ECHO Quick Start Guide

Key Resources

ECHO provides integrated compliance and enforcement information for more than one million regulated facilities nationwide. Its features range from simple to advanced, catering to users who want to conduct broad analyses as well as those who need to perform complex searches. Specifically, ECHO allows you to find and download information on:

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Example Facility Searches

  • Identify facilities in your ZIP code that are classified as major generators of hazardous waste.
  • Identify petroleum refineries with multiple violations in the last five years.
  • Identify facilities operating in nonattainment areas that have not been recently inspected.
  • Identify facilities that report large toxic chemical releases to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

 Search for Facilities

ECHO provides a variety of ways to identify facilities of interest, including searching by:

  • Facility ID, Permit ID or Facility
  • Environmental Program (Air, Water, Hazardous Waste, Drinking Water)
  • Location
  • Industry
  • Enforcement and Compliance Activity

You can also use the Corporate Compliance Screener to assess compliance and enforcement data that are summarized across multiple facilities owned or managed by a company, corporation, or other type of entity.

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Example Enforcement Case Searches

  • Locate case information by case number or docket number.
  • Identify EPA cases for Clean Air Act violations in your state.
  • Identify EPA cases that were settled in 2012 for a specific industrial sector.
  • Identify EPA cases for Company XYZ that resulted in large penalties or supplemental environmental projects.

 Find EPA Enforcement Cases

Find information on formal federal administrative and judicial enforcement actions. The ECHO Enforcement Case Search queries civil cases entered into the Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) and criminal cases entered into the Summary of Criminal Prosecutions database. Locate EPA enforcement cases by searching:

  • Case Type: Any, Civil or Criminal
  • Case or Docket Number
  • Location
  • Company Name
  • Industry
  • Environmental Program

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 Analyze Compliance and Enforcement Data

ECHO provides many features to visually explore compliance and enforcement data. Features and tools available include:

ECHO Reports

  • Detailed Facility Report (DFR)
  • Enforcement Case Report
  • Air Pollutant Report
  • Effluent Charts
  • Pollutant Loading Report
  • Effluent Limit Exceedances Report
  • CWA Program Area Reports
  • Facility Documents
  • Permit Limits Report
  • ECHO Reports Help

Several focused reports are also available in ECHO that bring together important contextual information and data to aid analyses of facilities. Several popular reports are described below:

  • Detailed Facility Report - The Detailed Facility Report presents a concise enforcement and compliance history for a selected facility and is organized into six primary sections, including a Facility Summary, Facility/System Characteristics, Enforcement and Compliance History, Environmental Conditions, Pollutants, and Demographic Profile.
  • Air Pollutant Report - Presents ten years of EPA programmatic air emissions data for a selected facility. Emissions are presented as facility-level aggregates and organized by pollutant and EPA program. The Air Pollutant Report provides a single source for users looking to understand a facility’s complete air emissions profile.
  • Civil Enforcement Case Report – Contains data from EPA's Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) and summarizes federal administrative or judicial enforcement actions taken by the U.S. EPA, as well as state formal enforcement actions taken pursuant to delegated authority to implement the Clean Water Act National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
  • Criminal Enforcement Case Report – Summarizes concluded federal criminal actions resulting from environmental investigations taken by the U.S. EPA. Criminal actions are usually reserved for the most serious violations, those that are willful, or knowingly committed. A court conviction can result in fines or imprisonment.
  • Effluent Charts - The Effluent Charts page presents dynamic charts and tables of permitted effluent limits, releases, and violations over time for Clean Water Act (CWA) wastewater discharge permits issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

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 Access Data Services

Several other advanced tools and popular data services found within ECHO include:

  • Advanced Searches – Conduct advanced searches using more detailed search criteria, including focused searches by specific water programs (e.g., Industrial Stormwater and Biosolids)
  • National Datasets – Download nationwide facility datasets for comprehensive analyses
  • Explore DMR Data – Analyze discharge monitoring report (DMR) data using the DMR Loading Tool
  • Directly Leverage ECHO data – ECHO makes web services available for direct consumption and use within other applications

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 Inform EPA

Use the following ECHO features to inform/communicate with EPA: