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National Rivers and Streams Assessment:

The third collaborative survey.

This report summarizes the National Rivers and Streams Assessment’s key findings. EPA and its state and tribal partners conducted the survey in 2018-19.

Photo: A fast-flowing alpine river. EPA .

Draft copy for peer review.

Introduction

Clean and healthy rivers and streams enhance the quality of our lives. They supply our drinking water, irrigate our crops, provide highways for shipping, and offer us recreation. They support aquatic life and provide shelter, food, and habitat for birds and wildlife. Rivers and streams shape America’s landscape. They are the land’s vast, interconnected circulatory system, carrying water from the mountains to the sea.

The National Rivers and Streams Assessment (NRSA) is an EPA, state, and tribal partnership to assess the condition of rivers and streams across the U.S. (see report acknowledgments for a list of partners). The National Rivers and Streams Assessment: The Third Collaborative Survey presents the results of the 2018-19 survey of perennial rivers and streams in the conterminous United States. The first survey took place in 2008-09, with the second in 2013-14. A pilot study of streams (the Wadeable Streams Assessment ) was conducted between 2000 and 2004.

During spring and summer of 2018 and 2019, 61 field crews sampled 1,851 sites, using standardized sampling procedures to collect data on biological, chemical, physical, and human health indicators. The measured values were compared to benchmarks developed specifically for NRSA, to EPA recommended water quality criteria, or to EPA fish tissue screening levels to assess river and stream condition.

The NRSA is designed to answer the following questions about rivers and streams across the United States:

• What percentage of rivers and streams support healthy ecological communities and recreation?
• What are the most common problems?
• Are conditions improving or getting worse?
• Are investments in water quality focused appropriately?

The NRSA is one of four statistical surveys that make up the National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) program, the first program to assess the condition of all waters nationally over time. The NRSA can help stakeholders plan for the protection and restoration of rivers and streams across the United States. For more information, see the NARS history web page .

In addition to examining the health of rivers and streams on a national scale, the NRSA is designed to provide statistically valid results on the condition of broad regions and other subpopulations.

This report focuses on results at the national scale, comparing the 2018-19 condition of perennial rivers and streams to that from the earlier NRSA studies. Regional highlights are also provided.

The report also summarizes results for an additional study of rivers conducted during NRSA 2018-19 for the fish tissue contaminants mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (with a focus on perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)). (See Fish Tissue Contamination in Rivers below.) Detailed results are available on EPA’s fish tissue study page.

Penns Creek, Centre County, Pennsylvania. EPA .

Results from the NRSA can help us better understand the condition of rivers and streams in the United States, some of the stressors affecting them, and how stressors relate to local conditions. While this report analyzes associations between biological indicators and stressors, it does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between them. This report describes changes in condition from 2008-09 to 2018-19; data from future assessments will help determine whether these changes represent a trend or are the result of natural variability.

KEY FINDINGS ON 2018-19 CONDITION

Following standard practices (described in the Assessment Benchmarks, Criteria, and Screening Levels section), EPA analysts classified results for most indicators as good, fair, or poor. For a few indicators, the results instead show whether chemicals were detected or whether values exceeded a benchmark, criterion, or screening level.

Many of the measures included in the NRSA are natural components of river and stream ecosystems. For example, some level of nutrients like phosphorus is necessary to support stream communities such as fish, and algal toxins like microcystins occur naturally. At elevated levels, however, these substances can cause harm to biological communities or human health.

Healthy habitat occurred in over half of our river and stream miles.

• Physical habitat indicator scores revealed that 68% of river and stream miles were rated good for in-stream fish habitat, 57% scored good for streambed sediment levels, and 56% of river and stream miles had good ratings for riparian vegetation (vegetation on or adjacent to the river or stream banks).
• However, 64% of river and stream miles had moderate or high levels of riparian disturbance.

Less than one-third of our river and stream miles (28%) had healthy biological communities, based on an analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities.

• Biological condition was based on the abundance and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates (bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as dragonfly and stonefly larvae, snails, worms, and beetles).
• Close to half of river and stream miles (47%) were in poor condition.

Just over one-third (35%) of river and stream miles had healthy fish communities.

• Fish community health was based on fish abundance and diversity.
• Sixteen percent of river and stream miles were not assessed for fish. The remainder (49%) were in fair or poor condition.

Nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) were the most widespread stressors.

• Forty-two percent of the nation’s river and stream miles were in poor condition, with elevated levels of phosphorus, and 44% were in poor condition for nitrogen.
• Poor biological condition was more likely when rivers and streams were in poor condition for nutrients.

Reducing nutrient pollution could improve biological condition.

• NRSA analyses indicated that approximately 20% of the river and stream miles in poor biological condition could be improved if nutrient condition changed from poor to fair or good. The level of improvement was estimated to be similar regardless of nutrient and biological indicator analyzed.

Field crew members measuring physical stream characteristics. EPA.

Bacteria exceeded EPA’s recreational benchmark in 20% of river and stream miles.

• Enterococci, bacteria that indicate fecal contamination, were above EPA’s benchmark in 20% of river and stream miles.
• Swimming and recreating in water contaminated with pathogens could make people ill.

Algal toxins were present, but at very low levels, with minimal recreational human health concerns.

• Microcystins and cylindrospermopsin were detected in 9% and 10% of river and stream miles, respectively, but did not exceed EPA recommended criteria in any samples.

Contaminants were present in all fish tissue, but risk varied by contaminant and fish consumption levels. In samples composed of fillet tissue from multiple fish, concentrations exceeded screening levels as follows (as a percentage of the 41,099 river miles comprising the sampled population):

• Mercury: 26%.
• Total PCBs: 45% for general fish consumers, 74% for high-frequency fish consumers.

Additionally, PFOS was detected in 91% of the 290 fish fillet composite samples analyzed for NRSA 2018-19. EPA is not currently comparing PFOS concentrations in fish to screening levels because the toxicity assessment used to calculate screening levels is draft. When the assessment is final, EPA intends to update the PFOS information provided in this report to include screening level exceedances.

Field crew member entering observations into a tablet. University of Houston-Clear Lake.

KEY FINDINGS ON CHANGES FROM 2013-14 TO 2018-19

For the benthic macroinvertebrate community indicator, little changed between surveys nationally.

For fish community, there were statistically significant changes in condition.

• River and stream miles in good condition increased from 25% to 35%.

Significant changes occurred for some physical habitat measures.

• The percentage of river and stream miles in good condition increased for riparian disturbance by 9 percentage points between 2013-14 and 2018-19.
• The percentage of river and stream miles in good condition also increased for streambed sediments by 6 percentage points.
• For in-stream fish habitat, the percentage in poor condition decreased by 4 percentage points.

Two human health indicators showed improvement.

• There was a significant decrease (13 percentage points) in river and stream miles exceeding EPA’s benchmark for enterococci in recreational waters.
• There was also a significant decrease (6.7 percentage points) in river miles containing fish with detectable levels of PFOS.

For most water chemistry parameters (except phosphorus), there was little change between surveys at the national level.

• Phosphorus showed a significant increase in river and stream miles in good condition (16 percentage points) and a significant decrease in river and stream miles in poor condition (18 percentage points).

NRSA DASHBOARD

EPA has developed an interactive dashboard to accompany this report. It contains full regional results and allows comparisons between different subpopulations of rivers and streams (e.g., EPA regions and river basins).

Users can also get to the dashboard by following the link at the bottom of each graph in this report. Those links will bring users to a customized page with regional data for each indicator. Users can then navigate to other dashboard views using the "Condition Estimate" dropdown and other dashboard controls.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

Read the other sections of this report for more detail on the results for each indicator, including data from 2008-09. Explore the interactive dashboard to compare national and regional conditions. See the NRSA 2018-19 Technical Support Document (U.S. EPA 2023) for technical details on the survey design and data analyses that underpin the findings in this report. Additional information on the NRSA and the previous reports is available on EPA’s NRSA home page . Readers may want to visit the main NARS website periodically to view additional products using the science and data from the assessments, such as published scientific research and results for other surveys in the NARS program.

Eastern dobsonfly ( Corydalus cornutus ), a type of benthic macroinvertebrate. connor_elliot. iNaturalist , CC BY-NC 4.0 . Cropped.

This section provides a brief background on the survey methodology. For details on survey design, field methods, and quality assurance plans, see EPA’s NARS manuals page . For additional details on the NRSA survey design, see EPA’s design documents page .

CHOOSING INDICATORS

EPA used 16 indicators to assess the biological, chemical, and physical condition of rivers and streams, as well as characteristics that pose risks to human health. Although there are others that could be used to describe river and stream condition, EPA has determined that these indicators align with the survey goals described earlier and are representative at a national scale. The NRSA also included collection of some data, such as periphyton (microscopic organisms such as algae and bacteria), for research purposes. Results for research indicators are not included in this report but will be posted on the NRSA website as they become available. For this report, EPA grouped indicators into four categories.

The survey included two biological indicators: Benthic macroinvertebrate community | Fish community

There were four chemical indicators: Nutrients (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) | Acidification | Salinity

EPA measured four physical indicators: In-stream fish habitat | Riparian disturbance | Riparian vegetation cover | Streambed sediments

Lastly, the survey tracked six human health indicators: Algal toxins (microcystins and cylindrospermopsin) | Enterococci bacteria | Fish tissue contaminants ( mercury in plugs ; mercury, PCBs, and PFAS in fillet composite samples)

SELECTING RIVERS AND STREAMS

EPA used a statistical sampling approach to select river and stream sites for this assessment, to ensure that survey results were unbiased. For more information on statistical surveys, see What Are Probability Surveys? and Selecting a Sampling Design . The target population for the NRSA was the set of rivers and streams in the conterminous U.S. meeting the definition in the box below.

How Were Rivers and Streams Defined for This Survey?

The target population of the survey includes all perennial streams and rivers, from the smallest headwater streams to the largest rivers, including those that are tidally influenced but still freshwater.

Tidally influenced rivers and streams with salinity of 0.5 parts per thousand or more are considered estuaries and are addressed in the National Coastal Condition Assessment. Very slow-moving segments of rivers created by dams, with a residence time greater than seven days, were excluded from the NRSA because they are more like lakes. These systems are included in the National Lakes Assessment.

The 1,851 river and stream sites were identified using a stratified random sampling design. This approach is also used in other environmental, social science, and health fields to determine the status of populations, whether ecological, human, or other. Using this method, rivers and streams are categorized into groups (for instance, by size or location), and every river and stream in the target population has a known probability of being selected for sampling. The NRSA 2018-19 design was stratified by state, stream order (stream size), and broad ecoregions to ensure adequate geographic distribution of sites.

The statistical design of the survey allows EPA to extrapolate the results from the 1,851 river and stream sites sampled to the approximately 1,543,290 river and stream miles meeting the definition in the box above. For example, if the condition is described as poor for 10% of river and stream miles nationally, this means that the number of miles estimated to be degraded for that indicator is 154,329.

To produce the results for each indicator, EPA assigned each randomly selected site a weight based upon the total number of miles that the site represented. This enabled EPA to estimate the proportion of all miles in each condition category (e.g., good, fair, or poor). See the appendix and technical support document for details.

When designing the survey, EPA considered the number of river and stream sites that should be sampled. The greater the number of sites sampled, the more confidence in the results. The 1,851 sites sampled in NRSA 2018-19 allow EPA to determine the percentage of miles in each condition category within a margin of error of ±5%, with 95% confidence at the national scale. See Exhibit 1 for a map of the 2018-19 sampling sites and their distribution across ecoregions.

Map of NRSA 2018-19 Sampling Sites in Each Ecoregion

FIELD SAMPLING

Field crew members electrofishing to collect fish for fish community and fish tissue analyses. EPA.

To ensure consistency in collection procedures and to assure the quality of resulting data, field crews participated in training, used standardized field methods, and followed strict quality control protocols (visit NRSA manuals for details, including diagrams of sampling locations at each site).

Field protocols used in NRSA were designed to collect data relevant to biological condition and key stressors. A three- or four-person field crew spent a full day sampling each site under normal flow conditions. Crews measured out and marked the stretch of river or stream to be sampled and 11 transects to guide data collection (see EPA’s Rivers and Streams Field Methods for more on sampling). At each site, crews collected water and fish tissue samples for chemical analysis, collected macroinvertebrate samples, and identified fish species found at the site. Crews also recorded visual observations, including data on the characteristics of each stream and the riparian area.

ASSESSMENT BENCHMARKS, CRITERIA, AND SCREENING LEVELS

NRSA analysts reviewed the raw data for each indicator independently and assigned the values in each dataset to categories (for example, "above criterion" or "at or below criterion"; good, fair, or poor). To assign the appropriate condition category, EPA used two broad types of assessment benchmarks for NRSA 2018-19.

The first type consisted of fixed benchmarks applied nationally based on values in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, EPA published values, or EPA-derived screening levels. For example, EPA’s recommended water quality criteria were used nationally to classify rivers and streams as above or below a criterion or benchmark for microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, enterococci, and mercury. Similarly, EPA fish tissue screening levels, developed using information on human health risk and fish consumption rates, were applied for PCBs.

The second type consisted of NRSA-specific ecoregional benchmarks based on the distribution of indicator values from a set of river and stream reference sites . EPA chose this regional benchmark approach because river and stream characteristics in different ecoregions vary due to climate, geology, and ecology, as well as human disturbance. Numerous scientific studies described in the technical support document, as well as peer reviews of other NRSA and NARS documents, support the use of regional benchmarks to evaluate the condition of rivers and streams and other types of waters.

The technical support document provides indicator-specific details about benchmarks, criteria, and screening levels, and it describes reference site selection (U.S. EPA 2023).

The steps below describe EPA’s process for setting regional benchmarks and determining condition. Exhibits 2-5 provide an example of how the total nitrogen benchmark was derived for the Coastal Plains ecoregion. The process for other indicators and ecoregions was similar, resulting in regionally relevant benchmarks for each of the other ecoregions assessed. EPA developed these benchmarks during earlier NRSA surveys. For NRSA 2018-19, EPA reviewed the new data to see if recalculation would improve the statistical robustness of the benchmarks but ultimately determined that revisions to the benchmarks were unnecessary.

1. Screen River and Stream Sites to Identify Reference Sites. First, EPA analysts evaluated information from the randomly selected rivers and streams and a smaller set of hand-picked sites thought to have low levels of human disturbance. EPA scientists evaluated these sites by considering reference screening factors such as chloride and sulfate concentrations and land use data. Rivers and streams that passed screening were considered less disturbed than others and were used in establishing the reference distribution. Exhibit 2 shows a map of reference sites in the Coastal Plains ecoregion.

Reference Sites in the Coastal Plains Ecoregion

In the exhibit below, each dot indicates the observed nitrogen level (in parts per million, or ppm) at one of the reference sites. Many of the dots overlap because they have similar values.

Nitrogen Values at Coastal Plains Reference Sites

2. Calculate Condition Benchmarks Using Reference Data. EPA then used the 75th and 95th percentiles of the reference site distribution for nitrogen to set the benchmarks for the condition categories (see the exhibit below).

Nitrogen Condition Benchmarks in the Coastal Plains Ecoregion

3. Assign Condition Categories to River and Stream Sites. Using those regional benchmarks, EPA assigned the nitrogen condition (good/fair/poor) to each of the sites that were randomly sampled as part of NRSA 2018-19. As an example, the exhibit below shows the nitrogen value for each river or stream sampled in the Coastal Plains ecoregion and the condition category in which it (and the site) falls.

Nitrogen Values at Coastal Plains Sites Randomly Sampled as Part of the NRSA

The NRSA assessment benchmarks have no legal effect and are not equivalent to individual state water quality standards. NRSA condition categories also may not correspond to the categories states and tribes use when they assess water quality relative to their specific water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. For example, a rating of poor condition under NRSA does not necessarily mean a site is "impaired" as defined by state and tribal water quality standards assessment protocols. For additional information on state-specific and local water quality data and assessments, visit EPA’s How’s My Waterway application. To learn more about water quality standards, visit the EPA’s Water Quality Standards Academy .

National Results for Biological, Chemical, and Physical Indicators

This chapter presents information on each of the biological, chemical, and physical NRSA indicators. Each indicator section contains three parts: a brief explanation of why the indicator matters, results from the 2018-19 survey, and changes in condition. To download raw data from the survey, visit EPA’s NARS data page . Note that the results reported here for 2008-09 and 2013-14 will differ from those reported in the previous reports due to statistical adjustments that allowed EPA to present results for the full target population (see the appendix). All comparisons between earlier NRSA reports and NRSA 2018-19 should be made using the new information presented in the 2018-19 report and dashboard.

The graphs below show the estimated proportion of river and stream miles in each condition class, as well as the proportion of miles not assessed (for instance, if fish were not caught). Each estimate is accompanied by a 95% confidence interval (shown by the thin line at the end of each bar) that conveys the level of certainty in the estimate. The technical support document (U.S. EPA 2023) explains the underlying assumptions and analysis.

The graphs present national data, but each graph contains a customized link to ecoregional data in the dashboard. Additional ecoregional highlights are included in the text for many indicators. Visit EPA’s NARS ecoregions page for maps and characteristics of each ecoregion.

BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS

The biology of a water body (the biological condition) can be characterized by the presence, number, and diversity of macroinvertebrates, fish, and other organisms. Together, they provide information about the health and productivity of the ecosystem. EPA chose both benthic macroinvertebrates and fish as indicators because they are sensitive to human-caused disturbances and can have different sensitivities to the same stressor. Assessing multiple communities provides a more complete assessment of biological condition.

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community

Insect larvae such as this net-spinning caddisfly spend most of their lives on river and stream bottoms, emerging only as they become adults. Emilio Concari. iNaturalist , CC BY-NC 4.0 .

Benthic macroinvertebrates include aquatic insect larvae and nymphs, small aquatic mollusks, crustaceans such as crayfish, aquatic worms, and leeches. They live among the rocks, sediments, and vegetation at the river or stream floor. These organisms were selected as indicators of biological condition because they spend most or all of their lives in water and their community structure responds to human disturbance. Given their broad geographic distribution, abundance, and food web connections, they serve as good indicators of the biological quality of rivers and streams.

The benthic macroinvertebrate indicator uses an index that relies on ecological traits and classification of organisms into related groups (taxa) such as families or genera. The index combines six different aspects of macroinvertebrate community structure into one score: taxonomic composition , taxonomic diversity , feeding groups , habits/ habitats , taxonomic richness , and pollution tolerance . The measures chosen for each of these aspects vary between ecoregions and are described in the technical support document.

Less than a third, 28%, of U.S. river and stream miles were rated good for benthic macroinvertebrates. The assessment also showed that 25% of river and stream miles were in fair condition and 47% were in poor condition. By ecoregion, good condition ranged from 9% in the Coastal Plains to 61% in the Western Mountains.

No statistically significant changes occurred nationally between 2013-14 and 2018-19. However, a number of statistically significant changes in condition were observed for several survey subpopulations. In the Northern Plains, good condition declined significantly, by 13 percentage points, while in the Western Mountains it increased by 12 percentage points.

Fish Community

Field crew members count and identify fish (such as this sunfish) caught at the site. Most are then released. EPA .

Evaluation of fish diversity and abundance is an important component of water monitoring. Fish are sensitive indicators of physical and chemical habitat degradation, environmental contamination, migration barriers, and overall ecosystem productivity. They need plants, insects, and benthic macroinvertebrates to eat; in-stream and streambank cover for shelter; high-quality streambed substrate conditions for spawning; and overhanging vegetation to shade and cool the water.

To evaluate fish community condition, EPA biologists developed a fish community index using an approach similar to that used to develop the benthic macroinvertebrate index. The index is based on a variety of metrics, including taxonomic richness, taxonomic composition, pollution tolerance, habitat and feeding groups, spawning habits, the number and percentage of taxa that are migratory, and the percentage of taxa that are native. The measures chosen for each of these aspects vary between ecoregions and are described in the technical support document.

As shown below, 35% of U.S. river and stream miles were rated good for the fish community indicator. The assessment also showed that 19% of river and stream miles were in fair condition and 29% were in poor condition. Poor condition ranged from a low of 17% in the Upper Midwest to 50% in the Coastal Plains.

Statistically significant changes occurred nationally in good, fair, and poor condition. Good condition increased by 10.6 percentage points, while poor condition decreased by 10 points. Statistically significant changes in condition were also observed for survey subpopulations.

CHEMICAL INDICATORS

Four chemical indicators were assessed as part of NRSA: nutrients (total phosphorus, total nitrogen), salinity, and acidification. These four indicators were selected because of national or regional interest in the extent to which they might be affecting the quality of the biological communities in rivers and streams. EPA compared sample results either to regional benchmarks developed from a set of reference sites in each ecoregion (for nutrients) or to nationally consistent literature-based benchmarks (for acidification and salinity).

For this assessment, EPA evaluated total phosphorus and total nitrogen, both of which are critical nutrients required for all aquatic life. In appropriate quantities, these nutrients power the primary algal production necessary to support river and stream food webs. Phosphorus and nitrogen are linked; they jointly influence both the concentrations of algae in rivers and streams and the clarity of water. In many rivers and streams, phosphorus is considered the limiting nutrient, meaning that the available quantity of this nutrient controls the pace at which algae are produced. This also means that modest increases in available phosphorus can cause rapid increases in algal growth. The naturally occurring levels of these indicators vary regionally, as does their relationship with turbidity and algal growth. For phosphorus and nitrogen, rivers and streams were assessed relative to NRSA-specific regional benchmarks.

Nutrient levels in parts of the Colorado River have caused extensive algal growth, making the river appear green. Navajo Bridge, Arizona. Mobilus in Mobili. Flickr , CC BY-SA 2.0 .

Common sources of excess nutrients include sewage treatment plant discharge, septic systems, fertilizer used on lawns and farms, and animal waste. For more information, see EPA’s nitrogen and phosphorus indicator pages.

More river and stream miles were in poor condition for nitrogen (44%) than in good condition (32%). Good condition ranged from 7% of river and stream miles in the Temperate Plains to 67% in the Western Mountains.

For more details, download the data for this chart, or visit the NLA dashboards for ecoregional data on nitrogen (total).

Phosphorus condition was similar to nitrogen condition, with 42% of river and stream miles rated poor and 36% rated good.

For more details, download the data for this chart, or visit the NLA dashboards for ecoregional data on phosphorus (total).

No statistically significant change was noted for nitrogen nationally between 2013-14 and 2018-19. There were several subpopulations with significant changes in stream condition for total nitrogen. For example, between 2013-14 and 2018-19, results from the Temperate Plains ecoregion indicated a decline in good condition of 11 percentage points.

Nationally, between 2013-14 and 2018-19, the percentage of river and stream miles in good condition for total phosphorus increased significantly, by 16 percentage points, while the percentage of river and stream miles in poor condition decreased significantly, by 17.7 percentage points. As with total nitrogen, statistically significant changes in condition were observed for several survey subpopulations. Of note, seven of the nine ecoregions showed statistically significant improvements in good condition. Future NRSAs will help EPA determine whether such changes are a sustained trend or natural fluctuation.

Acidification

Stream impacted by acid mine drainage from a mid-Atlantic abandoned coal mine. EPA .

Acid rain and acid mine drainage can change the pH of rivers and streams, impacting fish and other aquatic life. High acidity can, for instance, hinder shell formation in mollusks and crustaceans. EPA uses acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) to indicate sensitivity to changes in pH for the NRSA. ANC is determined by the soil and underlying geology of the surrounding watershed. Rivers and streams with high levels of dissolved bicarbonate ions (e.g., in limestone watersheds) are able to neutralize acid deposition and buffer the effects of acid rain. Conversely, watersheds that are rich in granites and sandstones contain fewer acid-neutralizing ions and have low ANC; these systems have a predisposition to acidification.

Most aquatic organisms function best when pH is 6.5 to 8.5. Sufficient ANC in surface waters will buffer acid rain and prevent pH levels from straying outside this range. In naturally acidic systems, the ANC may be quite low, but the presence of natural organic compounds in the form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can mitigate the effects of pH fluctuations.

To classify rivers and streams for acidification, EPA considered ANC measurements along with DOC concentrations. Condition categories used in all ecoregions are defined below:

• Good: Non-acidic sites and naturally acidic sites. Naturally acidic sites include "blackwater" rivers high in tannic acid derived from decaying organic matter. They have low ANC and high DOC.
• Fair: Sites with episodic acidification, which can occur during high-flow events.
• Poor: This category includes sites affected by acid rain and acid mine drainage. These sites have low ANC and low DOC.

Most river and stream miles, 99%, were not acidic based on this indicator. Most of the acidification detected was due to acid mine drainage in the Southern Appalachians ecoregion. Episodic acidification occurred in the Northern Plains and Northern Appalachians.

Nationally, there was no significant change in river and stream condition based on acidification between 2013-14 and 2018-19.

The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana. Bob Wick . Flickr , CC BY-NC 2.0 .

Salts can be toxic to freshwater plants and animals, and they can make water unsafe for drinking and agriculture. Excess salinity can occur in areas where evaporation is high and water is repeatedly reused for irrigation or water withdrawals; where road de-icing compounds are applied; and where mining, oil drilling, and industrial wastewater are discharged. Conductivity, a measure of water’s ability to pass an electrical current, was used as a measure of salinity for NRSA.

Most river and stream miles, 85%, were in good condition. The assessment also found that 11% of river and stream miles were in fair condition and 4% were in poor condition. The Northern Plains ecoregion had the fewest river and stream miles in good condition at 49%.

Nationally, there was no significant change in stream condition based on salinity between 2013-14 and 2018-19. However, significant changes occurred in some survey subpopulations.

PHYSICAL INDICATORS

The condition of shoreline habitat provides important information relevant to stream biological health. Human activities such as construction, urbanization, agriculture, and removal of vegetation buffers can degrade rivers and streams. NRSA used four indicators of physical habitat condition: in-stream fish habitat, riparian disturbance, riparian vegetation, and excess streambed sediments. Three of these were compared to regionally relevant reference benchmarks, while riparian disturbance was scored using the same method and benchmarks nationally.

In-stream Fish Habitat

Multicolored and speckled rocks help these juvenile Atlantic salmon hide from predators. E. Peter Steenstra, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Flickr .

Healthy fish and macroinvertebrate communities are typically found in rivers and streams that have complex and varied forms of habitat, such as rocks and boulders, undercut banks, overhanging vegetation, brush, and tree roots and logs within the stream banks. NRSA used a habitat complexity measure that reflects the amount of such in-stream fish habitat and concealment features within the water body and its banks.

More than two-thirds of river and stream miles (68%) were rated good for in-stream habitat, while 22% were rated fair and 10% were rated poor. For ecoregions, good condition ranged from 46% in the Northern Appalachians to 85% in the Temperate Plains.

Nationally, the only significant change to in-stream habitat was a decrease (4 percentage points) in the percentage of river and stream miles in poor condition between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Additionally, several significant changes occurred within survey subpopulations. NRSA results indicated statistically significant changes in good condition for three ecoregions: the proportion of miles in good condition increased by 14 percentage points in the Coastal Plains and by 11 percentage points in the Temperate Plains, while the proportion in good condition decreased by 14 percentage points in the Upper Midwest.

Riparian Disturbance

Railroads are one sign of riparian disturbance that field crews check for. Brent Moore. "Vertical lift railroad bridge - Decatur, Alabama." Flickr , CC BY-NC 2.0 .

The riparian disturbance indicator reflects the extent and intensity of direct human alteration of the shore itself. These disturbances can range from minor changes, such as the removal of a few trees to develop a picnic area, to major alterations, such as the construction of a large residential complex. Shoreland development can contribute to excess sedimentation, alteration or loss of native plant communities, loss of vegetation structure and complexity, and modifications to river and stream bottom materials. These impacts, in turn, can negatively affect fish, wildlife, and other aquatic communities.

Riparian disturbance was widespread. Nationally, only 36% of riparian areas were rated good (had low levels of human disturbance), 42% were rated fair (moderate levels of disturbance), and 22% were in poor condition (high levels of human disturbance). In the ecoregions, the percentage of river and stream miles in good condition ranged from 5% in the Northern Plains to 55% in the Western Mountains.

For riparian disturbance, there was a significant increase (9 percentage points) in the percentage of river and stream miles rated good, and a significant decrease (5 percentage points) in the percentage of river and stream miles in poor condition between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Additionally, there were several significant changes within survey subpopulations. For example, the proportion of river and stream miles in poor condition in the Southern Plains and Xeric ecoregions increased by 15 and 16 percentage points, respectively, while declining 14 percentage points in the Coastal Plains.

Riparian Vegetation Cover

The banks of this Appalachian stream have healthy understory, midstory, and overstory vegetation. Natalie Auer.

Evaluation of riparian or shoreland vegetation cover is based on observations of three layers of vegetation: understory grasses and forbs , midstory woody and nonwoody shrubs, and overstory trees. Healthy, multilayered vegetation covering this corridor can buffer the effects of human disturbance. Cover can slow runoff; filter nutrients and sediments; reduce streambank erosion; shade water, reducing algae growth; and supply leaf litter, branches, and logs that serve as food and habitat. Generally, riparian habitats are in better condition when vegetation cover is high in all layers; however, not all three layers occur in all areas of the country. For example, Northern Plains rivers and streams typically have less natural overstory tree cover. Such natural differences have been factored into the calculation of the riparian vegetation cover indicator score.

Just over half of rivers and streams (56%) had good levels of riparian vegetation cover; 17% were in fair condition and 27% were in poor condition for riparian cover.

No statistically significant changes occurred between 2013-14 and 2018-19 at the national level, and only one subpopulation showed significant changes. The percentage of river and stream miles in poor condition increased by 11 percentage points in the Northern Appalachians.

Streambed Sediments

Vegetated buffer zones between farmland and streams can help prevent excess sediment loading. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency . All rights reserved .

The size mix of particles that make up riverbeds and streambeds is important for maintaining stable and healthy river and stream systems. Human activities that disturb land can interfere with river and stream sediment balance by increasing the amount of fine sediment entering river and stream channels. Human activities can also lead to increases in the magnitude or frequency of flooding. For example, the presence of paved surfaces in a watershed prevents rainwater from soaking into the ground and can increase the volume and velocity of water entering streams and the frequency of high-magnitude floods. In turn, frequent floods can lead to incised and eroded banks, widened channels, scouring of streambeds, washing away of aquatic microhabitats (e.g., woody debris and other organic material), and deposition of fine and less stable sediments (e.g., silt or clay). Excess fine sediments can fill in the spaces between cobbles and rocks where many benthic macroinvertebrates live and breed.

NRSA found that streambed sediments were in good condition in 57% of river and stream miles, were in fair condition in 23% of miles, and in poor condition in 20%.

For streambed sediments, the percentage of river and stream miles in good condition increased significantly (6 percentage points) between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Additionally, significant changes occurred in several survey subpopulations. Results indicated that the Southern Appalachians ecoregion experienced an increase in good condition of 11 percentage points, and the Xeric ecoregion experienced a decrease of 16 percentage points.

Associations Between Stressors and Biological Condition

Sampling equipment. Sarah Lehmann, EPA.

Restoring water quality requires not only an understanding of current condition and change over time, but also of stressors associated with degraded biological condition and the potential for improved conditions when stressors are reduced. This knowledge can help decision makers prioritize stressors for reduction.

To address these questions at the national and regional level, EPA performed three calculations for each stressor, focusing on the benthic macroinvertebrate indicator (presented here) and the fish community indicator (presented in the dashboard ) as the indicator of biological condition. Stressors in this case were those measured using the chemical and physical indicators. Note that EPA did not examine associations for human health indicators.

• First, EPA determined the extent of river and stream miles in poor condition for stressors (the relative extent).
• EPA then evaluated the extent to which poor biological condition was more likely when a stressor or indicator was rated poor (the relative risk).
• Lastly, EPA assessed the potential improvement that could be achieved by reducing or eliminating the stressor (the attributable risk).

Highlights of the national results on relative extent, relative risk, and attributable risk for the benthic indicator are described below. Visit the NRSA dashboards to explore risk results for selected survey subpopulations. For more detailed information on these analyses, visit EPA’s NARS risk web page .

The NRSA indicators with the highest national relative extent were nitrogen, phosphorus, and riparian vegetation cover with 44%, 42%, and 27% of river and stream miles in poor condition, respectively. These were the most widespread stressors.

For benthic macroinvertebrates, acidification was the stressor with the highest relative risk estimate nationally (2.1). That is, rivers and streams with acidification in poor condition were 2.1 times more likely to rate poor for benthic macroinvertebrates than waters that weren’t poor for acidification. Phosphorus and nitrogen showed relative risks of 1.7 and 1.5, respectively, indicating rivers and streams rated poor for nutrients were more likely to rate poor for biological condition.

Combining the relative extent and relative risk values for each indicator into a single value provides us with attributable risk. Attributable risk analysis estimates a percentage of river and stream miles for which biological condition could improve (that is, change to either good or fair condition) if the stressor were reduced from poor to fair or good.

Calculating attributable risk involves assumptions, including: 1) that a causal relationship between stressors and biological condition exists; 2) that a river or stream’s poor biological condition would be reversed if the stressor were improved to fair or good levels; and 3) that the stressor’s impact on a river or stream’s biological condition is independent of other stressors. Despite these limitations, attributable risk can provide general guidance as to which stressors might be higher priorities for management nationally or regionally.

Attributable risk analysis shows that reducing nutrients could result in the greatest benefit to biological condition at the national scale, as shown in Exhibit 26. This exhibit shows attributable risk (including point estimates and 95% confidence intervals) for each stressor whose risk is greater than zero. If poor condition were improved to fair or good for nutrients, the percentage of river and stream miles with poor benthic macroinvertebrate condition could be reduced by approximately 20%.

Attributable Risk from Exposure to Stressors Nationally (2018-19)

To see graphs for relative extent, relative risk, and attributable risk together, visit the risk estimate section of the NRSA dashboard.

National Results for Human Health Indicators

In addition to physical, chemical, and biological indicators of the quality of the nation’s rivers and streams, NRSA included data collection for six human health indicators: two algal toxins (microcystins and cylindrospermopsin), the fecal contamination indicator enterococci, and three contaminants in fish tissue (mercury, PCBs, and PFAS).

For algal toxins and enterococci, the results were compared to EPA recommended water quality criteria or benchmarks designed to protect human health against recreational exposure such as swimming or boating. For mercury, the results were compared to EPA’s recommended fish tissue-based water quality criterion for methylmercury. For PCBs, EPA derived fish tissue screening levels (described in more detail in the appendix ) and compared the fish tissue results to these screening levels. Of the PFAS compounds, PFOS was the most frequently detected, and the PFOS concentrations were not compared against fish tissue screening levels because the EPA PFOS toxicity assessment is not yet final.

The results described below provide national- and some regional-scale estimates for these indicators. For information on state-specific and local water quality data and assessments, visit EPA’s How’s My Waterway application . People should check with state, tribal, or local agencies for advisories for swimming, boating, or fishing in specific rivers and streams.

ALGAL TOXINS

Microcystins can cause harm to recreational water users such as kayakers or anglers. Sassafras River, Maryland. Eric Vance, EPA .

Cyanobacteria (sometimes called blue-green algae) are one-celled photosynthetic organisms that normally occur at low levels. Under eutrophic conditions, generally characterized by high nutrients, cyanobacteria can multiply rapidly. Not all cyanobacterial blooms are toxic, but some may release toxins, such as microcystins and cylindrospermopsin. Recreational exposure is typically a result of inhalation, skin contact, or accidental ingestion. Health effects of exposure include skin rashes, eye irritation, respiratory symptoms, gastroenteritis, and in severe cases, liver or kidney failure and death. See EPA’s algal toxins page for more information. Pets are also susceptible to health effects from exposure to algal toxins.

EPA has set recreational freshwater criteria and swimming advisory recommendations for microcystins and cylindrospermopsin: 8 parts per billion (ppb) and 15 ppb, respectively (U.S. EPA 2019). Note that some types of algae release other toxins not monitored as part of the NRSA. The NRSA assesses risk of exposure to microcystins and cylindrospermopsin at national and regional levels. For information about risks at specific locations, recreational water users should check with state, tribal, or local governments.

Microcystins were detected in 9% of river and stream miles but did not exceed EPA’s criterion recommendation of 8 ppb.

For more details, download the data for this chart, or visit the NLA dashboards for ecoregional data on microcystins risk.

Cylindrospermopsin was detected in 10% of river and stream miles and did not exceed EPA’s criterion recommendation of 15 ppb.

For more details, download the data for this chart, or visit the NLA dashboards for ecoregional data on cylindrospermopsin risk.

Microcystin detection decreased significantly, by 29 percentage points, between 2013-14 and 2018-19. No significant change in miles exceeding the recommended criterion occurred between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Note that microcystins were first sampled in 2013-14. Cylindrospermopsin data were not collected in earlier surveys, so no change data are available.

ENTEROCOCCI BACTERIA

Pet waste can wash into storm drains and contaminate waterways with enterococci and other microbes. Dan Keck . Flickr .

Enterococci are bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans. While not considered harmful to humans, their presence in water indicates that disease-causing microbes may be present. Enterococci are therefore used as indicators of possible fecal contamination from sources such as wastewater treatment plant discharges, leaking septic systems, storm water runoff, pet waste, and farm runoff. For NRSA, water samples were analyzed using a method that measures enterococci DNA (qPCR, or quantitative polymerase chain reaction). Results were compared to an EPA benchmark (1,280 calibrator cell equivalents per 100 milliliters) included in EPA’s recommended recreational criteria document for protecting human health in ambient waters designated for swimming (U.S. EPA 2012).

Enterococci exceeded EPA’s benchmark in 20% of river and stream miles.

Enterococci showed a significant decrease (13 percentage points) in river and stream miles above EPA’s benchmark. Note that enterococci data were first collected in 2013-14.

