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Info sources for clean water |
U.S.-EPA Databases
Offer Launchpad for Local Reporting
The EPA offers a
number of online databases that can help reporters find and
build local water pollution stories:
- "Impaired
Waters and Total Maximum Daily Load"<http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/>
-- Connects you to
state-maintained databases describing which waters do or
don't make the grade for their designated
uses.
- "Envirofacts Data
Warehouse"<http://oaspub.epa.gov/enviro/ef_home2.water>
-- Lets you access
the state-federal "Permit Compliance System," which gives
basic information about all the facilities in the U.S. with
wastewater discharge permits, including just what they are putting
into the water. You can look up your area by ZIP code or
county.
- "Enforcement
and Compliance History Online"<http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/>
-- Provides a
detailed rap sheet on just about every facility with a
wastewater discharge permit in the U.S.
- "Beach
Monitoring and Notification"<http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/seasons/2007/index
.htm> -- The EPA compiles
and publishes an online database of beach closings (typically
for viral or bacterial contamination) from the previous year,
using state-supplied data. These often offer a pretty good
indication of where problems may arise in the current
year.
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