Poor EPA Wastewater Data Hinder Water Quality, Compliance Goals

The poor quality of the EPA’s wastewater discharge permit compliance data is preventing the agency from tracking water quality improvements across the country, the Government Accountability Office reported Monday.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, compliance data available online are incomplete or full of errors, the GAO said in its report.

“Because of data problems, the measures EPA adopted to track progress toward reducing significant noncompliance do not gauge resulting improvements to water quality— the agency’s ultimate goal under the Clean Water Act,” the GAO said.

The EPA “does not have an outcome-based measure ...