MERCURY IN FISH TISSUE PLUGS

Contaminants in Fish Tissue

EPA used two sampling approaches to examine levels of contaminants in fish tissue:

• Collection and analysis of mercury in fish tissue plugs.
• Collection of whole fish composite samples and preparation of fillet composite samples for analysis of mercury, PCBs, and PFAS.

This section describes mercury in fish tissue plugs. The other approach is described in more detail in Fish Tissue Contamination in Rivers below.

NRSA field crew member placing a plug of fish tissue into a vial. EPA .

For this study, fish tissue samples were analyzed for mercury . Crews collected small tissue plugs from fillet tissue in target fish species of a minimum size suitable for human consumption. Fish species included bluegill, catfish, northern pike, and smallmouth bass among others; the minimum size was 190 millimeters (7.5 inches). Crews attempted to collect fish tissue plugs at all river and stream sites. The NRSA assessed total mercury levels against EPA’s recommended fish tissue-based methylmercury water quality criterion of 300 ppb (U.S. EPA 2001).

The results for mercury in fish tissue plugs apply to the full NRSA target population of rivers and streams, and, as with most of the other indicators, the portion of the river and stream miles that was not assessed is included in the results. Note that mercury results for fish fillet composite samples described in the next section apply to the sampled population of river miles, and these results should not be directly compared to fish plug mercury results.

Mercury was detected in all fish tissue plug samples. Fish in 5% of river and stream miles (approximately 82,000 miles) had concentrations above the 300 ppb mercury criterion, while 21% did not. It is important to note that 74% of river and stream miles were not assessed primarily due to the absence of fish that met the minimum size requirement. Regionally, high levels of mercury in fish tissue were more common in the Coastal Plains and Southern Plains, where 12% of river and stream miles exceeded the mercury criterion. See the next section for additional information on contaminants in fish tissue.

For mercury in fish tissue plugs, there was no significant difference in river and stream miles with plug concentrations above 300 ppb nationally between 2013-14 and 2018-19. Note that EPA began measuring mercury in fish tissue plugs in 2013-14.

FISH TISSUE CONTAMINATION IN RIVERS

Consuming fish can be an important part of a balanced diet. Fish are low in saturated fat and provide certain essential omega-3 fatty acids that the human body cannot make. Fish can be an important source of protein, especially for communities with high-frequency fish consumers such as subsistence fishers, some recreational fishers, or some fishers in underserved communities. However, contaminants that enter the environment can accumulate in fish. At high enough levels, these accumulated contaminants may contribute to human health impacts such as cancer or neurological problems in people who eat fish. People should consult local fish consumption advisories to determine whether the fish species and quantities of fish they have caught are safe to eat.

As part of NRSA 2018-19, EPA conducted a study of contamination in fish from rivers to determine whether eating river fish poses risks to human health. See the technical support document (U.S. EPA 2023) for more information on this study, including the rationale for focusing on rivers. The sampling approach for this study involved collecting a whole fish composite sample at each site, from rivers defined as Strahler fifth order or greater. Field crews collected fish species that are commonly caught and consumed by recreational and subsistence fishers.

At the laboratory, the whole fish samples were scaled and filleted , and the fillets were ground. EPA analyzed these fillet composite samples for total mercury, total PCBs (based on the full 209 congener analysis), and 33 PFAS (a list of PFAS is provided in the technical support document ). Fillet tissue concentration results were reported on a wet-weight basis.

Note that contaminant results for the fillet composite samples are reported for the sampled population of river miles only; therefore, mercury composite fillet results should not be compared directly to results for the mercury fish tissue plug indicator.

For PCBs, EPA developed screening levels for two types of consumers:

• One for general fish consumers , which is based on a fish consumption rate of one 8-ounce meal of locally caught river fish per week.
• One for high-frequency fish consumers , which is based on a fish consumption rate of four to five 8-ounce meals of locally caught river fish per week.

These PCB screening levels differ from those used in the 2013-14 report. See the appendix or the technical support document for details on screening level derivation.

For fish tissue contaminant analysis, field crew members attempt to catch fish on a list of targeted species, such as this brook trout. Julia Woods . iNaturalist , CC BY-NC 4.0 . Cropped.

About 80% of all fish consumption advisories in the United States involve mercury. Most mercury in water comes from air deposition related to coal combustion and waste incineration. Mercury particles, mostly from these sources, fall to land and are washed into rivers and streams. People are exposed to methylmercury (the most toxic form of mercury) primarily by eating fish and shellfish. Fetal or early childhood exposures to mercury transmitted from pregnant and nursing mothers can lead to impaired neurological development, affecting cognitive and fine motor skills. Exposure to unsafe levels of methylmercury can also affect adult health, leading to cardiovascular disease, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, and impaired speech and hearing. EPA applies the conservative assumption that all mercury in fish is methylmercury and therefore measures total mercury in fillet tissue to be most protective of human health.

As with fish plugs, the mercury levels in fillet composite samples were compared to EPA’s recommended fish tissue-based water quality criterion for methylmercury of 300 ppb to identify potential human health risks from consumption of locally caught river fish.

What was the condition in 2018-19?

Mercury was detected in 100% of the 290 fish fillet composite samples analyzed for NRSA 2018-19.

Mercury concentrations in the fish fillet samples exceeded the EPA recommended criterion of 300 ppb in 26% of the sampled population of 41,099 river miles. See Exhibit 35.

Percentage of River Miles with Fillet Mercury Concentrations Above 300 ppb

Did the condition change?

Comparisons of fillet composite results for mercury between NRSA 2013-14 and NRSA 2018-19 did not reveal statistically significant differences.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

PCBs accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms and are known to cause cancer in animals. Based on those findings and additional evidence from human studies, EPA classifies PCBs as a probable human carcinogen. Other potential human health effects that could result from higher dietary exposure to PCBs include liver disease and reproductive impacts, along with neurological effects in infants and young children. PCBs have been banned for over four decades, but they persist in the environment.

In previous reports, EPA included total PCB results for both cancer and noncancer health effects, based on risk to general fish consumers. However, cancer health effects can occur at lower PCB levels than noncancer health effects, so applying a lower screening level to reduce the risk of cancer health effects also reduces risks of noncancer health effects from dietary exposure to PCBs. EPA’s previously reported results also did not apply to high-frequency fish consumers such as subsistence fishers, some recreational fishers, or some fishers in underserved communities. For this report, EPA used fish tissue screening levels for total PCBs to characterize cancer human health risks for general and high-frequency fish consumers:

• For general fish consumers , EPA applied a 12 ppb cancer screening level for total PCBs in fish tissue.
• For high-frequency fish consumers , EPA applied a 2.8 ppb cancer screening level for total PCBs in fish tissue.

PCBs were detected in 100% of the 290 fish fillet composite samples analyzed for NRSA 2018-19.

Total PCB concentrations exceeded the cancer screening level of 12 ppb for general fish consumers in 45% of the sampled population of 41,099 river miles. See Exhibit 36.

Percentage of River Miles with Fillet Total PCB Concentrations Above 12 ppb

Total PCB concentrations in the fish fillet composite samples exceeded the cancer screening level of 2.8 ppb for high-frequency fish consumers in 74% of the sampled population of 41,099 river miles. See Exhibit 37.

Percentage of River Miles with Fillet Total PCB Concentrations Above 2.8 ppb

Comparisons of fillet composite sample results for total PCBs between NRSA 2013-14 and NRSA 2018-19 did not reveal statistically significant differences in exceedances of the cancer screening levels applied to general fish consumers or to high-frequency fish consumers.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used in the manufacture of many products, including non-stick cookware, food packaging, waterproof clothing, and stain-resistant carpeting. PFAS are toxic and persistent in the environment. Most people in the United States have been exposed to PFAS and have PFAS in their blood , especially perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Certain PFAS levels have been linked to immune, cardiovascular, hepatic (liver), and developmental health effects such as decreased fertility or low birth weight, as well as an increased risk of certain cancers. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) is a form of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and is the most frequently detected PFAS in freshwater fish tissue.

Results for the full set of 33 PFAS included in the fish fillet tissue analyses for NRSA 2018-19 are presented in the technical support document; only PFOS results are described in this section because of the prevalence of PFOS in freshwater fish tissue. This report does not contain screening levels for PFOS because EPA has not finalized the PFOS toxicity assessment. When that is final, EPA intends to update the PFOS information in this report.

PFOS was detected in 91% of the 290 fish fillet composite samples analyzed for NRSA 2018-19, corresponding to PFOS being detected in 92% of the sampled population of 41,099 river miles. When PFOS concentrations were above the method detection limit of 0.35 ppb, they were recorded as detected. For further details, see the technical support document.

Comparisons of fillet composite sample results for PFOS between NRSA 2013-14 and NRSA 2018-19 showed a statistically significant decrease (6.7 percentage points) in the sampled population of river miles containing fish with detectable levels of PFOS in fillet tissue.

Field collection of a water sample. Sarah Lehmann, EPA .

The NRSA provides findings that water resource managers can use to inform resource management priorities and strategies. Nationally, 28% of river and stream miles were in good biological condition, while almost half were in poor condition. The most widespread stressors were excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and riparian vegetation cover, with poor conditions in 44%, 42%, and 27% of river and stream miles, respectively. The NRSA found that the percentage of river and stream miles in poor biological condition could be reduced by 20% if excess nutrient levels could be reduced from poor to good or fair.

While the survey results provide national and regional estimates of condition, they do not address all information needs at all scales. For example, the survey does not measure all stressors and cannot be used to infer local condition. In-depth monitoring and analysis of individual waters and watersheds are required to support specific restoration and protection efforts.

EPA and its state and tribal partners are continually refining the NRSA and will apply lessons learned to determine if changes need to be made to the design, indicators, field methods, laboratory methods, and analysis procedures for the future. Sampling for the fourth NRSA will take place in the summers of 2023 and 2024.

NRSA 2018-19 would not have been possible without the involvement of state and tribal scientists and resource managers. EPA will continue to help these partners translate the expertise gained through these national surveys to their own state-scale surveys. Additionally, EPA will work to encourage use of the data to evaluate the success of efforts to protect and restore water quality.

Other National Aquatic Resource Surveys

In addition to the NRSA, the NARS program also includes the following surveys:

• The National Coastal Condition Assessment (2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020).
• The National Lakes Assessment (2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022).
• The National Wetland Condition Assessment (2011, 2016, and 2021).

Other reports from NARS are available on the NARS home page . EPA will post additional reports and data as they become available.

About This Report

This version of the report was published in December 2023. Results presented in the report and interactive dashboard were last updated 06/07/2023.

Any corrections or updates will be described in this section.

A suggested citation for the report is: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2023. National Rivers and Streams Assessment: The Third Collaborative Survey. EPA 841-R-22-004. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water and Office of Research and Development. https://riverstreamassessment.epa.gov/webreport

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). 2001. Water quality criterion for the protection of human health: methylmercury. EPA-823-R-01-001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-01/documents/methylmercury-criterion-2001.pdf

U.S. EPA. 2012. Recreational water quality criteria . EPA 820-F-12-058. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-10/documents/rwqc2012.pdf

U.S. EPA. 2019. Recommended human health recreational ambient water quality criteria or swimming advisories for microcystins and cylindrospermopsin . EPA 822-R-19-001. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-05/documents/hh-rec-criteria-habs-document-2019.pdf

U.S. EPA. 2023. National Rivers and Streams Assessment 2018-2019 technical support document. EPA 841-R-22-005. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water and Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC. https://www.epa.gov/national-aquatic-resource-surveys/national-rivers-and-streams-assessment-2018-19-technical-support

Appendix: Changes Since 2013-14

Although most aspects of the survey remained the same as in the 2013-14 report, EPA implemented some improvements for this iteration of the survey and report. They include changes to the way survey results are calculated and changes to fish tissue screening levels.

ASSESSING THE TARGET POPULATION

The most comprehensive change to the report was the way the results from the 1,851 sampled sites were used to estimate the condition of a larger population of rivers and streams. For 2018-19, EPA determined it was appropriate to adjust the site weights that are used to calculate condition estimates (percentages) to reflect the full target population of 1,543,290 river and stream miles. In 2013-14, the site weights used to calculate condition estimates reflected the subset of the target population that could be sampled. See the survey design section of the technical support document for further details.

FISH TISSUE SCREENING LEVELS FOR HUMAN HEALTH

PCBs. For NRSA 2018-19, EPA used new fish tissue screening levels for total PCBs for general fish consumers and high-frequency fish consumers.

The general fish consumer screening level was derived using a fish consumption rate of 32 grams/day, which is a nutrition-based recommendation to eat one 8-ounce meal per week, consistent with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This nutrition-based fish consumption rate of 32 grams/day better reflects the role and purpose of fish advisory programs because it does not include data for non-consumers. Previously, to calculate the PCB screening levels for NRSA 2013-14, EPA used the national default fish consumption rate of 22 grams/day (which includes both fish consumers and non-consumers). This fish consumption rate of 22 grams/day is the same fish consumption rate that EPA uses to calculate EPA’s national ambient water quality human health criteria recommendations.

For PCB screening levels for high-frequency fish consumers, EPA applied a fish consumption rate of 142 grams/day (representing four to five 8-ounce meals per week). High-frequency fish consumers include subsistence fishers or others who eat several meals of locally caught river fish per week, including some recreational fishers and some individuals in underserved communities.

Mercury. The fish tissue screening level for mercury remained unchanged from the NRSA 2013-14 report to the 2018-19 report. EPA continues to use the EPA recommended fish tissue-based water quality criterion for methylmercury (U.S. EPA 2001). This human health fish tissue benchmark represents the chemical concentration in fish tissue that, if exceeded, may adversely impact human health.

PFOS. EPA will report exceedances of screening levels for PFOS in fish when the toxicity assessment for PFOS (which is used in determining screening levels for human health risks) is finalized in support of the final drinking water regulation for PFOS. EPA intends to update the PFOS information in this report when that process is complete.

For more information on these changes, refer to the human health fish tissue indicator section of the technical support document.

Acknowledgments and Disclaimer

The EPA Office of Water would like to thank the many people who contributed to this project. Without the collaborative efforts and support of the NRSA steering committee, state and tribal environmental agencies, field crews, biologists, taxonomists, laboratory staff, data analysts, program administrators, EPA regional coordinators, statisticians, quality control staff, data management staff, and many reviewers, this assessment of our rivers and streams would not have been possible. To our numerous partners, we express our gratitude.

State, Tribal, Territory and Interstate Partners

• Alabama Department of Environmental Management
• Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
• Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
• Arizona Game and Fish Department
• Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
• Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Confederated Salish and Kootenai
• Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Delaware River Basin Commission
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection
• Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Nations
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• Hawaii Department of Health
• Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources
• Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
• Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources
• Kansas Department of Health and Environment
• Kentucky Division of Water
• Leech Lake Band of Chippewa
• Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
• Maine Department of Environmental Protection
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
• Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
• Missouri Department of Conservation
• Montana Department of Environmental Quality
• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
• Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
• Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
• New Mexico Environment Department
• New York Department of Environmental Conservation
• North Carolina Department of Water Quality
• North Dakota Department of Health
• Northern Cheyenne Tribe
• Oglala Sioux Tribe
• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
• Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission
• Oklahoma Water Resources Board
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
• Red Lake Band of Chippewa
• Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe
• South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
• South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources
• Southern Ute Indian Tribe
• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
• Susquehanna River Basin Commission
• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
• Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah-Ouray Reservation
• Utah Department of Environmental Quality
• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
• Washington State Department of Ecology
• West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
• White Earth Band
• Wind River Indian Reservation
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality

Federal Partners

• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• U.S. Forest Service
• U.S. Geological Survey
• National Park Service
• U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development
• U.S. EPA Office of Water
• U.S. EPA Regions 1-10

Additional Collaborators

• Amnis Opes Institute
• Crow Insight
• CSS-Dynamac
• EcoAnalysts Inc.
• EnviroScience Inc.
• General Dynamics Information Technology Inc.
• Great Lakes Environmental Center Inc.
• Midwest Biodiversity Institute
• Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
• Oregon State University
• PG Environmental
• Tetra Tech Inc.
• University of Houston-Clear Lake
• University of Iowa
• University of Kansas, Kansas Biological Survey

Disclaimer . This report provides information on the quality of the nation’s rivers and streams. It does not impose legally binding requirements on EPA, states, tribes, other regulatory authorities, or the regulated community. This document does not confer legal rights or impose legal obligations upon any member of the public. This document does not constitute a regulation, nor does it change or substitute for any Clean Water Act provision or EPA regulation. EPA could update this document as new information becomes available. EPA and its employees do not endorse any products, services, or enterprises. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this document does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use.

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• If you hold an environment protection licence call the EPA on 131 555
• If you don't hold an environment protection licence call your local council .

What happens next?

We investigate alleged incidents of actual or potential environmental harm and, when appropriate, take regulatory action.

An investigation can take weeks, months or longer depending upon the amount and type of evidence required to complete the investigation. EPA Authorised Officers assess the site of the incident and collect evidence including documents, data, information and records, videos, photographs, environmental samples, statements and records of interview.

The decision to continue an investigation is based on the nature and circumstances of the incident, any potential offences that may have been committed, the available evidence, the severity of the environmental harm, the impacts on human health and level of community concern.

We can issue various investigative notices and use powers to obtain information during an investigation and in the administration of the environment protection legislation.

When we complete our investigation, we consider the appropriate regulatory action to take, in line with our regulatory policy . If a prosecution is the appropriate regulatory action, charges are laid in the Land and Environment Court or the Local Court.

The prosecution will only commence when we have the appropriate evidence to support a charge. This may be many months after an incident and the investigation.

More information

If you have any questions, or you are not quite sure what to do next, contact the EPA Environment Line at any time. By phone: 131 555 By email: [email protected]

Report prohibited plastic

• Online: Use Report to EPA  online
• Mobile: Report to EPA from your mobile
• More information about plastics

Report littering from a vehicle

• More information about littering from vehicles

Smoky vehicle

• Online: Use Report to EPA online
• Phone: Contact Environment Line on 131 555
• More information about smoky vehicles

Noisy exhaust

• More information about noisy exhaust

Reporting to the EPA

What to expect during an inspection

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The Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website is updated frequently based on Agency priorities and user requests. New features are described below.

Environmental Justice Updates

ECHO has updated the way you can search and report on facilities with environmental justice (EJ) concerns.

• Facility searches have a new selector for “Potential Environmental Justice Concerns”:

This selector chooses facilities that have one or more of EJScreen’s supplemental indexes at or above the 90th percentile, or are on tribal land, or in a US territory. EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance uses these criteria to identify facilities that may need additional consideration for EJ concerns.

You can also customize the search criteria, for example by looking for facilities in areas where more than one of EJScreen’s indexes is elevated:

Facility search results now include a “Potential EJ concerns” column:

Facility reports now clearly identify facilities with potential EJ concerns:

and provide maps and tables of EJScreen indexes around the facility:

Corporate Compliance Screener Allows Public Users to Save Search Criteria

Users that authenticate via Login.Gov can now save custom search criteria in the ECHO Corporate Compliance Screener .  The ECHO Corporate Compliance Screener summarizes compliance and enforcement data across multiple facilities owned or managed by a company or jurisdiction. The tool selects facility and enforcement case records based on user-entered company names and compiles a list of summary statistics, detailed current noncompliance, and recent formal enforcement activity. The user can review the data and remove false positives or “sound-alike” companies that are not desired in the dataset. This interface allows users to quickly analyze a large number of facilities, review those that may have past compliance and enforcement issues and download a formatted report of the dataset. Once users establish a list of facilities within a company, it is easy to save and re-run a report for facilities on a periodic basis.

