Resources for Getting Familiar with the Site

Resources for Getting Familiar with the Site
Resource Title Brief Description
1990 Demographic Profiles Generatorexternal icon This Missouri Census Data Center application generates 1990 demographic profiles for states, counties, ZIP codes, or census tracts.
American FactFinderexternal icon American FactFinder provides access to data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The data in American FactFinder come from several censuses and surveys.
ATSDR Communication Toolkit (ACT) Access ATSDR’s ACT for communication tools to use when working with local communities. Various tools are included, such as guidelines, worksheets, and templates.
ATSDR Environmental Epidemiology Branch Local Health Studies Health studies describe the health of community members, counting the occurrence of a disease, symptom, or clinical measure and evaluating the possible association between the occurrence and exposure to hazardous substances.
ATSDR Fact Sheets ATSDR has both general and issue-specific facts sheets on topics such as remedial efforts, public health effects evaluation findings, and sampling results.
ATSDR Interaction Profiles ATSDR’s Interaction Profiles characterize the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for contaminant mixtures that are of special concern to ATSDR because they can be found together in environmental media that ATSDR examines at hazardous waste sites. The purpose of these profiles is to help health assessors evaluate data on the toxicology of the “whole” priority mixture (if available) and on the joint toxic action of the mixture chemicals during their exposure-based assessment, and better identify and recommend approaches to protect the public from potential health hazards to these chemical mixtures. Each peer-reviewed profile identifies and reviews the key literature that describes toxicologic properties of the featured mixture. Other pertinent literature is also presented, but is described in less detail than the key studies.
ATSDR Public Health Assessments (PHAs) and Health Consultations (HCs) Access PHAs and HCs, as well as some other recent documents, published by ATSDR. Includes a quick search feature to find documents by site/document name, EPA/CERCLA number, and city/county/zip code.
ATSDR Public Health Statements ATSDR makes its Public Health Statements (PHSs) available as summary standalone resources, which are pulled from Chapter One of each contaminant-specific Toxicological Profile.
ATSDR Resources for Medical Education and Training Provides access to ATSDR’s resources with information about environmental medical education and trainings.
ATSDR ToxFAQs™ ATSDR has also developed ToxFAQs, which are fact sheets that summarize the contaminant-specific information in the Toxicological Profile in a quick and easy format to help guide understanding of the contaminant-specific effects of exposure on human health.
ATSDR Toxic Substances Portal ATSDR provides a list of toxic contaminants and information about how each toxic contaminant may affect human health.
ATSDR Toxicological Profiles (Tox Profiles) ATSDR’s Toxicological Profiles contain information on more than 200 contaminants commonly found at hazardous waste sites. Oftentimes, these profiles will provide all the information needed to support your analysis and draw public health conclusions. Each peer-reviewed profile identifies and reviews the key literature that describes the toxicologic properties and adverse health effects associated with a contaminant, including information on populations that might be unusually susceptible to a particular substance. Potential for human exposure (including discussions on environmental releases, typical environmental levels, and environmental fate), biomarkers of exposure and effect, and methods for measuring the chemical are detailed when possible.
ATSDR’s Website ATSDR’s website documents a wide range of agency activities and technical information to support PHA process activities, including toxicological profiles, exposure registry information, activities at hazardous waste sites, and various technical reports. It also includes links to other credible science resources.
Bingexternal icon Bing enables user to search for various types of basic site information and to locate site-specific information websites (such as a military Superfund site).
Climate.govexternal icon Provides hourly data sets that present wind speed and direction illustrated using wind roses. Users can choose wind roses for desired meteorological stations and timeframes.
Community Involvement Plans (CIPs) pdf icon[PDF – 1,310 KB]external icon EPA and ATSDR develop CIPs to enable residents to participate in decision-making steps throughout the cleanup and PHA processes. Core components of a CIP include a site description, a community profile, a description of community needs and concerns, and an action plan.
Contacts for Elected Officialsexternal icon USAGov provides a search engine to seek information about local contacts, including the names, addresses, and phone numbers of government officials (such as city mayors), by city and state.
