and report production
operates on PDP 11/70 minicomputers using
IDMS data base management software.
-------
3/7/85
GRANTS INFORMATION AND CONTROL SYSTEM (GIGS)
PURPOSE:
To provide EPA and State managers with automated
storage and retrieval of information on EPA and
State use of grant funds for construction grants,
program and research grants, and Interagency
Agreements to enable them to monitor award and
use of those funds.
SOURCES
OP DATA:
DATA IN
SYSTEM:
FUNCTIONAL
CAPABILITY;
The Grants Information and Control System contains
three types of information:
° Construct ion Grants - GICS information on
construction grants is based on the information
States provide as part of the construction
grant priority lists on grant application and
award forms and various other documents. The
Regions and States enter information into the
GICS system.
0 Prog ram and Research Gran ts- Regional offices
enterprogram grant information into GICS using
information on grant application and award
forms; EPA Headquarters enters information on
research grants.
0 Interagency Agreement^- Information is entered
by EPA Headquarters using research grant
award forms.
0 Comprehensive information concerning all EPA
grants and interagency agreements administered
through EPA Headquarters and Regional offices.
" Identification of prospective projects, grant
applications, and funded projects.
0 Tracking of Regional milestones for the
management of the construction grant program.
* National updates are run twice per week.
There is also a daily update option which a
Region can run between the national updates.
0 More than 900 Regional/state-specific data
elements and functional capabilities which
support local grant and project activities.
-------
ACCESS
TO DATA:
CURRENT
USE:
PROBLEMS;
FUTURE
ENHANCEMENTS:
EPA SPONSOR:
HARDWARE/
SOFTWARE :
GIGS
-2-
3/7/85
0 Customized data entry software or local update
packages in the Regions.
States, Regions, and Headquarters access
the data in GIGS.
0 EPA Headquarters and Regional office, and
State staff use GICS to monitor award of
grants and use of funds.
0 Headquarters staff use GICS to develop
reports to senior EPA managers, the Congress,
the Office of Management and Budget, and the
public.
0 On-line data entry capability is not
available to all Regions and States.
0 Users want daily updates? this capability
is not available.
0 Users want the system to be flexible enough
to allow them to add data elements that are
unique to their management needs.
0 No on-line data retrieval capability;
batch retrieval only.
0 GICS will be converted to the ADABASE data
base management system during FY '85 and '86
to allow on-line retrieval, on-line data
editing (with batch updating) and, also,
distributed data entry via personal computers.
0 GICS has recently been modified to enable
it to handle a multi-million dollar program
for asbestos abatement in schools.
Grants Administration Division, Office of Administrai
Systems Manager: Harvey Pippen
The National system operates on EPA's IBM 3081
mainframe. Regional offices and State agencies
access the system by using minicomputers {e.g.,
PDF 11/70's) and terminals.
------- |