K U.S. Environmental Protection Agency	ii-p-oo96
9	\ Office of Inspector General	February 7,2011
I fi

At a Glance
Why We Did This Review
We sought to determine
whether data within the
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act Information
System (RCRAInfo) complied
with prescribed system edit
and validation checks
designed to control data entry.
The Office of Inspector
General contracted with
Williams, Adley & Company,
LLP, to conduct this review.
Background
RCRAInfo collects data from
states and private companies
to track the generation,
shipment, and receipt of
hazardous solid waste. This
data is reported to the public
in the Biennial Hazardous
Waste Report and through the
Envirofacts website. The EPA
Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery,
Information Collection and
Analysis is responsible for
development and ongoing
support of RCRAInfo.
For further information, contact
our Office of Congressional,
Public Affairs and Management
at (202) 566-2391.
The full report is at:
www.epa.aov/oia/reports/2011/
20110207-11 -P-0096.pdf
Catalyst for Improving the Environment
EPA Could Improve RCRAInfo Data Quality and
System Development
What Williams, Adley & Company, LLP, Found
RCRAInfo data that tracks hazardous waste handlers and the shipment and receipt
of hazardous waste contains errors and is missing source documentation. These
conditions call into question the quality and reliability of data within the
RCRAInfo system, as well as any resulting reporting. Further, RCRAInfo system
owners did not follow the prescribed System Life Cycle Management testing
procedures to test and validate the updated software and updated system. For
example, the edit and validation checks did not work as intended, the data
dictionary was not maintained, and system coding errors existed in the system.
Further, field work found instances of test data comingled with production data.
Overall, the above conditions were caused by not having specific data quality
procedures for RCRAInfo that align with the Agency's data quality policy, not
following the System Life Cycle Management procedures for system
development, and not adequately communicating with the states regarding the
RCRAInfo test environment. EPA is responsible for maintaining the technology
platform in a manner that supports data quality and integrity, as well as for
oversight of the data quality program. As required by the EPA quality policy, EPA
organizations must document and implement a quality program for environmental
data that is intended for external distribution.
What Williams, Adley & Company, LLP, Recommends
Williams, Adley & Company, LLP, recommends the Director, Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response,
implement a procedure for regional personnel to notify a state when changes are
made to handler records. The company also recommends that guidance and policy
be provided on retaining source documentation, and that control procedures be
implemented on updating documentation and on reviewing the production
database for test data on a semiannual basis.
We met with Agency officials to discuss our findings and recommendations.
The Agency provided responses, and we included those comments in the briefing
report.

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