Data.govexternal icon This is a database of the United States Government’s data resources. The website provides tools and over 200,000 datasets categorized by topic.
Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP)external icon The Department of Defense (DoD) conducts cleanup at its sites under the DERP. This website provides various resources, including policy and guidance, outreach, reports, and links to other related websites.
Discover Your Neighborhood with Census Explorerexternal icon Provides neighborhood-level data collected from the US Census. Site visitors use an interactive mapping tool to view statistics about their communities.
DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Risk Assessment Information System (RAIS)external icon The Department of Energy created the Risk Assessment Information System to provide tools, tutorials, and guidance to help individuals performing various components of the risk assessment process.
EPA Administrative Record (AR)external icon Under CERCLA, EPA or a state must create a separate AR for each CERCLA remedial or removal action at a facility. An AR is a complete collection of documents that forms the basis for selecting a response action and that demonstrates the public’s opportunity to participate and comment on the selection of the action.
EPA Advisories and Technical Resources for Fish and Shellfish Consumptionexternal icon EPA and other agencies study contaminant concentrations in fish, shellfish, and other wildlife to determine potential health effects for people exposed through ingestion. Based on contamination information and the species of concern, entities such as states may release advisories to limit consumption and protect public health.
EPA Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS)external icon AIRS is a database housing airborne pollution data collected from across the United States and several countries that are members of the World Health Organization. AIRS contains information on emissions, air quality, enforcement, and compliance.
EPA ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online)external icon This tool allows users to search for facility-related enforcement and compliance data.
EPA EJSCREEN:  Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Toolexternal icon EJSCREEN is a mapping and screening tool that combines demographic and environmental indicators into EPA maps and reports.
EPA Envirofactsexternal icon The Envirofacts database includes information about EPA-regulated facilities and their hazardous waste, air, water discharge, and other permits. It also provides on-demand maps of EPA-regulated facilities, schools, water bodies, hospitals, ZIP code boundaries, etc.
EPA ExpoBoxexternal icon EPA offers a toolbox with numerous resources for exposure assessment, such as guidance documents, models, and databases.
EPA ExpoBox (uncertainty and variability)external icon Provides information on uncertainty and variability, using the format of a series of questions and answers, as well as a list of various resources on evaluating these concepts during risk and exposure assessments.
EPA Groundwater and Drinking Waterexternal icon This website is EPA’s main page for content related to ground water and drinking water. The website contains links to various resources, such as regulations and water quality reports.
EPA Guidance for Data Usability in Risk Assessmentexternal icon Provides EPA’s guidance on the usability of data in risk assessments, especially regarding uncertainty.
EPA Guidance for Pesticides and Ground Water State Management Plansexternal icon EPA encourages states to develop and implement State Water Quality Pesticide Management Plans. These plans describe a state’s policies, management measures, and regulatory approaches to protect ground and surface water from contamination with pesticides currently registered and used in the state.
EPA Guidance: Lead at Superfund Sitesexternal icon Provides EPA’s documents and tip sheets related to the agency’s risk assessment guidance for evaluating lead at Superfund sites.
EPA Human Health Risk Assessments (RAs)external icon EPA’s RAs contain data on the nature and extent of contamination, fate and transport processes, the magnitude and frequency of human and ecological exposure, and the inherent toxicity of the substances of concern.
EPA Introduction to the Hazard Ranking Systemexternal icon EPA develops a scoring package when placing a site on the National Priorities List. The package includes data obtained from EPA’s preliminary assessment and inspection of the site and its Hazard Ranking Score.
EPA NPDES General Permit Inventoryexternal icon Users can search EPA’s inventory of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permits. Information provided includes basic details on permits, as well as links to download the permits (if available).
EPA Preliminary Assessment (PA)/ Site Inspection (SI)external icon A PA uses readily available information to determine if a site could pose a threat to human health and the environment and whether the threat requires further evaluation. If the PA recommends further evaluation, an SI collects environmental samples to determine what hazardous substances are present and whether they could release to the environment and harm human health.
