Really Searching MassDEP Databases

Thanks to Paul Locke, BWSC Assistant Commissioner MassDEP, and Wes Stimpson of the LSPA’s Loss Prevention Committee, for this practice tip.

We all know about the Waste Site/Reportable Releases Look Up on MassDEP’s website that helps you search by site or LSP to find specific documents. 

But what if you’re looking for more “macro” information from MassDEP’s MCP files?  Or you want to check and make sure your submittal has indeed been posted? 

Check out MassDEP’s File Viewer which “provides rapidly updated access to files submitted electronically through eDEP and allows complex searches for those files.” 

Here are a few of the nifty things the File Viewer does:

• Provides all submittals that have been made electronically to eDEP; it doesn’t contain older scanned-only forms. 
• Is updated continuously; new documents appear typically within 15 minutes of posting.
• Allows you to search by RTN, date, transaction id, and type of eDEP form.

So, say you want to look at all DPS submittals in 2014 – you can initiate a focused search and only those BWSC-115 Downgradient Property Status Transmittal Forms will be shown. 

Not only does the File Viewer show documents uploaded by LSPs, but it also shows documents added to the files by MassDEP. These can be found under “BWSC-126 Miscellaneous Document Transmittal Form”. 

Paul Locke put together this very detailed video that explains it all.

And if you want a tutorial on the “Searchable Sites List” check out this video.