Indirect Industrial Discharger Report Help

The Indirect Industrial Discharger Report provides a linkage between reported indirect releases (transfers of wastewater to Publicly-Owned Treatment Works (POTWs)) in the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to receiving POTWs and discharge data reported on Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program.

Facilities reporting indirect releases to TRI report the name and address of the POTW receiving the wastewater on their TRI forms. To create the linkages, EPA identified the NPDES IDs of POTWs by matching the reported names and locations of the receiving POTWs in the 2013 Toxics Release Inventory to information in the Facility Registry Service (FRS) and Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) data systems. For the complete list of linkages assigned between TRI facilities and POTWs, see Technical Support Documents.

Note: TRI reporting is limited to industrial facilities (i.e., POTWs do not report to TRI) that meet certain reporting thresholds. To learn more about the TRI scope and reporting guidance, see About Loading Tool Data, the Basics of TRI Reporting, and Factors to Consider When Using TRI Data.


 Data Dictionary

Data Elements in Indirect Industrial Discharge Report Download
Column Name Description
TRI Facility ID A unique 15-character ID assigned for each facility within the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program. The format is ZZZZZNNNNNSSSSS, where ZZZZZ = ZIP code, NNNNN = the first 5 consonants of the name, and SSSSS = the first 5 non-blank non-special characters in the street address. This ID is also known as the Toxics Release Inventory Facility Identification Number (TRIFID).
TRI Facility FRS ID Unique identifier in EPA's Facility Registry Service (FRS) database. FRS uniquely identifies a facility by assigning an identification number (FRS ID), and uses this FRS ID to link together all regulatory program database records (such as permit IDs and facility IDs that facilities use in reporting to EPA).
Facility Name (TRI) The name of the TRI facility, as maintained in the TRI database.
City (FRS) The city name of the TRI facility location, as maintained in FRS.
State (FRS) The two-digit abbreviation for the state in which the TRI facility is located, as maintained in FRS.
Latitude (FRS) Latitude coordinate of the TRI facility location, as maintained in FRS.
Longitude (FRS) Longitude coordinate of the TRI facility location, as maintained in FRS.
NAICS Code (TRI) Indicates the facility's primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code. NAICS industries are identified by a 6-digit code. The first two digits represent the Industry sector, in which there exist 20 broad sectors. The third digit represents industry subsector, the fourth digit represents industry group, the fifth digit represents industry, and the sixth digit is U.S., Canadian, or Mexican National specific.
Link to TRI Facility Info Page Direct hyperlink to the Loading Tool TRI Pollutant Loading Report page
TRI Reporting Year The calendar year of the reported TRI releases.
TRI Chemical Name Pollutant name specifically associated with chemicals reported to EPA's TRI Program.
POTW Chemical Removal Rate For indirect releases, EPA adjusts the reported facility release to account for removals at the POTW. POTWs can treat and remove some or all of the chemicals from TRI indirect releases before releasing the treated wastewater to the environment. EPA estimates POTW chemical removal rates based on a percent removal and subtracts the percent removed from the reported indirect release. The POTW chemical removal spreadsheet is available in Technical Support Documentation.
Indirect TRI Pounds (lb/yr) The amount of the TRI chemical from an indirect industrial discharger that is ultimately discharged by a Publicly Operated Treatment Works (POTW) ( in pounds) to a receiving water body. This amount is calculated from the amount of the TRI chemical released by the indirect industrial discharger to the POTW and the removals at the POTW. POTWs can treat and remove some or all of the chemicals from TRI indirect releases before releasing the treated wastewater to the environment. EPA estimates POTW chemical removal rates based on a percent removal and subtracts the percent removed from the reported indirect release. For example, if an indirect discharger releases 100 pounds of copper (TRI Chemical ID: 7440508) to a POTW, the portion of this that is discharged by a POTW to a receiving water body is 16 pounds as the typical POTW has a removal rate for copper of 84 percent [i.e., 16 lb = 100 lb * (1 - 0.84)]. The POTW chemical removal spreadsheet is available in Technical Support Documentation.
Indirect TRI TWPE (lb-eq/yr) The amount of the TRI chemical from an indirect industrial discharger that is ultimately discharged by transfer to a Publicly Operated Treatment Works (POTW) (in toxic-weighted pounds equivalents or 'TWPE') to a receiving water body. This amount is calculated by multiplying the values of 'Indirect TRI Pounds (lb/yr)' by the corresponding toxic weighting factor (TWF).
Direct TRI Pounds (lb/yr) The amount of the TRI chemical released by the industrial discharger to surface waters, in pounds. Some industrial dischargers release TRI chemicals to POTWs as well as to surface waters.
Direct TRI TWPE (lb-eq/yr) The amount of the TRI chemical released to surface waters, in toxic-weighted pounds equivalent (TWPE). This amount is calculated by multiplying the values of 'Direct TRI Pounds (lb/yr)' by the corresponding toxic weighting factor (TWF).
Toxic Weighting Factor (TWF) An indicator of the relative hazard of a chemical, used to compare discharges to one another, not to assess impacts to aquatic life or human health.