EPA RCRA Laws and Regulationsexternal icon EPA’s RCRA program can inspect a facility to get information, collect samples for laboratory analysis, look into the conditions of monitoring wells and their associated sampling devices, evaluate if a groundwater monitoring system functions as designed, conduct a comprehensive groundwater monitoring evaluation, examine the assessment monitoring plan and its implementation, and obtain supplemental data to support a future enforcement action.
EPA Record of Decision (ROD) Guidanceexternal icon An EPA ROD explains the cleanup alternatives selected for a Superfund site.
EPA Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study (RI/FS)external icon EPA performs an RI/FS after listing a site on the National Priorities List. The RI gathers data to better characterize the site and its potential risk to human health and the environment. The FS involves the development, screening, and detailed evaluation of alternative remedial actions.
EPA Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund: Part Bexternal icon EPA provides guidance on the usability of environmental pollution data.
EPA ROD System: Search for Superfund Decision Documentsexternal icon EPA has a column-sortable, text-searchable table that provides access to full ROD documents for Superfund sites and many of the existing ROD Amendments and ESDs.
EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) external icon EPA’s TRI is a database that contains detailed information on hundreds of chemicals and categories that over 23,000 industrial and other facilities manage through disposal or other releases, recycling, energy recovery, or treatment.
EPA TRI Data and Toolsexternal icon The TRI Program tracks the industrial management of toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. The data that facilities submit to EPA are available here in multiple ways.
EPA’s Source Water Protectionexternal icon EPA’s Wellhead Protection Program requires states to delineate a wellhead protection area (WHPA), conduct source water assessments, determine vulnerability of the WHPA to contamination, and establish programs to protect the WHPA.
EPA’s Superfund Siteexternal icon EPA provides various Superfund resources, such as a search engine to find Superfund sites and an overview of their site status, background information on the Superfund program, and content on community involvement.
Extreme Short-Range Variability in VOC-Contaminated Soilsexternal icon This paper summarizes a study that examined soil from two different Superfund sites. Researchers analyzed the variability in concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and soil properties across short (i.e., ≤15 centimeters) distances. Based on the findings, researchers concluded that site characterization must account for large differences that can exist over short distances between VOC concentrations and soil properties.
Facility Registry Service (FRS)external icon Provides facility data, allowing users to search for data, examine related technical resources, and find additional facility-related information (e.g., facility identification).
FastStats Statistics by Topic The National Center for Health Statistics site includes data on health status, lifestyle, and exposure to unhealthy influences; the onset and diagnosis of illness and disability; birth and death rates; and the use of health care nationally and by state in an A-to-Z format.
Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Programexternal icon FUDS provides information about formerly used defense sites from the U.S. Army’s Defense Environmental Restoration Program.
FRS EZ Queryexternal icon The Federal Registry Service EZ Query allows users to view and download records from EPA’s Facility Information Database and Geospatial Reference Database.
Geocorr 2014: Geographic Correspondence Engineexternal icon This application accesses the Missouri Census Data Center’s MABLE geographic database to generate custom correlation lists as reports and/or files.
GeoLyticsexternal icon CensusCD can be purchased at this website.
Geospatial and Attribute Data Linksexternal icon The University of Arkansas has an archived site of mostly online and mostly free U.S. geospatial and attribute data from 2001 to 2018.
Geospatial Research, Analysis and Services Program (GRASP) GRASP works with ATSDR scientists to help map site boundaries for selected hazardous waste sites, including geographic features and selected population data.
Googleexternal icon Google enables user to search for various types of basic site information and to locate site-specific information websites (such as a military Superfund site)
Google Mapsexternal icon Google Maps is a free online mapping tool that enables users to produce area maps with locations of hospitals, schools, and other features of interest.
Homeland Security Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD)external icon This provides access to several datasets that the Department of Homeland Security deems to be “high-value” based on views by users.
How EPA Manages the Quality of its Environmental Dataexternal icon EPA explains its data quality objectives for hazardous waste site investigations.
International Toxicity Estimates for Risk Assessment (ITER)external icon This database provides summary information, as well as human health risk values and cancer classifications, for more than 650 chemicals that are of environmental concern.
