Guide to Regulated Facilities in ECHO

There are multiple ways ECHO can be used to search compliance data. By default, ECHO searches focus on larger, more regulated facilities. Each search page allows users to search a more comprehensive group of facilities by electing to search for minor or smaller facilities.

The following tables show the types and approximate numbers of facilities (or "universe" of facilities) that are included in searches when the default options are used.

Clean Water Act (CWA) Permit Types
CWA Permit CharacteristicsDefault Permit StatusDefault Permit TypeUniverse Size
MajorYESYES7,000
Non-MajorYESYES191,000
General Permit Covered FacilityYESNo150,000
Inactive Permits (Permit Status = Retired, Terminated)NoNo138,000

Notes: Universe sizes as of July 2016.

Clean Air Act (CAA) Facility Types
CAA Facility TypeDefault Search CriteriaUniverse Size
CAA Major (Title V) FacilitiesYES15,000
CAA Synthetic Minor FacilitiesYES25,400
CAA Federally-Reportable Minor FacilitiesYES125,000
CAA Emission Classification UnknownYES1,400
CAA Other FacilitiesYES10
CAA Designation Not Applicable FacilitiesYES600
CAA Inactive Facilities (all types of permits)No62,000

Notes: The table above undercounts CAA minor facilities because states are only required to enter a subset of minor sources in the ICIS-Air system. Note that some states do enter all minor sources on a voluntary basis. Universe sizes as of July 2016.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Designations
RCRA DesignationDefaultActiveUniverse Size
Any RCRA Treatment, Storage or Disposal Facilities (TSDF)YESYES2,000
Operating RCRA Treatment, Storage or Disposal Facilities (Operating TSDF)YESYES700
RCRA Large Quantity Generators (LQG)YESYES39,000
RCRA Small Quantity Generators (SQG)YESYES135,000
RCRA Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQG) (1)YESYES239,000
RCRA TransportersYESYES13,000
RCRA Facilities Not Represented Elsewhere (Other)YESYES12,000
RCRA Inactive Permits (all types of permits)NoNo428,000

Notes: RCRA IDs are assigned to operations involved in generating, transporting or otherwise managing hazardous waste. Universe sizes as of July 2016.

  (1) RCRA Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQG) reporting is not mandatory and therefore includes only those sites that have reported such activities. Not all Implementers track VSQG information or are able to enter the requested information in RCRAInfo, therefore the universe of VSQGs may not accurately reflect all VSQGs.

Safe Drinking Water Act

Under SDWA, all public water systems are subject to the same rules and reporting requirements. All active public water systems (about 150,500) are searched by default.