December 2023

Compliance pipeline view.

EPA’s ECHO website has implemented a new feature that is responsive to frequent users requests that activities be presented showing associations between compliance monitoring, violations, and enforcement.

Historically, ECHO has organized data in the Detailed Facility Report (DFR) by activity type, listing compliance monitoring activities, violations, and formal and informal enforcement actions in separate tables. Now, an additional “pipeline view” will help users understand how violations relate to compliance monitoring (i.e., what was the violation discovery activity?) and enforcement (i.e., what violations did enforcement actions address?).

Because each program has its own nuances, the current pipeline view is for Hazardous Waste only - connecting evaluations to linked violations and enforcement all in one table. We are developing similar pipeline views for Water and Air. 

October 2023

Benchmark threshold exceedances integrated into dmr exceedances search.

The DMR Exceedances Search , previously the Effluent Exceedances Search, was updated to include searches on benchmark threshold exceedances. The search identifies instances where discharge monitoring data indicates there was an exceedances of an effluent limit or benchmark threshold. The search criteria and results were updated to reflect the differences between the types of exceedances. The functionality specific to effluent limit exceedances remains unchanged. 

September 2023

Echo adds climate hazard map layers to the facility search results.

ECHO users can now view facility data in conjunction with climate change related flood, sea level rise, and wildfire risk map layers. These layers are accessible on the ECHO Facility Search Results page and can be toggled on in the Layers section under the EJScreen Maps > Climate Change Data.  

ECHO added the following layers:  •    First Street Foundation Flood Risk •    First Street Foundation Wildfire Risk  •    Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) 100 Year Flood Zone •    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sea Level Rise estimates (1ft-6ft)

These are the same map layers in EJScreen. More information on these layers can be found on the EJScreen website .

National Combined Sewer Overflow Inventory Location Data Added

The National Combined Sewer Overflow Inventory Service provides the most current inventory of combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfall locations across the United States.  These CSO data are updated weekly by EPA Regions and states. Please note that states are actively working to ensure that these data are complete and accurate in EPA's national NPDES data system (ICIS-NPDES). Users can access this information by using the ECHO Water Facility Search or via services to create their own maps and analyses. These CSO outfall locations can also be downloaded from the following ECHO webpage .

Industrial Stormwater Facility Search Adds EPA AIM Data

Industrial Stormwater Facility Search incorporates permits with Additional Implementation Measures (AIM) under Part 5.2 of EPA’s multi-select general permit (MSGP). The search form allows filtering to EPA permits with current and previous AIM requirements. Download and view facility-level AIM data from the results table through the “W” Clean Water Act Program Area Report icon. National downloads are available through ECHO’s Data Downloads page. Note: This data is not updated weekly with the ICIS-NPDES data refresh and will be updated manually as updated downloads are made available.  

Benchmark Threshold Exceedances Integrated into DMR Exceedances Report 

DMR Exceedances Report, previously the Effluent Limit Exceedances Report, was updated and renamed to incorporate benchmark threshold exceedances reported on discharge monitoring reports (DMRs). 

August 2023

Detailed facility report adds dmr pollutant loading trends.

ECHO added a new “CWA Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loadings” table to the Pollutant section of the Detailed Facility Report (DFR). The table presents a five-year history of DMR pollutant loadings, including conventional and toxic-weighted loadings, and their respective load over limits. DMR pollutant loadings are calculated in pounds per year (lb/year) based on pollutant measurement data from Discharge Monitoring Reports for facilities discharging wastewater under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program. The load over limit is the difference between the pollutant load and the permit limit for each monitoring period and pollutant, summed over the calendar year. This information can be used to help identify discharges that may have the greatest impact on the environment. For more information about loading calculations, scope, and limitations, read the  Water Pollutant Loading Tool Frequently Asked Questions    and  About Loading Tool Data   .

Public Release of the ECHO Clean Air Tracking Tool (ECATT)

ECHO has publicly released the ECHO Clean Air Tracking Tool (ECATT), which provides an integrated view of Clean Air Act data. ECATT is the first EPA interface that combines data about emissions, enforcement and compliance, environmental justice, air monitoring stations, and modeled toxic risks. Communities now have access to a tool that can be used to evaluate emissions at stationary sources of air pollution and analyze general air quality in the United States in areas of Environmental Justice concern or with high risks of health impacts.

Access the ECHO Clean Air Tracking Tool . A short video tutorial is available to help users get started.

ECHO Notify Adds Functionality to Subscribe Based on Tribal Boundaries and Watershed

ECHO Notify now allows users to subscribe to notifications for environmental enforcement and compliance activities in or near specific Tribal boundaries and in specific watersheds.  ECHO Notify provides weekly email notifications of changes to enforcement and compliance data in ECHO. Notifications are tailored to the geographic locations, facility IDs, and notification options that you select.

Existing ECHO Notify subscribers that previously signed up for notifications in a specific state that includes a Tribal boundary or watershed will see no change in their current email.  

If you would like to subscribe to the ECHO Notify service, please sign in to Login.Gov and navigate to the ECHO Notify landing page .  

ECHO Notify Adds Compliance Monitoring Activity (CMA)

ECHO Notify now includes Compliance Monitoring Activity (CMAs) .  CMAs, such as on-site inspections and off-site record reviews, are key components EPA uses to ensure that the regulated community obeys environmental laws and regulations. It encompasses all regulatory agency activities performed to determine whether a facility is in compliance with applicable law.

Existing ECHO Notify subscribers that previously signed up for "All" in a specific category, such as the Clean Air Act (CAA), will automatically have CMA included in their weekly emails.  

If you would like to subscribe to the ECHO Notify service, please sign in to Login.Gov  and navigate to the ECHO Notify landing page .  

For more information on signing up for ECHO Notify, please view this video tutorial .   

February 2023

Public release of npdes noncompliance reports (nncr).

ECHO has added the NPDES Noncompliance Reports (NNCRs) which provide a comprehensive list of Clean Water Act (CWA) violators to the public. The Clean Water Act eReporting rule required these reports to be public to improve transparency and lower burden on states by having EPA responsible for generating these reports. The reports cover approximately 450,000 CWA permittees and include a quarterly report ( https://echo.epa.gov/facilities/npdes-noncompliance-search ) with details on violations and enforcement activities by facility, and an annual report ( https://echo.epa.gov/npdes-noncompliance-annual-report ) with summary compliance and enforcement information by state, tribe, and territory. While the NNCR reports can be accessed directly via the links above, other parts of ECHO will be updated in the future to include data from the NNCR.

January 2023

Public release of pfas analytic tools.

In January 2023, ECHO added a new search interface - the PFAS Analytic Tools . PFAS, which is short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a category of chemicals of high concern to communities. The PFAS Analytic Tools bring together available national datasets into a searchable, map-themed webpage that allows user to filter, zoom in and download information such as drinking water testing results, PFAS chemical production, regulated facilities that may use PFAS, PFAS detections at Federal agencies, and toxic release/effluent discharges. The site also includes environmental testing such as surface water and fish tissue. EPA expects that over time, the amount of information available within the tool will increase. At the time of launch, the website compiled data from 11 different data sources.  EPA issued a Press Release about PFAS Analytic Tools, which provides context about how this effort fits with other EPA initiatives relating to PFAS chemicals.

October 2022

Public release of benzene fenceline monitoring dashboard.

ECHO has added a new dashboard, the Benzene Fenceline Monitoring Dashboard , which provides self-reported benzene monitoring data from petroleum refineries. Benzene is a Clean Air Act hazardous air pollutant that must be monitored under the 2015 Petroleum Refinery Sector Rule . Benzene data are collected along the perimeter of the refinery. Refineries are required to report monitoring results to EPA on a quarterly basis and must take corrective action if benzene levels exceed regulatory standards. The new dashboard compiles results and displays the in a way that makes it easy for communities to see what is happening nearby. 

Public Release of New EPA/State Drinking Water Dashboard

EPA recently released an updated version of the EPA/State Drinking Water Dashboard . The new version uses a different web analytics platform like the existing EPA/State Clean Air Act Stationary , Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Hazardous Waste , and Wastewater dashboards. The software allows for easy filtering to understand high level trends on key enforcement and compliance Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) data tracked by the national database - SDWIS/Fed. There are also some important updates to some of the logic that can be read about in the dashboard help documentation .

Public Release of ECHO Notify

EPA recently released a new tool, ECHO Notify , that advances the agency’s commitment to transparency and environmental justice. The tool makes it easier for ECHO users to stay informed of the latest compliance and enforcement activity in their geographic area. The innovative notification service allows users to sign up to receive email notifications identifying changes to compliance and enforcement data in ECHO for various environmental programs. Notifications are tailored based on the geographic location(s) or facility ID(s) of interest and the notification options that are selected. New users will need to create a Login.gov account to use ECHO Notify services and receive notifications.

National PFAS Datasets Published 

EPA created a new webpage, the " National PFAS Datasets " page, which provides consolidated data about PFAS reporting, testing, and occurrences in communities. This data release makes it easier for the public to find information from many different public databases in one spot. Publishing these data is one element of EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap . 

December 2021

Facility search updates .

The media Facility Searches added the statute acronym (CAA, CWA, RCRA, and SDWA) to their descriptions. Additionally, the All Data Facility Search has been renamed the “All Media Programs Facility Search” and the Water Facility Search has been renamed the “Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids (CWA) Facility Search.” These updates were made throughout ECHO and include, but are not limited to the homepage, tool guide, FAQs, help content, Swagger, and navigation menus.  These changes were made to better characterize the focus of these searches and do not alter the way these searches function. 

RCRA and Air Compliance Monitoring Strategy Updates

The air, water, and hazardous waste inspection and compliance monitoring data are being updated throughout ECHO. The updates are intended for ECHO to display inspections and other compliance monitoring activities consistently with the compliance monitoring strategy (CMS) policies for both EPA and state activities. The updates for hazardous waste include updating the default search criteria for RCRA compliance monitoring strategy activities. The activities included in the RCRA CMS are Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI), Groundwater Monitoring Evaluation (GME), and Operation and Maintenance Inspection (OAM). The ability to search for on-site activities remains.

The updates for air include the ability to search the number of Partial Compliance Evaluations in the previous 1-5 years in the Air Facility Search, the inclusion of Investigations (INV) in the results table and Detailed Facility Report’s Compliance Monitoring History table, and inclusion of partial compliance evaluations (PCEs), stack tests, and TV ACC Receipt/Reviews as CMS activities.

ECHO Facility Search Updates 

The media Facility Searches added the statute acronym (CAA, CWA, RCRA, and SDWA) to their descriptions. Additionally, the All Data Facility Search has been renamed the “All Media Programs Facility Search” and the Water Facility Search has been renamed the “Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids (CWA) Facility Search.” These updates were made throughout ECHO and include, but are not limited to the homepage, navigation menus, tool guide, FAQs, help content, and Swagger web service documentation. These changes were made to better characterize the focus of these searches and do not alter the way the searches function. 

EPA EJScreen Data Highlighted on Facility Searches

To better highlight the ability to search for facilities based on their location relative to EJScreen  data, several design changes were recently made to facility search forms. The "Demographic Profile" section was renamed to "Community" and moved toward the top of search forms, under the "Geographic Location" section. Also, to the "EJ Indexes Above 80th Percentile" search option, Yes/No radio buttons are now available; "Yes" means the search will return facilities that are located in an area with one or more EJ Indexes above the 80th percentile nationally. A corresponding column displays in the search results data table. 

Changes to Presentation of Drinking Water System Compliance Data Released

Changes to the way ECHO presents drinking water system compliance data, in particular on the Detailed Facility Report, improve transparency of the data. In the Three-Year Compliance History by Quarter table, periods in violation are now consistent with EPA Office of Water public products. Violations are categorized by type to make it easier to distinguish health-based violations from other types, and links on violation dates take users directly to a table of more detailed information.

This release also includes a number of updates, enhancements, and bug fixes. On all facility search results, the map and data table are no longer synced by default. A new, more user-friendly control allows users to explore the map and then sync the displayed facilities with the data table when ready. Also, the Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search was adjusted to be more specialized to industrial stormwater-specific data, as opposed to looking across the entire wastewater dischargers program. On the search form, the permit coverage and program report search criteria were moved to a new section to identify more easily. Other updates include tailoring the compliance monitoring activities, informal enforcement actions, formal enforcement actions, and penalties to the industrial stormwater program in the search criteria, results, and downloads.

The NPDES DMR Non-Receipt Status Search includes new search options on the State-Region Code, County, and Facility Name or ID. This enhancement offers more refined search options for states and EPA Regions with a large number of permits and/or non-receipt violations. In addition, 2019 TRI data were added to the Water Pollutant Loading Tool , the Pesticide Dashboard was updated with 2019 data, and ECHO’s EJScreen data were updated to the 2020 EJScreen  release. The Water Pollutant Loading Tool now also includes a more complete set of PFAS chemicals. The Air Stationary Source Data Downloads now include the Air Program Start Date to assist with historical analysis, and a County column was added to the Detailed Facility Report's Facility Address table. Please contact us with questions or suggestions.

February 2021

Updated wastewater dashboard released.

EPA has moved the Wastewater Dashboard  into a new format to improve its usability and flexibility. The purpose of ECHO Dashboards is to report to the public on summary-level compliance and enforcement activity and performance by EPA and state/local partners. This new version provides improved data visualization capabilities and user-friendliness. Following Air Stationary Source and Hazardous Waste dashboards, this is the third of four dashboards to be revamped to make the data easier to use. EPA plans to update the Drinking Water dashboard to this new format by summer.

January 2021

New data available.

New year data sets were added to two products. The Enforcement Case Search now includes a search option for federal fiscal year 2020 EPA concluded cases; look for the search option in the Case Milestones and Dates section under "Annual Results Concluded Cases". On the Data Downloads page, under Water National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES) Data Downloads, the federal fiscal year 2021 Discharge Monitoring Reports dataset is now available for download. This release also included bug fixes and minor updates. Of note, the Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search form was reorganized to better represent the industrial stormwater program and the related EPA Multisector General Permit. Additionally, some search options were tailored to the industrial stormwater program, instead of searching for activity across the entire wastewater discharge program. Please contact us with questions or suggestions.

December 2020

New downloadable dataset available.

For users interested in the bulk Water National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System (NPDES) Data Downloads , a subset of the ICIS-NPDES National Dataset specific to NPDES Master General Permits has been posted. The file is a list of all versions of NPDES Master General Permits in ICIS-NPDES, the EPA national program system. A master general permit covers multiple facilities that have similar discharges and are located in a specific geographic area and applies the same or similar conditions to all dischargers (also known as general permit covered facilities) covered by the permit. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements.

November 2020

Impairment data.

EPA enhanced the water impairment data in ECHO to use catchment-based information in ATTAINS . Catchment-based indexing provides more accurate water environment information than the previously used point indexing. As a result, ECHO can now retrieve more detailed water assessment and impairment information from ATTAINS, including more specific information regarding water use designation. Users can search for and view data in the Environmental Conditions section of the Detailed Facility Report regarding:

• Water assessment condition
• Causes of water impairment
• Pollutants discharged that may potentially be related to impairment
• Drinking Water, Aquatic Life, Recreation, and other use designations

October 2020

Updates released.

This release included bug fixes and minor improvements. Of note, on the Facility Search results map, under the right-hand "Layers" panel, users can now add visual representations of Air Nonattainment Areas by individual pollutant. Also, a new video tutorial helps users navigate and understand the EPA Enforcement Case Search.

September 2020

New map service available .

The new Water Discharge Points Feature Service provides EPA program system facility and permitted features (e.g. discharge points or outfalls) for map layers in a standardized format. Users can access or download the water discharge points data to create their own maps and analyses. The link to this service is on the ECHO Map Services page. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements.

August 2020

Display of clean water act discharge monitoring report no data indicators added .

The ECHO Effluent Charts present dynamic charts and tables of permitted limits, reported releases from discharge monitoring reports, and violations over time for Clean Water Act wastewater discharge permits issued under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System. On discharge monitoring reports, a permittee can report a no data indicator (NODI) when it does not have a numeric value to report for the monitoring period. As an update to the Effluent Charts, the NODIs are now included in the charts and tables to provide a more complete display of the discharge monitoring report data. Find the charts from facility search results pages and Detailed Facility Reports. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements. Of note, Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2019 data has been added to ECHO facility searches and related features.

Data Visualization Gallery Available 

The Data Visualization Gallery makes compliance-related datasets easier to explore. Contact us with ideas for additional content. This release also included the addition of 2017 and 2018 data to the Pesticide Dashboard , as well as minor improvements and bug fixes.

New Video Tutorials Posted 

Three new video tutorials are available on the ECHO Video Tutorials page. ECHO facility reports display data from a variety of sources. These new tutorials illustrate how ECHO obtains and displays compliance data about Clean Air Act stationary sources, Clean Water Act wastewater dischargers, and hazardous waste handlers on the Detailed Facility Report.

Updated Hazardous Waste Dashboard Released 

EPA has released a modernized Hazardous Waste Dashboard , which is now available to the public via ECHO. The enhanced dashboard is user friendly and provides more ways to drill in and analyze the data. Following Air, the Hazardous Waste Dashboard is the second of four dashboards to be revamped to make the data easier to use. This dashboard provides summary trends of EPA and state enforcement and compliance activity, such as how many inspections were performed, how may violations were identified, and how many enforcement actions were taken. It allows the public to see trends and allows EPA and states to review data quality and to see how agencies are doing with program implementation. The new platform provides a dynamic interface that allows users to customize their view to best examine the data and trends they are interested in. The different sections of the chart (facilities, inspections, enforcement, etc.) will now update together, so selections made in any section are reflected in other sections, making it easier to see meaningful patterns and trends in the data. EPA plans to update the Wastewater and Drinking Water dashboards to this new format over the next six to eight months.

Updated Air Dashboard Released 

EPA has released a modernized Clean Air Act Stationary Source Dashboard (State Air Dashboard) , which is now available to the public via ECHO. The enhanced dashboard is user friendly and provides more ways to drill in and analyze the data. The State Air Dashboard is the first of four dashboards to be revamped to make the data easier to use. This dashboard provides summary trends of EPA and state/local enforcement and compliance activity, such as how many inspections were performed, how may violations were identified, and how many enforcement actions were taken. It allows the public to see trends and allows EPA and state/local agencies to review data quality and see how the agencies are doing with program implementation. The new platform provides a dynamic interface that allows users to customize their view to best examine the data and trends they are interested in. The different sections of the chart (facilities, inspections, enforcement, etc.) will now update together, so selections made in any section are reflected in other sections, making it easier to see meaningful patterns and trends in the data. Note that the State Air Dashboard is focused on only the stationary source component of the Clean Air Act program. EPA plans to update the Hazardous Water, Clean Water, and Drinking Water dashboards to this new format over the next six to eight months.

Additional Map Layers Available on Facility Search Results 

Map layers can add a variety of visual information to ECHO facility search results. Several new options were recently added to ECHO. "Private Party Superfund Sites with Ongoing Work” and “Federal Facility Superfund Sites with Ongoing Work” show locations of Superfund enforcement cleanup work . Also, feature layers maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that show final and proposed critical habitat locations are available. After running a facility search with the Interactive Map results view, look for the "Layers" panel on the right side of the screen. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements. More enforcement response types are now displayed in the Detailed Facility Report Informal Enforcement Actions table to help show the breadth of compliance and enforcement program work. Entries in italics are not counted as "informal enforcement actions" in EPA definitions pertaining to enforcement actions.

New Data Columns, Video Tutorial, and Search Options Added to Facility Searches

More Detailed Owner/Operator Information for Regulated Facilities: Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search results now provide more detailed information on owner/operator type. This information is easily accessed in either the Facility Characteristics section of the Filter Facilities panel on the right side of the page or as an optional column found in the Customize Columns window. The data are pulled from the national program system and make it easier for users to distinguish between publicly and privately owned wastewater dischargers. Also, Air Facility Search users can find an Owner/Operator column in Customize Columns, and the Hazardous Waste Facility Search results now has columns for Operator Type and Owner Type. Users requested the columns be added to the existing Land Type column, because the three can vary in some instances.

A new “Filter Facilities” video tutorial provides a brief demonstration of how to use the Filter Facilities feature that appears with the mapped facility results from an ECHO facility search. The Filter Facilities feature on the search results page allows users to explore and refine facility search results on an interactive map.

Improved Searching for Drinking Water System Sanitary Survey Results: Drinking Water System Search users requested functionality to identify public drinking water systems with recent deficiencies noted in the last sanitary survey. To address that, an "In Last Survey" option was added to the "Significant Deficiencies Found" selector for sanitary surveys. Two related features are a "None in Last Survey" option and a new search results column for the date of the last sanitary survey. A sanitary survey is a review of a public water system to assess its capability to supply safe drinking water. In addition, the Customize Columns feature of search results now includes columns for Primary Service Area (the type of service area supplied by the system) and Violation Categories in the last three years. The Results Guide provides definitions.

New optional facility search results columns for Air and Water provide state permit numbers when reported to the national data system. On search results, click Customize Columns and look in the Facility Information section (Air) or Permits section (Water). The addition of "Permittee Name" and "Other/State Permit Number" was requested by state agencies, as sometimes this information is different from facility-level data in the EPA national data system. Click the search results “Results Guide” link for definitions.

This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements. Of note, the EPA Enforcement Case Search now has the option to display federal fiscal year 2019 Annual Results Concluded Cases. Find this search option under the Case Milestones and Dates section. Also, users can now search for wastewater dischargers on the Water Facility Search based on likely Effluent Guidelines Point Source Category. Point Source Categories are industry categories that facilities are grouped in based on the release of pollutants from discrete point sources. Finally, Also, when searching for public drinking water systems based on contaminants with violations, users can now limit the results to "health-based" violations.  Contact Us anytime with feedback or questions.

February 2020

More links to epa inspection reports and enforcement documents added.

In 2017, ECHO began linking to enforcement documents, primarily posted by EPA Region 6. Starting in 2020, EPA has turned on a new capability for EPA Regions to begin loading inspection reports, notices of violation, and enforcement orders. These documents can provide users with more context about summary data on an ECHO Detailed Facility Report. These documents will be accessible in ECHO via corresponding ECHO Detailed Facility Reports and Civil Enforcement Case Reports. On applicable Detailed Facility Reports, look for a link to “EPA Facility Documents” found in the “Related Documents” section of the Facility Summary. Please note that as of February 2020, few of these documents are loaded, but EPA expects that volume to grow as EPA Regions begin routinely posting these reports.

January 2020

Two data updates released.

On the ECHO  Data Downloads  page, the federal fiscal year 2020 dataset was added for wastewater discharger Discharge Monitoring Report data. Also, facility searches and reports were updated with the  EJScreen  2019 release. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements. Of note, the Detailed Facility Report now links from the Facility Characteristics table to EPA Superfund site information pages for sites on the National Priorities List.

November 2019

Biosolids annual report data search added.

From the ECHO Biosolids Facility Search, the Biosolids Annual Report data was separated into a distinct search, the  Biosolids Annual Report Facility Search . This change was made to provide users with an opportunity to search Biosolids Annual Reports that were submitted electronically to EPA, but whose data are no longer flowing to the legacy system. Users can search 2018 annual reports by NPDES ID, state, amount of biosolids generated, management practice type or detail, and violations to view high-level annual report data. The results view has more limited functionality than the Biosolids Facility Search, but users can still view all detailed Biosolids Annual Report data on the Biosolids Facility Report. The  Biosolids Facility Search  continues to provide searching for compliance monitoring and enforcement data. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements.

October 2019

Search for epa cases by pollutant.

On the  EPA Enforcement Case Search , users can search for cases by pollutant in the Case Attributes section. A column listing the pollutants associated with a case also can be added to search results using the Customize Columns feature. While pollutant data display on the Civil Enforcement Case Report, search capability wasn't available until now. This release also included bug fixes and other improvements.

The Clean Water Act  NPDES DMR Non-Receipt Status Search  offers improved ability to filter and sort results, including limiting search results to particular types of non-receipt statuses and date ranges. Results columns provide additional information on number of missing DMR forms or values. This search makes it easy to identify unresolved Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) non-receipt violations before quarterly permit compliance status data are displayed on the ECHO Detailed Facility Report. Additionally, for applicable Clean Water Act wastewater dischargers, the Detailed Facility Report now displays Industrial Effluent Guidelines in the Facility/System Characteristics section. Effluent Guidelines are the national standards for industrial wastewater discharges to surface waters and publicly owned treatment works (municipal sewage treatment plants). Finally, on  Corporate Compliance Screener  search results, users can add industrial categories (SIC and/or NAICS Codes) to search results and sort on them.

September 2019

Tri data updated.

Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) 2018 data has been added to ECHO facility searches and related features.

August 2019

Tool guide updated.

Check out the updated  ECHO Tool Guide  to find the best feature for your needs. This release also included bug fixes and minor enhancements. On the  Hazardous Waste Facility Search , users can now search for facilities by pollutants reported to Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and add related columns of data to the search results table. Also, charts that display biosolids pollutant concentrations were added to the water Biosolids Facility Report.

Water Search Functionality Added

On the  Drinking Water System Search , the ECHO team added the ability to search on public drinking water systems by county served to help users find systems in which the name is not the same as the county name. On the  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search , Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) is now available as a pollutant category search criteria. On the  Hazardous Water Facility Search , users can search for facilities that have a Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS) ID number. The  Air Facility Search Results  now offer number of stack tests and number of stack tests failed in the previous five years as optional columns to display. 

This release also includes bug fixes and other minor enhancements. Of note, when locating facilities near the user in the mobile phone view of ECHO, a pin represents the location at the time of the search relative to the nearby facilities. Finally, infrastructure improvements have decreased loading times of ECHO  map services . 

Detailed Facility Report Updated

The ECHO team added additional data to the Detailed Facility Report. In the Water effluent violations area of the Three-Year Compliance History table and associated data download, limit set designator and monitoring location details make it easier to distinguish individual effluent permit limit exceedances. Also, the Facility Characteristics section now includes a facility ID number from EPA's Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS), along with Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) designations. 

2018 Biosolids Annual Report Data Incorporated into Biosolids Facility Report

Facilities in the 42 states where EPA implements the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) federal biosolids program submitted the biosolids annual report electronically for the third time in February 2019 – continuing to reduce the burden of paper reporting. This data is now available in an updated ECHO Biosolids Facility Report, which integrates biosolids annual report data with other biosolids enforcement and compliance data in a single report. Recent updates to the report include the ability to download the report copy of record (COR) and report attachments and a detailed display of biosolids annual report violations in the Three-Year Compliance History table.

Other ECHO updates include reformatting the Data Downloads page to improve usability. On the Enforcement Case Search , users can search on the court docket number and add it as an optional results column. Also, EPA EJScreen  index data are now available in the Detailed Facility Report Demographic Profile section.

Usability Updates Released

The Detailed Facility Report has been updated with several display and labeling refinements in order to improve clarity of the data. The layout of the Demographic Profile section of the report was simplified to improve readability, program system initials were expanded to the full number of characters, and fields (Compliance Monitoring History Finding and Formal Enforcement Actions SEP Cost) that aren't applicable to particular media programs were grayed out. Facilities or permits designated as inactive are noted as such in the Enforcement and Compliance Summary and Three Year Compliance History by Quarter tables, rather than listed as having no violations identified. In addition, the EPA Enforcement Case Search map view results now include information in the data table for cases associated with facilities lacking locational data (which can't be mapped). This release also included bug fixes and minor site improvements. 

Search for Public Water System Site Visits

The  Drinking Water System Search  now includes the ability to search for public water systems that have received inspections or other site visits from EPA or state agencies. The search results also have columns (under the "Customize Columns" button) that display the number of inspections and other site visits during the past five years.  This release also included bug fixes and minor updates, including the ability to add the date of last EPA or state/local agency inspection to the  All Media Programs Facility Search  results, a Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) pollutant category search option on the  Water Pollutant Loading Tool , and Water Pollutant Loading Tool  web services documentation . 

February 2019

Detailed facility report compliance history overhaul released.

This release updates the display of facilities’ environmental compliance history data. EPA and states collaboratively addressed state agency comments about improving the transparency of compliance data on the website. This effort led to a number of updates to the context, labeling, and presentation of these data in ECHO, in particular in facility searches and the Detailed Facility Report.

• Labels and cell shading have been standardized and most acronyms/initialisms and codes spelled out.
• For Air stationary source data, state agencies may opt in to display a date range for federally reportable violations.
• For Hazardous Waste data, dates have been added for Significant Noncomplier status to make the display more precise.

In addition, users are offered flexibility in how they view these data on the Detailed Facility Report:

• A navigation bar allows users to more easily move to different parts of the Detailed Facility Report, as well as customize the report to provide a monthly or quarterly view of compliance history data.
• The Three-Year Compliance History table is now available for download. 

This release also includes bug fixes and minor updates, including the ability on several  Water Pollutant Loading Tool  features to remove search criteria from the search results page without returning to the search form.

December 2018

Enforcement case search enhancements released.

• Synchronized map and data table where users can zoom in/out on the map and the data table listing cases will adjust accordingly.
• Modify search conditions directly from the results page with checkboxes related to media program identifiers and case attributes.

As users create their desired list of cases, they also can add map layers that are beneath case/facility points. The layers include a variety of boundaries, places, and demographic maps to help customize the map. 

This release also includes bug fixes and display of additional Clean Water Act Discharge Monitoring Report data. The Detailed Facility Report Three-Year Compliance History by Quarter section now has more detail for Clean Water Act facilities regarding Discharge Monitoring Reports. For water pollutant discharge permits, two new rows will appear when applicable: Count of Missing Discharge Monitoring Report Measurements and Count of Late Discharge Monitoring Report Measurements. This shows, for each quarter of data, how many permit-required measurements were missing or submitted late. Clicking on the number in a cell will open a table with detailed information on each missing or late measurement, such as due date and number of days late. These data provide additional context to the facility-level violation history values.

October 2018

Usability improvements released.

• On the Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search , users can now search for facilities by minimum number of effluent exceedance violations in the previous 1-3 years, and view a link to the new Effluent Limit Exceedance Search . 
• Added law section details to applicable EPA informal enforcement actions on the Detailed Facility Report.
• Updated non-attainment air flags, categories, and pollutants within the All Media Programs and Air Facility Search .  
• Federal Fiscal Year 2018 data added to State Dashboards .

September 2018

Site updated, august 2018, new echo home page launched.

• Co-locating quick searches by location or facility name/ID, 
• Aggregating various search options and tools – organized by media program,
• Offering a Find EPA Cases quick search – either by EPA case name or case number,
• Highlighting data services provided by ECHO, and
• Merging and streamlining ECHO “How-to” help and related resources.

We hope you’ll find that the ECHO home page gets you more quickly to the content and features that most interest you.  For information, please review our updated  Quick Start Guide , which illustrates how to navigate the home page.

Facility Search Results and Detailed Facility Report Styling Updates

Biosolids facility report now available, sanitary surveys search options now available.

On the Drinking Water System Search , users can now search for public water systems based on whether they've had recent sanitary surveys  by a government agency. A sanitary survey is a review of a public water system to assess its capability to supply safe drinking water. The new search features are in the Enforcement and Compliance section of the form under Sanitary Surveys. On the search results page, users can add related columns of data (number of sanitary surveys completed in the last five years and number of significant deficiencies found in the last five years) with the Customize Columns button.  

Detailed Facility Report Formal Enforcement Tables Combined

On the Detailed Facility Report, in the Enforcement and Compliance section, the "Formal Enforcement Actions" and "ICIS Case History" tables were combined into one Formal Enforcement Actions table. The separate tables were a relic of a collection of older data systems, and combining the information into a single table improves the usability and readability of the report. 

Spanish Report Environmental Violations Form Added

The new ECHO  form  that allows the public to report potential environmental violations now offers a Spanish view. This release also included bug fixes and minor improvements.

• For data analysts, the 2018 Clean Water Act Discharge Monitoring Report dataset was posted on the  Data Downloads  page.
• A new "Quick CSV Download" button on facility search results allows users to get an immediate comma-separated values file of their results. (The "Download Data" button remains available and offers the choice of several file formats.)
• Improved usability of the Watershed search options on facility search forms with autocomplete boxes. Simply start typing a water body name to see a list of options that narrow as you type.

2017 Biosolids Annual Report Data Released

Data from the second year of electronic Biosolids Annual Reports, for 2017, is now available on the  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search . The Biosolids Facility Search integrates Biosolids Annual Report data with other biosolids enforcement and compliance data. Going forward, the search will offer the most recent two years for Annual Report data. A facility report under development will allow viewing of all available years of data. Bug fixes and other improvements also were part of this release:

• The  Pesticide Establishments Dashboard  has 2016 data.
• The  All Media Programs Facility Search  includes optional columns for number of EPA EPCRA, FIFRA, SDWA, and TSCA inspections in the last five years.
• The ECHO  Water Pollutant Loading Tool  continues to be improved and optimized.
• The name of the "NPDES Permit Fact Sheets" download in the Water Pollutant Loading Tool has been changed to " NPDES Monitoring Data Download " to avoid confusion with permit fact sheets.

February 2018

The  Wastewater Dashboard  can now be filtered by Tribe. Note that information associating facilities with tribal locations is based on EPA comparison of facility coordinates to the U.S. Census Bureau 2016 Tribal Boundary layer data for Tribes in the lower 48 states, and Bureau of Land Management Alaska State Office data for Tribes in Alaska. Bug fixes and facility search usability improvements also were part of this release:

• In the  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids facility search  Enforcement and Compliance section, the Compliance Status search option was reorganized for easier use.
• All of the facility search results downloads were reorganized to better match the order of the user-selected columns seen onscreen.
• On  All Media Programs  and  Air  facility search results, additional optional columns of information about  nonattainment areas for criteria pollutants  were added to Customize Columns. For a facility in a nonattainment area, the columns will list the applicable National Ambient Air Quality standard/s and the pollutant/s in nonattainment.

January 2018

Corporate compliance screener and water discharge monitoring report data updated.

The  Corporate Compliance Screener  was updated with search features that provide users greater flexibility to tailor reports and improved functionality to conduct entity data screenings. The new “Compliance Report”, increases the flexibility of analyzing facility data by removing many of the default restrictions applied to the previous version of the report. Specifically, this new report includes settlements of any amount and allows the user to select the settlement time period (the last year to 10+ years) included in the report.

The search option to include “And Does Not Contain” terms for facility and company name searching is now available. This feature optimizes the process of compiling an accurate facility list by allowing users to enter specific terms to be excluded prior to conducting the search. The Corporate Compliance Screener organizes existing ECHO facility data into reports that highlight recent compliance issues or enforcement actions based upon data entered into national data systems of record.

Additionally, prior to the  Clean Water Act NPDES Electronic Reporting rule , ECHO withheld Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) non-receipt violations and noncompliant permit compliance status data for non-major DMR filers in most states (the exceptions being Arkansas and Louisiana, as requested by these two states) when the noncompliance was related to DMR non-receipt violations. ECHO displayed the permit compliance status as “Unknown” for non-majors with DMR non-receipt violations (and no more serious NPDES violations).

Beginning on January 9, 2018, EPA updated ECHO to allow users to identify non-major DMR filers with unresolved DMR non-receipt violations that occur in monitoring periods with end dates after June 30, 2017. EPA also updated ECHO to allow users to identify the corresponding permit compliance status for these non-major DMR filers. These changes affect the All Media Programs and Water facility searches and the Detailed Facility Report. The  NPDES DMR Non-Receipt Status Search  helps provide details of these DMR non-receipt violations. 

Other recent site updates include bug fixes and minor improvements. ECHO's  Report Environmental Violations form  was updated to improve the user experience by creating an additional warning about reporting environmental emergencies.  Contact us  with questions or comments.

November 2017

Public release of the npdes erule readiness and data completeness dashboard.

The 2015 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Electronic Reporting Rule (“ NPDES eRule ”) requires the U.S. EPA to assess the progress each authorized state is making in implementing Clean Water Act NPDES electronic reporting and to repeat these assessments annually. EPA is publishing a  dashboard  to show these assessments. Since November 2016, EPA has worked collaboratively with states to improve the functionality of the dashboard and the quality of the data supporting the dashboard. EPA plans to build additional charts and data visualizations over time to make it easier to evaluate implementation of the NPDES eRule. EPA will continue its collaboration with states prior to any new enhancements of this dashboard. Overall, data sharing between states and EPA has greatly improved, which helps give EPA and states the ability to strategically address the most serious water pollution problems. 

This release also includes a new form for reporting suspected environmental violations, as well as minor site improvements and bug fixes. ECHO now includes the mobile-friendly version of EPA's Report Environmental Violations form. The  ECHO form    allows users to optionally include their location and/or look up nearby facilities. 

The Water facility search now includes a search option for facilities that had violations during a particular time period. Users requested this as an alternative to searching for facilities that have had violations in the past three years. Also, the Inspection Type search feature on the Air, Water, and Hazardous Waste facility searches now works with the "None Within" inspection timeframe parameter to allow searches for facilities that have not had a particular type of inspection. Finally, the "Learn More About ECHO" and "Become an ECHO Pro" pages were combined into one " quick start   " navigation guide.  Contact Us  with comments and questions.

October 2017

Ability to search for epa inspections added to all media programs search.

The  All Media Programs facility search  now features the ability to search for inspections by statute.  After choosing to search for facilities that have been inspected within a particular timeframe, users can narrow the results by inspections or compliance evaluations under particular environmental statute, including EPA inspections under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, and more. While these inspections displayed in the Compliance Monitoring History table of the Detailed Facility Report, users were unable to search for facilities with the inspections until now. This feature is located in the All Media Programs 'Enforcement and Compliance' section under 'Time Since Last Inspection'. 

Also, benchmark threshold exceedance data are now available via the  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids search .  Users can search for facilities that have had benchmark threshold exceedances in the past three years, add an optional column of that information on the search results page, and view the information on the Detailed Facility Report. Benchmark monitoring is required under EPA's  2015 Multi-Sector General Permit  as an indicator of performance of stormwater control measures. Benchmark threshold exceedances indicate instances when stormwater pollutant concentrations exceed levels that could adversely affect receiving water quality, and require permittees to review their stormwater control measures and take corrective action. These exceedances are not violations, but rather indicators of potential problems at the site. For information on benchmark monitoring, see the  Industrial Stormwater Monitoring and Sample Guide  under the  Industrial Stormwater Fact Sheets and Guidance  tab. Bug fixes and other minor updates, including the ability to search by causes of impairment in the  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids facility search    Environmental Conditions section, were part of this release.  Contact Us  with comments and questions. 

Beta Water Pollutant Loading Tool Available for Review

The Water Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool is  moving to ECHO . The Loading Tool is designed to help users determine who is discharging, what pollutants they are discharging and how much, and where they are discharging. The tool calculates pollutant loadings from permit and DMR data from EPA's data system that supports the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), and it offers a variety of ways to customize searches. Pollutant loadings are presented as pounds per year and as toxic-weighted pounds per year to account for variations in toxicity among pollutants. To streamline site maintenance and increase user access to data, the Loading Tool is being built on the ECHO platform upon documented RESTful services. The  ECHO version of the Loading Tool  has a similar look and feel as the current Loading Tool website, which will be retired in late January 2018, with some usability improvements. Bug fixes and minor updates also were part of this release.  Contact Us  with comments and questions about the beta tool.

September 2017

Drinking water data updates posted.

The Detailed Facility Report (DFR) Three Year Compliance Status by Quarter table has been updated to clarify the status of individual violations across quarters for the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Violations are listed with both the beginning and return-to-compliance dates across the twelve quarters. A report showing a right arrow with no closing date (e.g., >>>) means that the facility violation has not been resolved and continues to be active in the program data system. If the violation started before the last three years of data and continues into the last three years, the beginning date is listed in QTR1. The updates to the SDWA compliance status display are consistent with how unresolved violations are displayed for Air, Water, and Hazardous Waste. Additionally, the Three Year Compliance Status by Quarter table was updated for SDWA to reflect violations that have been addressed with an additional facility-level status, "Violation-Addressed". Please see the Detailed Facility Report Data Dictionary for additional information on compliance status by statute. Bug fixes and other minor updates also were part of this release:

• A NAICS Code lookup was added to the ECHO Facility Search  to allow users to identify and search on NAICS codes by keyword.
• A column was added to the DFR Air Quality Table to document the applicable standard associated with a nonattainment area. See About the Data for the nonattainment areas included in ECHO.
• Updates in terminology and formatting were made throughout ECHO to ensure consistency between tools, including updating facility-level status abbreviations on the DFR.

August 2017

New echo biosolids facility search released.

A new Water Facility Search specific to the Water Program Area Biosolids has been released on ECHO.  With the implementation of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Electronic Reporting Rule , facilities in the 42 states where EPA implements the NPDES federal biosolids program began submitting Biosolids Annual Reports electronically for the first time in February 2017 - continuing to reduce the burden of paper reporting. The new electronic Biosolids Annual Report standardized the reporting format and collected more comprehensive biosolids production and management data. Before the eRule was implemented, Biosolids Annual Reports were submitted on paper. The reports were received in large stacks with little standardization to the reporting format, and using it effectively on a national-level was difficult.

The data are now available electronically on the ECHO Biosolids Facility Search , which integrates Biosolids Annual Report data with other biosolids enforcement and compliance data. It provides access to biosolids-specific permit, inspection, violation, enforcement, and penalty related data to users for the first time in an easy-to-use search tool. Also, all of the Biosolids Annual Report data submitted to EPA electronically can be downloaded in one file from ECHO’s Data Downloads page. This new download allows users to analyze Biosolids Annual Report submissions down to the biosolids management level and includes data about biosolids facility type, treatment processes, management practice, pathogen class, noncompliance, and more. This download is refreshed weekly and is accompanied by an ICIS-NPDES Biosolids Annual Report Download Summary , which includes detailed information about source data, data elements, and data element descriptions. Webinars with EPA program offices and regions, states, and biosolids industry groups helped promote the awareness and utility of the new search, and resulting feedback was incorporated into the test versions.

Other recent site updates include bug fixes and usability and data improvements. Of note, EJScreen data have been updated to the 2017 release. EJScreen allows ECHO users to select facilities in areas with EJ indexes above the 80th percentile nationally. Additionally, 2016 Toxics Release Inventory data was added to facility searches and reports. Feel free to Contact Us with questions or comments. 

Updates to Water Industrial Stormwater Facility Search

The  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids Facility Search  was updated with two search options:

• In the Facility Characteristics section, MSGP Annual Report Submitted searches for facilities located in areas were EPA is the permitting authority that submitted annual reports per the 2015 Multi-Sector General Permit requirements.
• In the Enforcement and Compliance section, Type of Monitoring was added to allow users to search for facilities that have benchmark vs. effluent thresholds.

The search results page offers the optional ability (under Customize Columns) to add the text fields from the latest MSGP annual report submitted to the results table and download file. 

Links to Facility Clean Air Act (CAA) Reports Added to Detailed Facility Report

ECHO users can now access multiple reports submitted to EPA using its Compliance and Emissions Data Reporting Interface (CEDRI) directly from applicable ECHO Detailed Facility Reports. EPA's public  WebFIRE  database contains  multiple reports , like CAA emissions reports for an applicable regulation, submitted to EPA using CEDRI in response to regulatory requirements under Parts 60 and 63 of Title 40 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. The ECHO feature allows users to quickly access the compliance and emission documents that are specific to the facility report they are viewing. On Detailed Facility Reports, look for  “Related Reports” found in the “Facility Summary” section. Click on “EPA Facility Documents” to see available documents for that facility.

Links to EPA Region 6 Documents Added to Detailed Facility Report and Case Report

EPA is piloting a document access project that leverages work done by EPA Region 6 (states in Region 6:  Arkansas ,  Louisiana ,  New Mexico ,  Oklahoma ,  Texas ). As part of this pilot, ECHO users can now access EPA enforcement and compliance documents from Region 6’s public Compliance Assurance and Enforcement Documents (CAED) database via corresponding ECHO Detailed Facility Reports and Civil Enforcement Case Reports. The CAED database includes EPA inspection reports, EPA enforcement case documents, and National Environmental Policy Act reports. On applicable Region 6 Detailed Facility Reports, look for a link to “EPA Facility Documents” found in the “Related Documents” section of the Facility Summary. On applicable Region 6 Civil Enforcement Case Reports, a link to the enforcement case document can be found in the “Related Case Documents” section. The ECHO team is working with other EPA regions to expand the number of documents directly available to ECHO users. EPA also has document access pilots with Arkansas, New Hampshire, and Utah. Those state documents are available via the Detailed Facility Report in the same section under "State Facility Documents".

The Pesticides Establishments Dashboard was updated with 2015 data, and several updates were made to improve site usability.

• The facility search form Enforcement and Compliance section was reordered to better reflect the typical flow of data from inspection through enforcement action.
• Facility searches related to "inspections" have been more specifically labeled and defined.
• Water facility search results now include an optional column for "Date of Last Inspection (EPA)" and for "Date of Last Inspection (State)".
• Refine results by facilities without evaluations/inspections.
• Download their results tables (up to 100,000 rows) in GEOJSON format.

Site Updates Posted

ECHO’s facility searches allow users to search for facilities located in Census block groups with an 80th or higher national percentile of one or more of the environmental justice (EJ) indexes of EJScreen, EPA's screening tool for EJ concerns. The EJ Indexes search option interface in ECHO was updated to allow users to filter on the number of EJ Indexes above the 80th percentile.  EJScreen  is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic indicators. EJScreen includes eleven environmental justice indexes that combine demographic indicators with a single environmental indicator.  EJScreen provides screening-level indicators  that do not, by themselves, determine the existence or absence of environmental justice concerns in a given location.

Other updates include usability improvements to the Air, Hazardous Waste, and Water facility searches to clarify compliance evaluation type and inspection type search options. Bug fixes and minor updates also were part of this release:

• Watershed search options were updated to clarify the watershed type for All Media Programs, Water, and Hazardous Waste facility searches. In the Water facility search results, results column names were updated to indicate the data source, and a new optional column was added for 12-Digit WBD HUC (EPA Facility Registry Service Derived).
• An optional column was added to the Hazardous Waste facility search results that displays the date of the last record review.

Interactive Web Services Documentation and Other Site Updates Posted

Public web services support the ECHO website, and they are available to web developers. Interactive documentation of each of these web services is now available. The new ECHO Web Services documentation pages provide guided descriptions and customized generation of the RESTlike (REpresentational State Transfer) services used to provide data for each of ECHO's facility searches and many of its reports. The documentation explains how to use the services, the variety of search parameters available, and guides the user through selecting appropriate values to generate data results of interest. Web services allow developers to design custom applications utilizing a live feed of data from ECHO. An ECHO goal is to provide data as broadly as possible, and these services, along with the web interface and bulk data downloads , offer a variety of ways to consume EPA's enforcement and compliance data.

Other site updates include a radius search option on All Media Programs, Air, Hazardous Waste, and Water facility searches. Search for facilities within a 1-, 5-, 10-, or 50-mile radius of your location or any other specified latitude and longitude. Also, two search options were added to the Water facility search - searching for facilities that also have an Air or Hazardous Waste ID number and searching for facilities based on the agency (state or EPA) that issued the most recent permit.

February 2017

The  Frequently Asked Questions  page, which provides helpful information about ECHO data and features, has been updated. Bug fixes and minor updates were part of this release:

• Five optional columns for display were added to the Water facility search results: Permit Issuing Agency, Permit Issue Date, Permit Effective Date, Permit Termination Date, and Permit Components.
• A downloadable dataset from ECHO's Air Pollutant Report was added to the  Data Downloads  page.

January 2017

Suite of echo search improvements launched.

A significant update to the ECHO website improves the ability to do a variety of searches. Facility searches, like the  All Media Programs and  Water  searches, now offer a suite of features that improve the functionality of mapped search results, compiling regulatory enforcement data about companies is easier, and Drinking Water system searches are more complete.

Map Filter.  This collection of features makes it much easier to interact with data without needing to run new searches. The updated look and feel is inspired by popular travel and shopping websites that make it easy to find and filter places and products. Map Filter allows users to modify search conditions directly on the map with easy-to-use sliders and checkboxes. As users create their desired list of facilities, they also can add map layers that are beneath facility points. The layers include a variety of boundaries, places, and demographic maps to help customize the map. Additionally, a search can be initiated  from a map  by clicking “Create Maps” on the ECHO home page and selecting a program of interest. Users also may choose to get facility search results without a map. These features are fully developed for All Media Programs and Water facility searches, with some improvements for Air and Hazardous Waste facility searches.

Corporate Compliance Screener.  The  Corporate Compliance Screener  summarizes compliance and enforcement data across multiple facilities owned or managed by a company or jurisdiction. The tool selects facility and enforcement case records based on user-entered company names and compiles a list of summary statistics, detailed current noncompliance, and recent significant formal enforcement activity. The user is able to review the data and remove false positives or “sound-alike” companies that are not desired in the dataset. This interface allows users to quickly analyze a large number of facilities, review those that may have past compliance and enforcement issues, and download a formatted report of the dataset. Once users establish a list of facilities within a company, it is easy to re-run those facilities on a periodic basis.

Improved  Drinking Water system searching   .  ECHO provides Public Water System compliance and enforcement data in its facility searches. Enhanced features make it easier to search for violations by specific contaminants and to identify the newest violations. ECHO also now offers a capability to search for lead and copper action level exceedances (ALEs). The ALE data indicate when measured values for lead or copper are at a level that requires action on the part of the drinking water system. Lead and copper samples data add context to the Detailed Facility Report. Additionally, ECHO will show monthly violations when they are received by the national data system rather than waiting for the official quarter of data to be complete. This change allows users to see violation data sooner, but comes with the caveat that such data are voluntarily entered and are not always complete or fully quality assured. So, when primacy agencies choose to report violations and enforcement actions into the national system of record beyond the end of the current official quarter, they will be included in the search and displayed on the Detailed Facility Report.

The full  Discharge Monitoring Report downloadable dataset  for federal fiscal year 2017, bug fixes, and adjustments related to the reworked  EPA web page template  also are included in this release.

The ECHO team is listening to users and working to improve the content and functionality of ECHO to meet environmental data needs. Use of the site has more than tripled since 2008 when EPA began enhancing the content in ECHO. Since January 1, 2016, the site had about 80,000 new users and more than  3 million page views .

Register for upcoming  trainings , and stay tuned for other exciting additions. Later in the year, we plan to phase in improvements to provide ECHO users better inter-operability with ambient monitoring information. We also are ramping up capabilities that will offer better interaction between users and ECHO in reporting tips and complaints and providing email alert capabilities on data related to nearby communities. Lastly, Clean Water Act  NPDES eReporting rule  implementation will bring a series of additional data points into the national database and ECHO – improving the accuracy and completeness of information related to the Clean Water Act program. Thank you for your interest in ECHO, and  let us know  what you think.

December 2016

New template and usage information posted.

The ECHO website has a new look, consistent with the EPA website as a whole. Functionality remains the same - the changes primarily affected the background, page wrappers, and fonts. Please see information about the  EPA website update , and  Contact Us  if you have questions. Also, a new page regarding  site use  has been posted. Thank you for your interest in ECHO.

November 2016

New features available.

ECHO users can now filter facility searches based on EPA EJScreen information. While there are many components to EJScreen, ECHO offers the ability to select facilities that are located in Census block groups where one or more environmental justice index is at or above the 80th percentile nationally. The new checkbox is available on the  All Media Programs , Air, Hazardous Waste, and Water facility search pages in the Demographics section (click "View More Search Options"), and users may also add the information as an optional column in facility search results.

EJScreen  is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic indicators. EJScreen includes eleven environmental justice indexes that combine demographic indicators with a single environmental indicator.  EJScreen provides screening-level indicators  that do not, by themselves, determine the existence or absence of environmental justice concerns in a given location.

Other recent site updates include bug fixes and usability improvements. Of note, the Indian Country search and display options on the All Media Programs, Air, Hazardous Waste, and Water facility search and results pages have been expanded and clarified to help users understand the source of the underlying data. Additionally, the Total Aggregate Emissions Data table of the Air Pollutant Report has been expanded to include each program displayed in the Emissions Data table as applicable. Please  contact us  if you have comments or questions.

October 2016

Drinking water system search options expanded.

EPA implemented a set of improvements to the  Drinking Water system search  to make it more consistent with other site features, such as the facility searches for the other major regulatory programs. New features makes it easier to search for the violator and enforcement action data that were already included in search results and on the Detailed Facility Report. Users can now search for public water systems based on the date of the last informal or formal enforcement action, as well as the number of quarters as a serious violator. Users also can choose to switch the Contaminant(s) in Violation search from violations in the past three years to violations in the most recent quarter.

Additionally, EPA improved the manner in which drinking water violations are displayed by adding a "Status" column on the Detailed Facility Report "SDWA Violations and Enforcement Actions" section. This column displays "Resolved" if the violation is Returned to Compliance, "Addressed" if it is under formal enforcement but not yet Resolved, and "Unaddressed" otherwise. (Individual enforcement actions, including informal ones, will continue to display in the table, as well.) In keeping with the  Enforcement Response Policy , five years after the violation's compliance period end date the violation will be labeled "Archived" and will no longer contribute to the Public Water System's overall compliance status. This change ensures that ECHO reports are consistent with criteria used in the  Drinking Water Dashboard .

Other recent site updates include bug fixes and minor enhancements. Of note, the  ECHO Facilities map layer  is now refreshed on a weekly basis, and a new video tutorial about  Comparative Maps and Dashboards  was posted. Please  contact us  if you have comments or questions.

Clean Air Act State Dashboard Activity View Updated

The  Air State Dashboard  Activity View has been updated to display fiscal year 2015 and 2016 data. The  transition between Air national data management systems  means that 2011-2014 data are based on legacy system data, while 2015 data and beyond are based on the new national program system of record. As before, the dashboard provides an overview of environmental compliance and enforcement data on a national and state level. All but the most recent year are based on frozen, verified datasets. The most recent year is refreshed on a weekly basis. Please feel free to  Contact Us  with questions.

September 2016

Clean water act industrial stormwater search released.

This new  Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids facility search interface    is tailored to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) industrial stormwater program and makes it easier to find information about facilities that discharge under EPA’s  Multi-Sector General Permit    for industrial stormwater discharges. It sets the stage for enhanced transparency of new data that will be submitted electronically as a result of  NPDES Electronic Reporting Rule    implementation. New data available through this interface include certain elements from Notices of Intent for permit coverage, such as information related to stormwater pollution prevention plans. Please note that benchmark thresholds and exceedances are not yet displayed in ECHO and the goal is to add them later this year. 

Also,  a new  Data Downloads    feature allows users to download the Water datasets by state under 'Download Data by Jurisdiction'. The data download files are large datasets that may be of particular use to academics and analysts. An ECHO goal is to provide data as broadly as possible, and these files, along with the  web interface  and  services , offer a variety of ways to consume EPA's enforcement and compliance data. This feature responds to user requests to separate the  Water Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) datasets    into smaller files. Other recent site updates include minor bug fixes. As always, feel free to  Contact Us    with questions. 

August 2016

Usability improvements and new service documentation released.

Several improvements were made to the popular Detailed Facility Report to further enhance its utility, including better default ordering of compliance monitoring and enforcement tables, ability to sort on additional tables, elimination of the need to scroll horizontally on most monitors, and addition of Air agency column in the Three Year Compliance Status by Quarter table. 

Drinking Water documentation was added to the  ECHO REST Services Documentation  page, providing interactive descriptions and generation of the REST services used to provide data for ECHO's  Drinking Water System Search . Web services allow developers to design custom applications utilizing a live feed of data from ECHO.  An ECHO goal is to provide data as broadly as possible, and these services, along with the  web interface  and bulk  data downloads , offer a variety of ways to consume EPA's enforcement and compliance data. 

Other changes include improved facility search results documentation regarding impaired waters data, two new Enforcement Case Search optional columns related to Supplemental Environmental Projects, facility search results approximated locational map icons for facilities that are missing latitude/longitude data, and bug fixes.

Clean Water Act Discharge Monitoring Report Dataset Posted for 2016

The Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Dataset for Fiscal Year 2016 has been added to the  Data Downloads  page . The data download files are large datasets that may be of particular use to academics and analysts. An ECHO goal is to provide data as broadly as possible, and these files, along with the  web interface  and  services , offer a variety of ways to consume EPA's enforcement and compliance data. Other recent site updates include minor bug fixes.

