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Surfers know the world of the web is awfully big. If you've got the time, you can plug in for days and never touch the myriad topics available. I said more than a year ago that the Environmental Protection Agency was my favorite environmental web site. Since then, I've visited now and again for various reasons' and have been impressed with how the site has grown and matured. By "grown" I mean that it has gotten larger. Much larger. By "matured" I mean that it has become more sophisticated, more diverse and more of a service to users. Our tax dollars are at work!
Take the EPA home page, for example. Somebody got the bright idea to design a page that targets users in two ways, by audience and by topic. A left-hand column of blue pill-shaped buttons addresses audiences: kids, students, teachers, citizens, researchers and scientists, small business, industry and state, local and tribal. Think about it. You know which one or two you fit. This is a good scheme. The second set of buttons is a row of green, pill-shaped links to broad information resource subjects: news and events, laws and regulations, publications, offices and others. Slick explanations pop up as you move the mouse over each blue or green button. I had no trouble deciding where to head first. I picked the first blue button in the left-hand column Search by Zip Code. Why not? My zip code would bring me close to home. If you're looking for databases to bring you close to where you live, this might be a good place to start. First, you've got a collection of what EPA calls "Envirofacts" on pollution, hazardous waste site, Superfund sites and their cleanup status, regulatory information and links to chemical information. If the database is complete for your area, you may be able to find out about who is releasing pollutants and who is legally handling hazardous materials. Second, you can look at environmental profiles of your county. Not all information is complete yet, but EPA is well on its way. Third, you'll find "Maps on Demand" that may contain regulated sites in your region. Finally, you can "Surf your Watershed" to find out what its environmental conditions are. State base maps for my area include a color landform atlas of Pennsylvania from the Johns Hopkins University's Remote Sensing Group. Environmental quality maps are available from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. Pennsylvania has a relief map, county map, and satellite image.
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The copyright of the article Find Environmental Info at EPA in Environment is owned by Kenneth Friedman. Permission to republish Find Environmental Info at EPA in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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