Note: EPA developed TWFs for use in its Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards (ELGs) development program to allow comparison of pollutants with varying toxicities. See Technical Support Documents for more information on TWF values and methodology.
POTW Name (FRS) The name of the POTW, as maintained in FRS.
POTW FRS ID Unique identifier in EPA's Facility Registry Service (FRS) database. FRS uniquely identifies a facility by assigning an identification number (FRS ID), and uses this FRS ID to link together all regulatory program database records (such as permit IDs and facility IDs that facilities use in reporting to EPA).
POTW NPDES ID A unique 9-character ID assigned for each permit within the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The ID may contain both letters and numbers and often begins with the two-letter abbreviation for the state in which the facility is permitted.
POTW City (FRS) The city name of the POTW location, as maintained in FRS.
POTW State (FRS) The two-digit abbreviation for the state in which the POTW is located, as maintained in FRS.
POTW Latitude (FRS) Latitude coordinate of the POTW, as maintained in FRS.
POTW Longitude (FRS) Longitude coordinate of the POTW, as maintained in FRS.
POTW Major/Non-Major Status A NPDES facility or activity classified as major by the regional administrator, or in the case of approved state programs, the regional administrator in conjunction with the state Director. Major municipal dischargers (e.g., POTWs) include all facilities with design flows of greater than one million gallons per day and facilities with EPA/State approved industrial pretreatment programs. Major industrial facilities are determined based on specific ratings criteria developed by EPA/State. A null fields indicates a non-major facility status.
POTW Pretreatment Program? A Yes/No field to indicate whether the POTW has an EPA approved pretreatment program.
POTW Watershed Name The name of the watershed in which the POTW is located, from the ATTAINS database. A watershed is an area that drains or contributes water to a particular point, stream, river, lake, or ocean.
POTW Watershed HUC 12 The 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) of the watershed in which the POTW is located. A HUC number is assigned by the US Geological Survey used to classify watersheds in the United States and the Caribbean. The code consists of twelve digits which correspond to six levels of classification Region (first-level, 2-digit HUC), Subregion (second-level, 4-digit HUC), Accounting unit (third-level, 6-digit HUC), Cataloguing unit (fourth-level, 8-digit HUC), Watershed (fifth-level, 10-digit HUC), and Subwatershed (sixth-level, 12-digit HUC).
POTW Discharges to Impaired Water Body? A Yes/No field to indicate whether the POTW discharges wastewater to an impaired water body. Impaired water bodies are waters that are too polluted or otherwise degraded to meet the water quality standards set by states, territories, or authorized tribes.
POTW Discharges Pollutants Contributing to Water Body Impairment? A Yes/No field to indicate whether the POTW discharges pollutants potentially contributing to the receiving water body's impairment.
POTW in County or Watershed with ESA-list Aquatic Species? A Yes/No field to indicate whether the POTW is located within a county or watershed with ESA-list aquatic species. ESA-listed aquatic species are a group of organisms that live in the water for most or all of its life and are designated as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
POTW DMR Parameter Matching TRI Chemical The name of the DMR parameter discharged by the POTW that matches the TRI chemical reported as transferred to the POTW. EPA developed a chemical crosswalk to match TRI chemicals to DMR parameters. For a complete list, see the DMR/TRI Chemical Group Crosswalk in Technical Support Documents.
POTW Monitors for DMR Parameter Matching TRI Chemical? If Yes, POTW has permit requirements to monitor for the DMR parameter best matching the TRI chemical.
POTW Effluent Limit Monitors for DMR Parameter Matching TRI Chemical? If Yes, POTW has numeric permit limits for the DMR parameter best matching the TRI chemical.
POTW Discharge of DMR Parameter Matching TRI Chemical (lb/yr) The amount of pollutant discharged in pounds by the POTW (that best matches the TRI chemical), for the calendar year corresponding to the TRI reporting year. This estimate is based on the POTW's DMR data (not TRI data).
POTW Discharge of DMR Parameter Matching TRI Chemical (lb-eq/yr) The amount of pollutant discharged in toxic-weighted pounds equivalent (TWPE) by the POTW (that best matches the TRI chemical), for the calendar year corresponding to the TRI reporting year. This estimate is based on the POTW's DMR data (not TRI data). This amount is calculated by multiplying the values of 'POTW Discharge of DMR Parameter Matching TRI Chemical (lb/yr)' by the corresponding toxic weighting factor (TWF).