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC): Soils Contaminated with Explosivesexternal icon This report provides information useful for when addressing explosive-related contamination in media (e.g., soil) at hazardous sites. It discusses environmental fate of these contaminants, and processes for remediating soils contaminated with explosives.
Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC)external icon ITRC is a state-led coalition that develops a broad range of information resources such as documents and training related to environmental issues.
Key Optimization  Components: Conceptual Site Modelexternal icon Provides information on the basics of a conceptual site model and contains a list of resources that help explain or show the use of a conceptual site model.
MapQuestexternal icon MapQuest is a free online mapping tool that enables users to produce area maps with locations of hospitals, schools, and other features of interest.
Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC) cli-MATE Databaseexternal icon MRCC’s cli-MATE database allows users to access raw climate data, rankings of climate information, thresholds, growing season tools, maps, graphs, and more.
Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium: National Land Cover Database (NLCD)external icon Provides nationwide data on both current and historical land cover change in the United States.
NOAA Climate Data Online: Dataset Discoveryexternal icon Climate Data Online provides free access to the National Climatic Data Center’s archive of global historical weather and climate data as well as station history information.
NOAA Data Access Viewerexternal icon NOAA’s Data Access Viewer provides imagery, land cover, and elevation by address, latitude/longitude, or extent.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Data Accessexternal icon NCEI is the world’s largest provider of weather and climate data, including land-based, marine, model, radar, weather balloon, satellite, and paleoclimatic datasets, among others.
NOAA National Weather Service (NWS)external icon The NWS provides data on meteorological conditions, such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, and wind direction.
Recommendations for Sieving Soil and Dust Samples at Lead Sites for Assessment of Incidental Ingestion pdf icon[PDF – 6.6 MB]external icon This technical document summarizes EPA’s recommendations for assessing incidental ingestion exposure scenarios for Superfund sites where lead was detected in sieving soil and dust samples.
Requirements for Analytical Data for Environmental Samples pdf icon[PDF – 154 KB]external icon This paper suggests guidance and recommendations regarding the minimum amount of information to include when documenting results from environmental sampling data analysis.
Sampling Data Access data that document the nature and extent of site-related contamination.
SEDAC Population Estimatorexternal icon SEDAC (Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center) estimates population totals and statistics for a defined area based on data from SEDAC’s Gridded Population of the World.
State and Territorial Health Department Websites CDC provides a list of websites to health departments in U.S. states and the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and freely associated states.
TerraFlyexternal icon TerraFly provides aerial photographs and allows the user to enter street addresses (instead of just geographical coordinates).
TerraServerexternal icon TerraServer allows users to view aerial photographs, satellite imagery, topographical maps, and GIS maps, some of which can be ordered online.
TIGERwebexternal icon TIGERweb allows users to generate maps that include features such as streets, water bodies, and Indian reservations based on information from the U.S. Census Bureau.
TopoZoneexternal icon TopoZone provides access to USGS maps at 1:25,000, 1:100,000, or 1:200,000 scales.
Tribal Directoryexternal icon The National Congress of American Indians provides a list of tribal organizations.
U.S. Census Bureauexternal icon The U.S. Census Bureau website provides a variety of demographic and economic information.
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United Statesexternal icon QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
U.S. Census Bureau: Cartographic Boundary Files – Shapefileexternal icon Provides files containing cartographic boundary data for selected geographic areas. Data files are formatted for incorporation into GIS program applications.
U.S. Census Bureau: TIGER/Line Geodatabasesexternal icon The TIGER/Line Geodatabases house geographic boundary coverage information at a national and state level. Users are able to link these files with demographic data from the Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau: TIGER/Line Shapefiles File Availabilityexternal icon Provides a list of available TIGERG/Line shapefiles. The list outlines files available by year, with indications to whether the files are based on a nation, state, or county level.
U.S. Census Bureau: TIGERweb State-Based Data Filesexternal icon Provides a listing of TIGERweb state-based data files organized by map name categories (e.g., census tracks and blocks, states and counties).