Effluent Charts Web Services Documentation Posted

The new  ECHO REST Services Documentation  page provides interactive descriptions and generation of the REST services used to provide data for ECHO's Clean Water Act Effluent Charts. Web services allow developers to design custom applications utilizing a live feed of data from ECHO.

Other recent site updates include bug fixes and minor enhancements. Federal Fiscal Year 2014 data were added to the  Pesticide Dashboard . Additionally, information about whether a facility is in an Air Nonattainment Area for Sulfur Dioxide was added to the Detailed Facility Report, as were direct links to Arkansas Clean Water Act discharge permit documents.  Please  contact us    if you have comments or questions.

ECHO Enforcement Case Search Enhanced

EPA's public criminal case information has been integrated into ECHO's  EPA Enforcement Case Search . While public information about criminal enforcement has been available on EPA's website, it was separate from the civil case data available through ECHO. This significant enhancement allows ECHO users to access all public EPA case data in one place without needing to know whether enforcement actions were civil or criminal in nature. Users can now enter a geographic region of interest on the Case Search form and receive a map and a list of all public EPA cases that meet their criteria.

Also, additional columns of data are available to add via the "Customize Columns" feature on the search results page: Date Final Order Lodged, Date Enforcement Action Closed, Enforcement Outcome, and Cost Recovery Awarded. Please  contact us    if you have comments or questions.

ECHO Mobile Experience Enhanced

In November 2015, ECHO facility features were optimized for display on mobile devices. Recent updates include usability enhancements and the option to switch between the mobile view and the full version of the site. Links are provided at the bottom of each page. While we recommend staying on the mobile view while using a phone, feedback indicated that users wanted the option to access the full functionality of the site.

Other website updates include general usability improvements and bug fixes. A common user request has been implemented - the header row on the facility search results data table now stays in view as a user scrolls through the list. Also, sorting on several facility search results columns has been adjusted so that fields with no values always sort to the bottom of the list.

February 2016

Clean water act annual noncompliance report released with other enhancements.

The Clean Water Act Annual Noncompliance Report for 2014 was posted on the ECHO  Annual Reports  page. The Annual Noncompliance Report provides valuable information about the state of compliance among individually permitted non-major facilities regulated by the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

Recent website updates include usability improvements and bug fixes.

• Links from the Detailed Facility Report to Sanitary Sewer Overflow event reports have been added when such reports are available in the Clean Water Act program system.
• Facility search form controls have been adjusted to provide easy access to related website features. A "Related Tools" link has replaced the "Clear All" button above the Search Criteria Selected box. Now to reset the search form, click the white "x" next to "Search Criteria Selected".
• On the Air, Hazardous Waste, and Water facility search forms, a control has been added under the "Facility ID Number" option so users can choose whether to search by program system ID or by EPA registry ID. Program system ID is the most commonly searched ID type on these forms, so that is the default selection; however, some users have asked to be able to search by the ID numbers used in the Agency's Facility Registry Service, which links various related system ID numbers together.

Please  contact us  if you have comments or questions.

January 2016

Drinking water dashboard enhanced.

The  Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Dashboard  (Drinking Water Dashboard) has been enhanced. A new "Advanced View" option lets users see graphs "filtered" on the basis of public water system type or size, source water category, or EPA Region. Another enhanced function is the user's ability to analyze the information sorted for all Indian country, for Indian country in a particular EPA region, and on a tribe-by-tribe basis. The Drinking Water Dashboard puts five years of drinking water compliance and enforcement data at the fingertips of anyone with Internet access. As before, the SDWA Dashboard provides an overview of how EPA, the Navajo Nation, and implementing states regulate public water systems. The dashboard offers information on the type and size of public water systems, on-site visits, and system violations. The public can use information on the dashboard to monitor the number of enforcement actions undertaken and the number of systems returned to compliance. The enhanced Drinking Water Dashboard continues EPA's commitment to sharing data with citizens in formats they can understand and use. 

December 2015

Pesticides dashboard enhanced.

EPA released a new Pesticide Worker Protection Dashboard with interactive charts that present a summary of key enforcement and compliance information related to the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) program under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The WPS is aimed at reducing the risk of pesticide poisoning and injury among agricultural workers and pesticide handlers.  The WPS dashboard presents information on the regulated community and answers questions like: how many facilities in the United States employ workers covered by the Worker Protection Standard, how many have been inspected, and how many violations have been found and enforcement actions taken by states, tribes, and/or EPA.

Additionally, the Drinking Water Search   now offers the ability to search for public water systems based on specific contaminants that have been in violation within the past three years. Please feel free to contact us   with questions or suggestions.

November 2015

Echo optimized for mobile devices.

Select ECHO features are now optimized for display on mobile devices:

• Note: This feature is not available for the drinking water search media program.
• Users can also search for facilities based on any location or Facility Name or ID.  
• Note: Facility results for drinking water searches are only presented in a List View.
• Note: Only the facility name and other inspection statistics (if available) appear for facilities that do not have compliance status data.
• Users can adjust their search from the results page to search on a new location and/or Facility Name or ID, or to change the search media program.  
• The Detailed Facility Report displays an enhanced view on mobile devices with a grid that indicates the facility’s quarterly compliance status.
• By default, the mobile display for the Detailed Facility Report includes the facility’s locational, regulatory, and compliance information.

September 2015

Enforcement case search updated.

The Enforcement Case Search has been enhanced so that users have a choice of how to search by name. By default, users may search the case name, defendant name, and/or facility name for search terms in any order. The enhancement allows users the option to search for exact matches or names that begin with a search term.

Facility Search Results Excel Download Available

The option to download search results as an Excel file is now available on all ECHO Facility Searches . The Excel download is currently available for search results with up to 10,000 records.

August 2015

New features released.

ECHO facility searches are even more powerful with new features added based upon user requests. On the Water facility search:

• Search for facilities by entering a partial permit ID number.
• Search for facilities that have had a specific pollutant in violation under the Clean Water Act.
• Find facilities that discharge pollutants potentially contributing to a water body impairment.
• Add information on annual pollutant loading amounts to Water search results.

Other enhancements include:

• All facility searches now allow users the ability to search for facilities by partial program ID numbers and to more easily use autocomplete functionality to populate many search options.
• Search for facilities that have never been inspected/evaluated under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, or Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
• Search for Air or Hazardous Waste facilities that have reported Risk Management Plans under the Clean Air Act.
• Additional water quality data is displayed on the Detailed Facility Report.
• An ECHO Tool Guide provides tips on which tools to use for specific analyses.

More enhancements are planned for the fall. Please let us know what features you’d like to see.

ECHO Release 2.4.1

EPA released additional ECHO features, including a beta Air Pollutant Report and the option to  search  for facilities that have reported Risk Management Plans under the Clean Air Act. The Air Pollutant Report, which displays emissions data from EPA's various reporting programs, is available from All Media Programs and Air facility search results. 

Clean Water Act Effluent Charts Video Tutorial Posted

A new video tutorial has been posted. It provides a look at the many features of the Clean Water Act Effluent Charts.

ECHO Release 2.4

EPA released ECHO Version 2.4, featuring updated Clean Air Act stationary source data and a tailored  search interface . This interface brings back the final missing popular feature from the retired ECHO website. Also, EPA released the  Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Dashboard (Pesticides Dashboard) .  Read the complete release announcement .

Drinking Water Dashboard Launched

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)  dashboard , a user-friendly website that presents data about violations and the compliance status of public water systems. The dashboard contains interactive charts and graphs that provide information regarding the compliance of public water systems with federal drinking water regulations, as well as enforcement actions.

February 2015

Echo video tutorials posted.

New  video tutorials  have been posted - one introduces the Detailed Facility Report and a followup details the report's compliance and enforcement data and error reporting feature.

January 2015

Two new features.

New enhancements include a link to state documents and an EPA Case Summary keyword search. Detailed Facility Reports now include links to documents, such as Clean Air Act Title V permits, posted on the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services website. We hope to expand to include other states. Additionally, the  EPA Enforcement Case Search  now includes an option to search for keywords from case summaries (under the Case Attributes section).

December 2014

Additional facility name search options available.

The All Media Programs, Water, and Hazardous Waste facility searches have been enhanced so that users have a choice of how to search by Facility Name. The original option of searching for names that contain all the search terms in any order remains the default, but users can choose instead to search for exact matches or names that begin with a search term.

Other recent website updates include usability improvements and bug fixes. A more robust Watershed search was added to the Water Facility Search, and the "Popular Features" box on the home page was changed to "Help" so that more documents of interest to users could be available from the home page.

November 2014

The Clean Water Act Annual Noncompliance Report for 2013 was posted on the ECHO  Annual Reports  page. The Annual Noncompliance Report provides valuable information about the state of compliance among individually permitted non-major facilities regulated by the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. 

Additionally, the web service that supports the All Media Programs facility search has been published on ECHO's  Web Services page, allowing developers to design custom applications utilizing a live feed of data from ECHO. Recent website updates include usability improvements and bug fixes. Of note, facility/case search form controls (on All Media Programs, Hazardous Waste, Water, and EPA Enforcement Case) have been adjusted to make it clearer when more search options are available - click "View More Search Options" above the form or "View More" within each section to see additional search options. Also, a custom date range selector has been added to the Hazardous Waste and Water facility searches for the "Time Since Last Inspection" and "Formal Enforcement Actions" search options.

October 2014

Clean water act discharge monitoring report (dmr) pollutant loading tool updated.

The Clean Water Act DMR Pollutant Loading Tool has been enhanced and Version 2.0  released .

September 2014

Civil enforcement case search updated.

Two advanced search options were added to the Civil Enforcement Case Search (Enforcement Program and National Priority Area). Also, the search results page now has a Case Summary panel on the right side that shows additional information about any case selected in the data table.

ECHO Release 2.3

EPA has completed ECHO release 2.3, featuring a  Hazardous Waste  (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) Facility Search and  Civil Enforcement Case Search . These searches bring back popular features from the old ECHO website. Read the complete release announcement .

Downloads added to Effluent Charts

Clean Water Act effluent charts, accessible after running a Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids facility search , now have several options for downloading data. A "Download All Data" link toward the top right of the screen gives you a comma-separated file (.csv, which can be opened in Excel and other similar software) of all effluent data available from ECHO for that permit. The "Download Data" link just above each chart or table provides a comma-separated file of the effluent data for the chosen pollutant and outfall. Finally, a picture of the chart itself can be downloaded in one of several formats by clicking "Download Chart" to the right just above a chart.

ECHO Release 2.2

EPA has completed ECHO release 2.2, featuring a Clean Water Act facility search and effluent charts (which will be getting a few more  improvements ). The Wastewater/Stormwater/Biosolids facility search brings back popular features from the old ECHO website, along with some enhancements like searching for facilities based on both compliance status and type of pollutants discharged.

Read the complete release announcement .

First ECHO Video Tutorial Posted

The first in a series of ECHO  video tutorials  has been posted. This tutorial introduces users to facility searching.

Updated National Data Download Files Posted

EPA has released updated national data download files . Not only have the files been updated for the first time in the new ECHO system, but they now can be updated much more frequently (formerly annually) as part of ECHO's weekly refresh process. In addition, files were added for several years of Clean Water Act Discharge Monitoring Report data.

Clean Water Act 2012 Annual Noncompliance Report Released

Additional compliance information about non-major facilities regulated by the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System is available for 2012. The 2012 Clean Water Act  Annual Noncompliance Report  was posted on the site, and data from the report were added to the 2012  Water State Dashboards . 

More ECHO Updates

EPA has added new search options to the All Media Programs facility search, along with other improvements.

• located near tribal land or near a specific tribe
• regulated under a specific Clean Air Act  Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) Subpart .
• In Indian Country
• Facility Type (by statute)
• Greenhouse Gas Releases (total CO 2 metric tons).
• Modify Search button on facility search results retains criteria from home page quick searches
• Moved to 2012 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data
• Added more links to help documentation from search results and Detailed Facility Report
• Implemented template hint for Internet Explorer browser to use "standards" mode (rather than "compatibility" view)
• Standardized date formats on All Media Programs facility search results.

​Read the 2.1.1 release announcement .

ECHO Release 2.1

EPA has completed ECHO release 2.1, featuring a drinking water system search. The  Drinking Water Search allows users to search for public drinking water systems based on their location, system characteristics, and compliance history. Drinking water reports provide information about sanitary surveys, violations, enforcement actions, and for the first time, violation points that summarize the degree of noncompliance at a system and whether violations have been returned to compliance or are continuing uncorrected.

Facility Summary panel added to facility search results page

Clicking on a facility row in the facility search results data table now opens a Facility Summary panel on the right side of the page. This panel offers a quick visual snapshot of the compliance/enforcement record at the facility.

February 2014

Epa case report launched.

A major report has been rebuilt in the modernized ECHO website. The Enforcement Case Report provides greater detail about EPA formal enforcement actions and penalties under a wide variety of environmental statutes. When a case report is available, it is linked from the facility search results page and the Detailed Facility Report. (An EPA case-specific search is coming in summer.) Other features recently added:

• On the facility search results table, clicking on the "Mapped" icon zooms the map to the facility location.
• Additional details are provided on the facility search results page in the CAA Current Compliance Status and CWA Current Compliance Status columns when a facility has a significant violation.
• A few improvements were made to the printed version of the Detailed Facility Report.

First ECHO Service Published and New Features Added

Public web services support the ECHO website, and they will be available to web developers. The service that supports the Detailed Facility Report has been published on ECHO's  Web Services  page, allowing developers to design custom applications utilizing a live feed of data from ECHO.

The latest site enhancements include:

• "Add More" button added to Facility Name search option (allowing searches for multiple facility names)
• Discharging into Impaired Waters facility search option enabled
• Minor adjustments to facility search form (state search box “All” option added, and Watershed and Federal Agency boxes are wider)
• Some improvements to mobile phone home page and navigation appearance (more to come)

January 2014

More enhancements released.

On January 22, three features were added to ECHO.

• On the facility search results page, a field for Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) ID number was added to the Customize Columns option.
• Also on the facility search results page, an option was added to allow users to view only the map. Also, both the map and the data table expand vertically when the other is hidden. (Please note: we are troubleshooting a new issue with facility icons disappearing from the map when it expands vertically. We will have that fixed as soon as possible.)
• The "Print" option on the Detailed Facility Report now allows printing of the full report. Further improvement is coming to the printed report in the near future.

December 2013

Echo updates.

On December 23, several known issues were corrected.

• On the All Media Programs Facility Search (and Advanced Facility Search), the Clear All link was implemented, allowing users to remove all of their selections from the form at once.
• On the facility search results page, the map formerly did not zoom in on facilities that were located outside of the continental U.S. Now the map centers as appropriate on Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories.
• Clean Air Act Emissions Inventory System and Greenhouse Gas Reporting Tool ID numbers were added to the Detailed Facility Report.

First Set of Enhancements Released

On December 6, several features were added to ECHO, including access to program-specific data on the facility search results page.

• Facility search results Customize Columns option includes many additional columns of data, including air, water, and waste-specific counts of inspections and actions.
• Users can change the base map to satellite imagery, among other options.
• Facility search form retains search criteria when the Modify Results button is clicked on the facility search results page.
• Search criteria are displayed on the facility search results page.

ECHO 2.0 Launched

The modernized version of EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website, the Agency’s primary website for providing public access to regulatory compliance and enforcement data, was launched on December 3. ECHO is a go-to resource for information about environmental inspections, violations, and enforcement actions for more than 800,000 regulated facilities. The original site launched in 2002 and use increased steadily, providing answers to 2 million queries per year regarding environmental compliance and enforcement data.

President Obama cited ECHO as a model for transparency for other federal agencies to follow, and modernization helps the Agency meet requirements of recent transparency-related executive orders. The data in ECHO are updated every week and simplified navigation makes it easier to find information of interest. It’s built on a modern, flexible platform, allowing for improved mapping, viewing on mobile devices, and machine-readable data/web services. The new system also opens up greater possibilities for data transparency and integration in the future.

The central features of this release are cross-statute (multimedia) facility searching and state comparative maps and dashboards. Program-specific searching – like air, water, waste - and other features will be phased in to ECHO throughout 2014 until all key features from the previous system are replaced. A list of issues with the new site is maintained on the site's Website Known Issues page. Send feedback to EPA about the site by clicking ECHO's Contact Us link.

November 2013

Improvements made to echo beta version.

Throughout November, the beta version of the new Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website, which was released on Oct. 23, 2013, is being improved to address known issues and user feedback. Improvements include Safe Drinking Water Act compliance and enforcement data access from the All Media Programs Facility Search, filling out the Detailed Facility Report data, addressing formatting concerns on the facility search results page, adding optional columns for display on the facility search results page, and bug fixes.

October 2013

Beta version of modernized echo website released.

A beta version of the new Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website was released on Oct. 23, 2013. The legacy version of ECHO remains available until December 3, 2013, for testing and transition purposes.  For testing purposes, please note the known issues that will be addressed as soon as possible.  The list will be updated as issues are addressed or any new ones are reported.

Hearing Wrap Up: The Biden Administration’s EPA Abused its Authority to Advance a Radical Climate Agenda

WASHINGTON—The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing today titled, “ Oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency .” Members exposed how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden Administration has operated outside its rulemaking authority and implemented burdensome regulations and sweeping executive orders to advance President Biden’s radical environmental agenda and appease left-wing climate activists. During the hearing, members pressed EPA Administrator Michael Regan on the Administration’s record-shattering $1.6 trillion in estimated new federal regulatory costs and emphasized how American consumers and businesses are shouldering the financial burden across the country. The House Oversight Committee will continue to investigate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement at the EPA to ensure accountability and transparency for the American people.  

Key Takeaways:

Under the leadership of Administrator Michael Regan, the Biden Administration’s EPA has pushed massive, costly regulations to advance President Biden’s radical environmental agenda.

To date, EPA is responsible for over 80 percent of the Biden Administration’s record-shattering $1.6 trillion in new federal regulatory costs and Americans are paying the price.

The EPA is overreaching its environmental protection authorities extensively, flouting the limits the Supreme Court set upon them two years ago in West Virginia v. EPA and adopting statutory interpretations that will not pass muster under the Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo .

The Biden Administration must put the interests of the American people first, and not simply aim to appease well-organized, left-wing special interest groups and climate scaremongers. 

Member Highlights:

Rep. Gary Palmer (R- Ala.) asked EPA Administrator Regan to provide reports to the Committee about its use of secretive “sue-and-settle” practices and implementation of burdensome regulations at the bidding of special interests.

Rep. Palmer: “In March of this year, the Inspector General issued a report that found the EPA does not properly store its procurement data, paving the way for fraudulent, collusive behavior with vendors receiving contracts and subcontracts. This prevents the Inspector General from adequately conducting oversight. Are you doing anything to correct this?”

Administrator Regan: “We have. We have, yes.”

Rep. Palmer: “Okay good. I’d like to know if you would report to the Committee in writing what you’ve done to correct this. Because it’s not the first time this question has been raised about the EPA’s potential collusion with friendly outside parties, especially with environmental groups during litigation, as I said sometimes referred to as ‘sue-and-settle’ litigation.”

Rep. Palmer: “When was the last time the government audited EPA litigation?”

Administrator Regan: “I’m not quite sure which specific audit you’re referring to. We welcome all audits.”

Rep. Palmer: “I would like to know and report to the Committee whether or not you’ve had an audit of EPA involvement in litigation.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) discussed how EPA regulations will raise costs on all American consumers and businesses.

“The Biden Administration’s cumulative new regulatory costs imposed surpassed all of his predecessors. According to analysis of the Administration’s own published cost estimates, as of May 17 th 2024, the Administration had already imposed $1.6 trillion in new regulatory cost. That $1.6 trillion is almost the entire budget for one year for the federal government. These costs are several times higher than the costs imposed during the entire eight years of the Obama Administration, and they are over 1.7 trillion greater than those imposed during the Trump Administration.”

“Electric vehicles add 1,000 pounds or more per vehicle. That causes damage to roads, bridges, and parking garages. […] The EPA regulations are unsustainable for Americans.”

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) warned about the rising costs of energy and pressed Administrator Regan on what steps EPA is taking to ensure the American people have access to reliable and affordable energy.

Rep Perry: “Americans I represent complain to me nearly daily about electricity prices. I am sure you know grid operators are sounding the alarm about potential disruptions, including blackouts. How does the EPA factor in the cost to the people I represent that pay these bills or the grid operators? And are their concerns about reliability?”  

Administrator Regan: “We engage in robust conversations… we believe we have resolved all anxiety.”

Rep Perry: “What about ratepayers? Where do these needs actually factor into your decision making? My bosses can’t afford their daycare, electricity, groceries. I have to face them… People can’t afford their bills right now.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) warned about waste, fraud, and abuse in environmental justice grants made by the EPA.

Rep. Mace: “Mr. Regan, as part of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, the EPA established the office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, which now manages three billion dollars for environmental and climate justice to fund community-based NGOs. As part of the allocation, six-hundred million is devoted to the environmental justice thriving communities grant-making program which has shown serious signs of waste, fraud, and abuse. More alarmingly, some of this money has been designated for groups opposed to the interests of the United States and her allies.”

“Administrator Regan, environmental justice grantees have partners and affiliates who also receive funds from the EPA. Are any of these groups or affiliates who receive this money anti-American?”

Administrator Regan: “Not that I’m aware of.”

Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) warned that the EPA is moving forward with its costly Clean Power Plan 2.0 that will impair grid reliability.

Chairman Comer: “Is there ever any thought by the EPA when a rule is administered as to what the cost will be not only to the industry or the private business, but to the consumer?”

Administrator Regan: “We do, and in this situation, Chairman Comer, we were petitioned to take a look at and begin to develop a regulation for this specific industry. That’s the process that we’re going through. We didn’t raise our hand and voluntarily say let’s go do this. We were petitioned, by law we have to respond to these petitions. And now we’re looking at the wastewater discharge from some of these facilities. I want to let you know that I’ve instructed my team to engage with the industry, to engage with everyone who is familiar with this industry, because if we do anything, we want to do it correctly.”

Chairman Comer: “Administrator, every sector of our economy relies on access to affordable and reliable power supplies. And electricity demand is expected to only increase over time. Unfortunately, recent actions taken by the Biden Administration cast doubt on the future of electricity supplies that we often take for granted. EPA’s Clean Power 2.0 would set even more stringent emissions standards for existing coal and natural gas fired power plants. […]

Chairman Comer: “Administrator Reagan, if over ninety percent of Kentucky’s power producers are forced to adopt technologies like CCS or Hydrogen co-firing, how would this impact the price and reliability of electricity for consumers in states like Kentucky?”

Administrator Reagan: “First of all, I would like to say that as a former state regulator who had to design these state implementation plans, we have definitely kept that at top of mind. There is flexibility in this program that the states and we will take advantage of to make sure that the states can meet this goal.”

Chairman Comer: “Why is EPA pushing a costly rule that will reduce the amount of additional power generation when more power generation needs to be brought online to meet increasing needs across the country? […] Why would EPA push this rule if, take away the cost, but the demand for more energy I dont think it’s going to achieve that.”

Administrator Reagan: “We think it can. And with that demand, we think we’ll get more, cleaner energy.”

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas.) discussed the EPA’s formaldehyde recommendation of eleven parts per billion, which has been opposed by the EPA’s own review board.

Rep. Sessions: “Are you aware that the air outside this building and the air in this room is naturally occurring with formaldehyde?”

Administrator Regan: “I can’t speak to the…”

Rep. Sessions: “Well, you’re the head of the EPA. If you don’t know that formaldehyde is everywhere as we breathe it, not only in this building but outside, I’ll tell you the answer is yes.”

Rep. Sessions: “Are you aware that the Human Studies Review Board known as HSRB opposed and had problems with the recommendation of eleven parts per billion that is now being codified into your rules and regulations? Were you aware that they had problems with eleven parts per billion?”

Administrator Regan: “I was not aware.”

Rep. Sessions: “Are you, gentleman, aware that the permissible parts per billion is 750 parts per billion under OSHA for exposure limit for formaldehyde?”

Administrator Regan: “Congressman Sessions, for the types of questions you are asking we have experts…”

Rep. Sessions: “They are very direct. You are the head of this organization and you have proposed taking to eleven parts per billion. You showed up here and you talked about fairness, cost effective solutions, pragmatic, scientific-based, and yet within your own boards that provide you with data and information, they have said that eleven parts per billion is well out of line and cannot even be measured.”

Click here to watch the full hearing.

READ MORE: Comer Opens Hearing on Oversight of the EPA

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A String of Supreme Court Decisions Hits Hard at Environmental Rules

Four cases backed by conservative activists in recent years have combined to diminish the power of the Environmental Protection Agency.

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By Coral Davenport

A spate of decisions over the past two years by the Supreme Court has significantly impaired the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to limit pollution in the air and water, regulate the use of toxic chemicals and reduce the greenhouse gasses that are heating the planet.

This term, the court’s conservative supermajority handed down several rulings that chip away at the power of many federal agencies.

But the environmental agency has been under particular fire, the result of a series of cases brought since 2022 by conservative activists who say that E.P.A. regulations have driven up costs for industries ranging from electric utilities to home building. Those arguments have resonated among justices skeptical of government regulation.

On Friday, the court ended the use of what is known as the Chevron doctrine, a cornerstone of administrative law for 40 years that said that courts should defer to government agencies to interpret unclear laws. That decision t hreatens the authority of many federal agencies to regulate the environment and also health care, workplace safety, telecommunications, the financial sector and more.

But more remarkable have been several decisions by the court to intervene to stop environmental regulations before they were decided by lower courts or even before they were implemented by the executive branch.

On Thursday, the court said the E.P.A. could not limit smokestack pollution that blows across state borders under a measure known as the “good neighbor rule.” In that case, the court took the surprising step of weighing in while litigation was still pending at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

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OUR NATION'S AIR

Trends through 2022.

For more than 50 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has maintained its commitment to protecting public health by reducing pollutant emissions and improving air quality. This annual report, titled Our Nation's Air , summarizes the nation's air quality status and trends through 2022.

Sections of this report convey information across different time periods, depending on the underlying data sources. While some are consistently available since 1970, like growth data, our longer-term trends for air quality concentrations start in 1990, when monitoring methodologies became more consistent.

Please read and enjoy the full report below, and be sure to download and share the one page summary using the share button at the top. Additional detail on air trends can be found at EPA's AirTrends website.

Scroll down to read more or use the top menu to jump to a topic. If you encounter any issues viewing content, update or try opening the website in another browser.

Since 1970, implementation of the Clean Air Act and technological advances from American innovators have dramatically improved air quality in the U.S. Since that time, the combined emissions of criteria and precursor pollutants have dropped by 78%. Cleaner air provides important public health benefits, and we commend our state, local, community and industry partners for helping further long-term improvement in our air quality.

Air Quality Trends Show Clean Air Progress

Nationally, concentrations of air pollutants have dropped significantly since 1990:

• Carbon Monoxide (CO) 8-Hour, 81%
• Lead (Pb) 3-Month Average, 88% (from 2010)
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) Annual, 60%
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) 1-Hour, 54%
• Ozone (O 3 ) 8-Hour, 22%
• Particulate Matter 10 microns (PM 10 ) 24-Hour, 34%
• Particulate Matter 2.5 microns (PM 2.5 ) Annual, 42% (from 2000)
• Particulate Matter 2.5 microns (PM 2.5 ) 24-Hour, 42% (from 2000)
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) 1-Hour, 90%
• Numerous air toxics have declined with percentages varying by pollutant

Despite increases in air concentrations of pollutants associated with fires, carbon monoxide and particle pollution, national average air quality concentrations remain below the current, national standards.

Air quality concentrations can vary year to year, influenced not only by pollution emissions but also by natural events, such as dust storms and wildfires , and variations in weather.

Emissions of most key air pollutants continue to decline from 1990 levels:

• Carbon Monoxide (CO), 70%
• Ammonia (NH 3 ), 20%
• Nitrogen Oxides (NO x ), 71%
• Direct Particulate Matter 2.5 microns (PM 2.5 ), 27%
• Direct Particulate Matter 10 microns (PM 10 ), 27%
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ), 92%
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), 48%

In addition, from 1990 to 2017 emissions of air toxics declined by 74 percent, largely driven by federal and state implementation of stationary and mobile source regulations, and technological advancements from American innovators.

Wildfire data excluded for all pollutants except for NH 3 pre-2002; PM emissions also exclude miscellaneous emissions (i.e., agricultural dust and prescribed fire data). Visit the emissions trends website to learn more.

Tip Click pollutant names in the chart legend to hide or include trend lines, and hover over any line to display percentages above or below the most recent standard. Click the Emission Totals tab to view emission trends.

Air Pollution Includes Gases and Particles

Air pollution consists of gas and particle contaminants that are present in the atmosphere. Gaseous pollutants include sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), oxides of nitrogen (NO x ), ozone (O 3 ), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and certain toxic air pollutants. Particle pollution (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) includes a mixture of compounds that can be grouped into five major categories: sulfate, nitrate, elemental (black) carbon, organic carbon and crustal material.

Some pollutants are released directly into the atmosphere while other pollutants are formed in the air from chemical reactions. Ground-level ozone forms when emissions of NO x and VOCs react in the presence of sunlight. Air pollution impacts human health and the environment through a variety of pathways.

Six Common Pollutants

The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for specific pollutants to safeguard human health and the environment. These standards define the levels of air quality that EPA determines are necessary to protect against the adverse impacts of air pollution based on scientific evidence. EPA has established standards for six common air pollutants, which are referred to as “criteria” pollutants.

• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 )
• Ozone (O 3 )
• Particulate matter (PM), and
• Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 )

Understanding Emission Sources Helps Control Air Pollution

Generally, emissions of air pollution come from

• stationary fuel combustion sources (such as electric utilities and industrial boilers),
• industrial and other processes (such as metal smelters, petroleum refineries, cement kilns and dry cleaners),
• highway vehicles, and
• non-road mobile sources (such as recreational and construction equipment, marine vessels, aircraft and locomotives).

As the chart shows, pollutants are emitted by a variety of sources. For example, electric utilities, part of the stationary fuel combustion category, release SO 2 , NO x and particles.

Tip Click the ellipsis in the upper righthand corner and check "Show Totals" to view the chart based on totals instead of percentages. Click source categories in the chart legend to hide or include, and hover over any bar to display totals by source category.

Emission Inventories

EPA and states track direct emissions of air pollutants and precursor emissions, which are emissions that contribute to the formation of other pollutants in the atmosphere. Emissions data are compiled from many different organizations, including industry and state, tribal and local agencies. Some emissions data are based on actual measurements while others are estimates. For more information, please visit the Air Emissions Inventories website.

Air Pollution Can Affect Our Health and Environment in Many Ways

Numerous scientific studies have linked air pollution and specific pollutants to a variety of health problems and environmental impacts. Depending on the pollutant, people at greater risk for experiencing air pollution-related health effects may include older adults, children and those with heart and respiratory diseases — 30-second Healthy Heart video.

Health Effects Breathing elevated levels of CO reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the body’s organs and tissues. For those with heart disease, this can result in chest pain and other symptoms leading to hospital admissions and emergency department visits.

Environmental Effects Emissions of CO contribute to the formation of CO 2 and ozone, greenhouse gases that warm the atmosphere.

Health Effects Air toxics may cause a broad range of health effects depending on the specific pollutant, the amount of exposure, and how people are exposed. People who inhale high levels of certain air toxics may experience eye, nose and throat irritation, and difficulty breathing. Long term exposure to certain air toxics can cause cancer and long-term damage to the immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems. Some air toxics contribute to ozone and particle pollution with associated health effects.

Environmental Effects Some toxic air pollutants accumulate in the food chain after depositing to soils and surface waters. Wildlife and livestock may also be harmed with sufficient exposure. Some toxic air pollutants contribute to ozone and particle pollution with associated environmental and climate effects.

Health Effects Depending on the level of exposure, lead may harm the developing nervous system of children, resulting in lower IQs, learning deficits and behavioral problems. Longer-term exposure to higher levels of lead may contribute to cardiovascular effects, such as high blood pressure and heart disease in adults.

Environmental Effects Elevated amounts of lead accumulated in soils and fresh water bodies can result in decreased growth and reproductive rates in plants and animals.

Health Effects Oxides of nitrogen are a group of highly reactive gases, for which nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) is the gas of greatest health concern. Short-term exposures to NO 2 can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, leading to respiratory symptoms, hospital admissions and emergency department visits. Long-term exposures to NO 2 may contribute to asthma development and potentially increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.

Environmental Effects Oxides of nitrogen react with volatile organic compounds to form ozone and react with ammonia and other compounds to form particle pollution resulting in associated environmental effects. Deposition of oxides of nitrogen contribute to the acidification and nutrient enrichment (eutrophication, nitrogen saturation) of soils and surface waters, ozone formation, as well to the direct and indirect effects on vegetation, soils, and animals.

Health Effects Ozone exposure reduces lung function and causes respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath. Ozone exposure also aggravates asthma and lung diseases such as emphysema leading to increased medication use, hospital admissions, and emergency department visits. Exposure to ozone may also increase the risk of premature mortality from respiratory causes. Short-term exposure to ozone is also associated with increased total non-accidental mortality, which includes deaths from respiratory causes.

Environmental Effects Ozone damages vegetation by injuring leaves, reducing photosynthesis, impairing reproduction and growth and decreasing crop yields. Ozone damage to plants may alter ecosystem structure, reduce biodiversity and decrease plant uptake of CO 2 . Ozone is also a greenhouse gas that contributes to the warming of the atmosphere.

Health Effects Exposures to PM, particularly fine particles referred to as PM 2.5 , can cause harmful effects on the cardiovascular system including heart attacks and strokes. These effects can result in emergency department visits, hospitalizations and, in some cases, premature death. PM exposures are also linked to harmful respiratory effects, including asthma attacks.

Environmental Effects Fine particles are the main cause of reduced visibility (haze) in parts of the U.S., including many national parks and wilderness areas. PM can also be carried over long distances by wind and settle on soils or surface waters. The effects of settling include: making lakes and streams acidic; changing the nutrient balance in coastal waters and large river basins; depleting the nutrients in soil; damaging sensitive forests and farm crops; and affecting the diversity of ecosystems. PM can stain and damage stone and other materials, including culturally important objects such as statues and monuments.

Health Effects Among the species of SO x , SO 2 is the most commonly occurring in the atmosphere and the one most clearly associated with human health effects. Short-term exposures to SO 2 are linked with respiratory effects including difficulty breathing and increased asthma symptoms. These effects are particularly problematic for asthmatics while breathing deeply such as when exercising or playing. Short-term exposures to SO 2 have also been connected to increased emergency department visits and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly for at-risk populations including children, older adults and those with asthma. SO 2 contributes to particle formation with associated health effects.

Environmental Effects Sulfur oxides react with ammonia and other compounds to form particle pollution resulting in associated environmental effects. Deposition of sulfur oxides contributes to the acidification of soils and surface waters and mercury methylation in wetland areas. At certain concentrations, sulfur oxides can also cause injury to vegetation and species loss in aquatic and terrestrial systems.

For over 50 years, the Clean Air Act has played a major role in cutting pollution as the U.S. economy has grown. Despite the sharp impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on activity in 2020, the U.S. economy remained strong.

Economic Strength with Cleaner Air

Between 1970 and 2022, the combined emissions of the six common pollutants (PM 2.5 and PM 10 , SO 2 , NO x , VOCs, CO and Pb) dropped by 78 percent. This progress occurred while U.S. economic indicators remain strong.

Tip Click any of the legend items on the right side of the chart to hide or include trend lines. The y-axis may change based on the selections.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

For more than 50 years, the Clean Air Act has brought Americans cleaner air and lower risks of adverse health effects.

Criteria Pollutant Trends Show Clean Air Progress

Unhealthy Air Days Show Long-Term Improvement

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a color-coded index EPA uses to communicate daily air pollution for ozone, particle pollution, NO 2 , CO and SO 2 . A value in the unhealthy range, above the national air quality standard for any pollutant, is of concern first for sensitive groups, then for everyone as the AQI value increases. Fewer unhealthy air quality days means better health, longevity, and quality of life for all of us.

Tip Shown are the number of days in which the combined ozone and PM 2.5 AQI was unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange) or above (red, purple or maroon) for the years 2000-2022. Click the bar chart, or these links, to view AQI retrospective reviews: PM 2.5 or ozone.

Unhealthy air quality days vary year to year, influenced not only by pollution emissions but also by natural events, such as dust storms and wildfires , and variations in weather.

A look back: Combined Ozone and PM 2.5 in 2022

Air Quality Index (AQI) Forecast

EPA provides a daily AQI forecast so people can act to protect their health. Shown is the current AQI forecast for PM and ozone combined. This map and others can be found at the AirNow website.

Air Quality in Nonattainment Areas Improves

EPA works collaboratively with state, local and tribal agencies to identify areas of the U.S. that do not meet the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). These areas, known as nonattainment areas, must develop plans to reduce air pollution and attain the NAAQS.

Through successful state led implementation, numerous areas across the country are showing improvement and fewer areas are in nonattainment. Since 2010, there were no violations of the standards for NO 2 .

Tip Shown is a snapshot of the 2015 ozone nonattainment area map. Click the map to view a larger interactive version that includes all current NAAQS nonattainment areas.

Nonattainment Areas

Over its 50+ year history, EPA has made significant progress in protecting the magnificent views of America’s national treasures from pollution. State and federal governments are working together to improve the natural visibility in our nation’s parks and wilderness areas so that future generations can enjoy these scenic vistas.

Visibility Improves in Scenic Areas

EPA and other agencies, such as the National Park Service, monitor visibility trends in 155 of the 156 national parks and wilderness areas (i.e., Class I areas).

The map indicates most Class I areas have improving visibility or decreasing haze (indicated by the downward pointing arrows). To learn more about visibility in parks and view live webcams please visit this National Park Service website and EPA's visibility story map.

Tip Click any point to display 2000-2021 trends, and select maximize to enlarge the chart. Double click the map to zoom in and click the home button to reset.