Electronic Data DeliverablesiThe Importance of
Receiving Your Site and Project Data Electronically
Note: This appendix to the Ground Water Forum's fact sheet, "Electronic Data Deliverables: The Im-
portance of Receiving Your Site and Project Data Electronically," provides supplemental information.
What to request in electronic data deliverables (EDD)
Data generated by or submitted to the Agency need to be in a format that is universally accepted by
most database or image processing software. Numerical data can be submitted in a text (comma or tab
delimited) or similar file format. Image files can be submitted in a PDF, JPG, GIF, or similar file format.To
the extent possible, a non-proprietary format for electronic data submissions is preferred to ensure that
the data can be read not only today but in the future, and not be tied to specific vendors or subcontractors.
Note that individual Regions or programs may have more specific EDD specifications. Consequently,
agencies or contractors submitting EDDs to EPA need to consult with their EPA project manager regarding
the required EDD file format.
How Electronic Data are Shared in the Regulatory Environment
EPA's Environmental
Response Team (ERT)
Contractor (EPA)
Consultant (PRP)
U.S.Army Corps of Engineers
(USAGE)
Technical Support Staff
Outside Agencies
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Examples of Data to be Submitted Electronically
Site Map:
• Preference is for GIS layer file or computer-aided design (CAD) format with all relevant surface
features; however, PDF or other file format may be acceptable.
Boring Logs and Well Construction Details:
• X,X and Z coordinates, and location ID.
• Ground surface elevation, top of casing elevation, depth to lithologic units, lithologic descriptions,
depth to well construction material, well construction material type, diameter of casing, drilling
method, well development information, etc.
• Field test data [e.g., photoionization detector (PID), field x-ray fluorescence (XRF),
immunoassay etc.].
• Aquifer slug test or pump test data.
• Geophysical test data.
Location Data:
• X,X and Z coordinates.
• Coordinate system and projection in use.
Water Level Data:
• Location ID and X,X and Z coordinates.
• Depth to water.
• Date and time of measurement.
• Measurement equipment or system used.
Laboratory Data:
• Chain-of-custody information, e.g., sample collection information (date/time collected, sample
matrix, etc.), preservatives used, sample containers used, and condition after transport, etc.
• Lab results, e.g., analyses performed, parameters reported, analytical results, and analytical method
detection and reporting limits, etc.
• QA/QC information, e.g., detection limits, QA/QC standard failures, laboratory narrative regarding
non-compliance, etc.
Electronic Reports:
• Complete electronic copies of all project documents and reports.
• Complete electronic copies of all sampling field books and laboratory log books.
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Links to Select State and EPA EDD Guidance
The following organizations and programs are using Staged Electronic Data Deliverable (SEDD)
as the electronic format for the delivery of laboratory analytical data:
• EPA [Contract Laboratory Program (CLP), Remedial Action Contracts (RACs), Superfund Technical
Assessment and Response Team (START) contracts, Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
Great Lakes Legacy Act Program]
• U.S.Army Corps of Engineers [Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), Military Munitions Response
Program (MMRP)]
• U.S. Department of Energy (Pantex Site, Amarillo.TX)
• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (Pilot Projects in the Bureau of
Land and Waste Management and Bureau of Water)
SEDD is a uniform format for electronic delivery of analytical data for environmental programs.
More on SEDDs can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/clp/sedd-geninfo.htm
The following EPA Regions and states provide EDD guidance online:
EPA Region 2:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/medd.htm
EPA Region 3:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/edd/index.htm
EPA Region 4:
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/sf/edd/edd.html
EPA Region 5:
http://www.epa.gov/region5superfund/edman/index.html
USAGE - New England District:
http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/reg/Dredging/RIM/edd.htm
California State Water Resources Control Board:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ust/electronic_submittal/report_rqmts.shtml
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment:
http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/samsmain.htm
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality:
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=YeutTjisGwo%3D&tabid=2839
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-monitoring-and-reporting/storet/storet-redesign.html
Montana Department of Environmental Quality:
http://deq.mt.gov/wqinfo/datamgmt/MTEWOX.mcpx
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New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection:
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/srp/hazsite/news/2010090 l_file_format_change.htm
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/62440.html
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality:
http://www.tceq.net/remediation/teds/teds.html
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection:
http://www.dep. wv.gov/insidedep/Documents/4525_WVDEPEDD%20V2.2.pdf
Washington Department of Ecology:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/data_submittal/Data_Requirements.htm
Data Interchange for Geotechnical and GeoEnvironmental Specialists (DIGGS):
http://www.diggsml.com/
Future Goals
The EPA Ground Water Forum recognizes that individual regional offices and units within regional offices
may have different databases and EDD requirements. The Ground Water Forum supports a consistent
EDD format among all EPA Regions and units in the future. A consistent EDD format would provide for
more efficient and transparent inter- and intra-agency data sharing, yet would allow each office to continue
to maintain its own database and enable the possibility of a future national database.
This effort is encouraged for use by other agencies and programs beyond EPA for ease of potential data sharing.
Glossary
Coordinates - A set of values represented by the letters x, y and optionally z or m (measure), that define
a position within a spatial reference. Coordinates are used to represent locations in space relative to
other locations.
Electronic Data Deliverable (EDD) - An electronic tabular format for sharing, manipulating, and
using data.
Location - Uniquely identified point, typically at or below the ground surface, that can be identified spatially
by an x, y, and z coordinate.
Matrix - Describes the medium from which the sample was taken, such as drinking water, non-potable
water, saline/estuarine water, soil, air, biological tissue, etc.
United States Office of Solid Waste and EPA 542-F-11-010
Environmental Protection Emergency Response April 2011
Agency (5203P) www.epa.gov/tio/tsp
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