U.S. Newspapersexternal icon This website provides a list of local newspapers by state.
USDA Aerial Photography – Farm Service Agency Home Pageexternal icon Houses the USDA’s Aerial Photography Field Office’s aerial film library, with images dating back to 1955. Includes options for users to search various related topics, such as for image-related products and programs.
USDA Food Consumption Surveysexternal icon USDA produces national food consumption surveys (surveys conducted at the local level may differ from national averages) that provide useful information about market/consumption patterns for various foods (home, local, regional, commercial, or subsistence).
USDA National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Geospatial Data Gatewayexternal icon Allows users to search a map library containing various data sets with environmental and natural resource content.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Geography Gatewayexternal icon Provides maps of soil geography and links to various soil geographic datasets.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Surveysexternal icon The Natural Resources Conservation Service performs soil surveys across the United States to collect various information on area soils, such as detailed soil maps, soil classifications, and soil features.
USDA Web Soil Survey (WSS)external icon Presents soil data and information for greater than 95% of counites in the U.S. Users query desired information using a series of tabs, such as by selecting the area of interest.
USGS Biology and Ecosystemsexternal icon Provides USGS maps to illustrate the evaluations USGS performs to gain an understanding of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems.
USGS EarthExplorerexternal icon EarthExplorer provides access to satellite images, aerial photographs, maps, and digital data. Allows users to input various search criteria (e.g., address, coordinates) and choose desired data sets to search (e.g., aerial imagery, land cover).
USGS Geochemical and Mineralogical Maps for Soil for the Conterminous U.S.external icon This report contains maps and statistical reports for geochemical and mineralogical soil survey conducted by the USGS across the contiguous United States between 2007 and 2013.
USGS Geologic Mapsexternal icon This is the National archive of standardized geologic maps of the United States. Users can search for maps based on location, topic, and year.
USGS Geology/Hydrology Studiesexternal icon USGS performs studies to collect geologic and hydrologic information, develop detailed maps of the subject area, and examine how potential hazards may affect natural resources.
USGS Hydrologic Unit Mapsexternal icon Provides details on the division of hydrologic units in the United States. The site includes links to both historical and current information on the U.S. hydrologic units.
USGS Map Storeexternal icon Customers can purchase prints of maps that USGS has on file. Users can search for a map or product by location.
USGS National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV)external icon Provides visualizations that illustrate historical and predicted alterations in climate and water balance based on a user-selected area (state, county, USGS hydrologic unit). Users can interact with the map data and view the map based on their selections.
USGS National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (NFM)external icon This manual provides water quality data procedures that USGS field staff need to follow. It includes steps for collecting and analyzing the samples, collecting field parameter data, and any necessary special processes.
USGS National Handbook of Methods for Water Data Acquisition, Public Water Supply (Chapter 11.C.)external icon A public water supply is a public or private water system that provides water to at least 25 people or has at least 15 service connections. Examples include water systems that serve cities and towns, military bases, apartment complexes, and large mobile home parks. A public water supply is water withdrawn by public and private water suppliers and delivered to users.
USGS National Land Imagingexternal icon Includes various resources (e.g., images, data, publications) from the USGS National Land Imaging program, which performs ongoing monitoring of land change across the continents, that users can view and download.
USGS National Mapexternal icon The National Map is a joint effort between the USGS and various partners (federal, state, and local entities) to provide the public with accessibility to nationwide topographic information. Users can interact with different data themes (e.g., boundaries, elevation, structures) to view topographic information on a map of the U.S.
USGS National Water Information System (NWIS): Mapperexternal icon An interactive mapping tool that allows users to search for surface water, groundwater, springs, and atmospheric sites with USGS water data.
USGS Sea Level Change: An Interactive Guide to Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United Statesexternal icon This guide allows users to examine various scenarios for sea-level rise over time at particular locations across the nation, and provides context for the system’s simulated scenarios.
USGS Topographical Mapsexternal icon Lists various topographic maps that detail key features, such as hydrography and elevation.
Page last reviewed: April 14, 2022