New EPA Tool Provides Easy Access to Water Pollution Data

EPA announced a new tool that may provide important information about pollutants that are released into local source waters. The Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) pollutant loading tool brings together millions of records allowing for searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector and pollutant. The public can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities.
Searches using the pollutant loading tool result in “TOP 10″ lists to help users easily identify facilities and industries that are discharging the most pollution and impacted water bodies. When discharges are above permitted levels, users can view the violations and details of enforcement actions that EPA and states have taken to address these violations.
Facilities releasing water pollutants directly into waterways, such as wastewater treatment plants or industrial manufacturers, must receive acquire a discharge permit under the federal Clean Water Act. Each permit sets specific limits for how much can be discharged. It also requires the permittee to frequently sample their wastewater discharges and report the data to the state or EPA permitting authority. 
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