Databases for Environmental Information 
about Your Community

Hazardous materials used or disposed of in your community improperly can affect:

• Health

• Property value

• Future generations

Community involvement in environmental matters assures that the interests of community members are effectively and fairly represented.  Awareness of community environmental issues increases the likelihood that residents will seek out and participate in opportunities for community input when decisions are made about important issues such as where to allow significant hazardous material use and how contaminated sites may get cleaned up and re-developed.

The following is a list of just some of the databases for environmental information available on the internet that are free and open to the general public.  

All external hyperlinks are provided for your information and for the benefit of the general public. The Department of Health Services does not testify to, sponsor, or endorse the accuracy of the information provided on externally linked pages.

	TRI Explorer- http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/  provides information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities reported annually by certain covered industry groups as well as federal facilities.  This inventory was established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) and expanded by the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990.  Data can be obtained in map and tabular formats and allows multiple sorting capabilities.  It is operated by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
	Enviromapper- http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/  provides map-based information including a wealth of environmental and geographic detail, including air releases, drinking water, toxic releases, hazardous wastes, water discharge permits, and Superfund sites. It is operated by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
	Window to My Environment- http://www.epa.gov/enviro/wme/  provides information similar to Enviromapper, but also links to environmental quality data specific to your location. It also includes the Environmental Justice Geographic Assessment Tool that provides a geographic perspective on facility location based on area demographics. It helps evaluate whether a community or segment of a community shares an unfair burden of environmental contamination. Both databases are also operated by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
	Contaminated Lands Environmental Action Network (CLEAN)- http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/rr/clean.htm The Contaminated Lands Environmental Action Network (CLEAN) is an inter-linked system of information about contaminated land in Wisconsin, including the investigation, cleanup and eventual re-use of those lands.  This system is operated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  CLEAN offers two ways to view the information, an on-line database (BRRTS on the Web) and a web-based map (GIS Registry) .  Using either system, you can find information about cleanups that are underway and completed.  You can also find information about DNR grants and loans, liability incentives and environmental land use controls that have been utilized at these sites.
	Web View- http://dnrmaps.wisconsin.gov  provides interactive map-based data with multiple layers of information including digital aerial and topographic maps, land description, recreation, transportation, water, ecologic, land cover and elevation data. This site is operated by the the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
	Solid and Hazardous Waste Information System (SHWIMS) on the Web- http://sotw.dnr.state.wi.us/sotw/Welcome.do  This site is operated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  SHWIMS on the Web (SOTW) provides access to information on sites, and facilities operating at sites, that are regulated by the Wisconsin DNR Waste Management program.  Activities that occur at facilities include landfill operation, waste transportation, hazardous waste generation, wood burning, waste processing, sharps collection and many more.
	Right-To-Know Network- http://www.rtknet.org/   This service is provided by OMB Watch, and provides free access to numerous environmental databases. With the information available on RTK NET, you can identify specific factories and their environmental effects, and assess the people and communities affected.

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Last Revised:  October 20, 2011