|
|
About the Data
Database name: PCS - Permit Compliance System (water)
Date of last update (on RTK NET): 04/01/1997
Update cycle (how often a new set of data is made): continuous
PCS data has not yet been placed on a regular update schedule for RTK NET.
Updates are done by retrieving data from the EPA mainframe.
PCS is EPA's Water Permit Compliance System database, which EPA uses to keep track of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) surface water permits
issued under the Clean Water Act.
PCS data is loaded into the system by a large number of individual states and EPA regions. Because of this, the data is of uneven
quality. Many states have different requirements for what must be kept track of in their water permits.
|
The following abbreviations are important:
DMR
Discharge Monitoring Report, a form on which each facility reports its effluent discharges to state and national EPA
QNCR
Quarterly Non-Compliance Report, a report run every three months by EPA that lists facilities that have violated their permits
PCS Data Structure (tables)
RTK NET's copy of the data currently consists the following files or tables.
Words within parentheses, like (npdes_id), indicates which data fields join
one table to another.
pcs_permit
!
!(npdes_id)
!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
! ! ! ! ! !
! pcs_comp_sched pcs_permit_event pcs_hearing pcs_grant pcs_outfall
! ! !
! ! !
! !(npdes_id, comp_sched_id, (npdes_id, discharge_num, !
! ! data_source, event_code) rpt_designator, qualifier)!
! ! !
! ! !
! pcs_compsched_viol pcs_limit
! !
! !
! (npdes_id, discharge_num, rpt_designator, qualifier, !
! limit_type, parameter, monitor_loc, season_num, !
! modification)!
! !
! pcs_measure_viol
!
!
---------------------------------------------------------------
! ! ! !
pcs_inspection pcs_single_viol pcs_pretreat_sum pcs_enforcement
!
!
!(npdes_id, inspection_date,
! inspect_type)
!
!
pcs_pretreat_audit
| pcs_permit | One record per permit.
Also basic facility information. |
| pcs_comp_sched | One record per compliance schedule event. |
| pcs_compsched_viol | One record per violation of
a compliance schedule event. |
| pcs_permit_event | One record per event in a permit. |
| pcs_hearing | One record per evidentiary hearing. |
| pcs_grant | One record per
monetary grant to POTW authority |
| pcs_outfall | One record per outfall
(or pipe) regulated by a permit. |
| pcs_limit | One record per limited
parameter at an outfall. |
| pcs_measure_viol | One record per measurement
of a parameter (from a DMR). |
| pcs_inspection | One record per inspection of a facility. |
| pcs_pretreat_audit | One record per special POTW inspection. |
| pcs_single_viol | One record per violation
from a single major event. |
| pcs_pretreat_sum | One record per annual pretreatment summary report. |
| pcs_enforcement | One record per enforcement
action against a facility. |
PCS QNCR Compliance
On a quarterly basis, EPA reviews the PCS system
to generate a Quarterly Non-Compliance Report for all facilities (QNCR).
This involves a complicated computer program which evaluates different
types of violations:
- Effluent violations or non-reporting DMR violations
- Violations of compliance schedules
- Single event violations.
The facility is marked with a compliance code for the quarter. Originally,
these codes were stored in four data fields:
- comp_auto_curr - codes for current year, automatically generated by computer
- comp_man_curr - codes for current year, manually entered
- comp_auto_prior - codes for prior year, automatically generated
- comp_man_prior - codes for prior year, manually entered
Where the manual and automatic codes for a quarter differ, the manual codes
are preferentially used.
Within PCS, these quarterly codes are overwritten when the fiscal year
changes, so that over the last two years are saved. RTK NET has saved
partial copies of the codes going back to FY92. They are held in a
table called pcs_ccode, which has one record per quarterly code.
PCS Data Quality Problems
PCS has numerous data quality problems, caused by a number of factors
involving the ways in which PCS data is entered and checked, as well as
what the system is supposed to do.
Firstly, water permit programs are run by individual states in many areas,
and by EPA regions in others. Each state/region enters its water permits
into the PCS system using a different set of procedures. Different areas
may have differing requirements for what data goes into PCS, so that some
areas will fill in certain data elements while others won't. Different
areas also have varying levels of enforcement of their water permit laws.
EPA has classified PCS facilities into "major" and "minor" facilities
based on a number of criteria. "Minor" facilities do not have to have
any of their data entered into PCS except for some facility data.
I don't know what level of quality control goes in to the data at the
Federal level, after the data has been entered by the states. I suspect
that very little is done for Minor status facilities.
How to get PCS data using RTK NET
PCS data can be accessed through a Standard Reports program, through
the Easy Report Writer (IQ), and through SQL. The standard reports
have the following 3 options:
- Facility: Selects a report that will give you data on a particular facility.
Example: You are interested in the Rhone Poulenc plant in your town.
- Area-list: Selects a report that will give data on all facilities in a
geographic area, such as a state, city, or county.
Example: You want to know about all facilities in College Park, MD.
- Noncompliance: Selects a report that will give data on all facilities that
have quarterly non-compliance codes of a certain type.
Example: You want to find out which facilities in Maryland have Effluent
violations; i.e. which have released more pollution than they are
permitted to.
How to get PCS data from Other Sources
EPA is planning to distribute a restricted PCS dataset on 9-track tape
through NTIS at some time in the future. QNCR's (Quarterly Non-Compliance
Reports) on paper are also available.
**** End of Help on PCS Data ****