There's so many online tools and dataviewers it's difficult to know where to start. Here are some helpful links that will get you started on your journey through EPA info.
Americans were becoming more and more conscious about protecting the environment after the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962. That and, in 1969, the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio, spontaneously burst into flames which probably made people think: Maybe we're not getting this right. So President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December 1970 right after the first Earth Day in September of that year. The formation of the EPA enabled the government to enforce air and water quality standards throughout the U.S., monitor the environment, and allow states to create their own programs.
Followed was a series of laws like the 1970 Clean Air Act which set air quality standards, the 1972 Clean Water Act that regulated discharge to streams and rivers, the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act that set water quality standards for drinking water, and creation of the Superfund Program in 1980 that looked at cleaning up some of the most toxic waste sites. There so much more to mention, like Love Canal, Three Mile Island, DDT, lead reduction, wetlands protection, etc. You can learn more about them and the EPA at Milestones in EPA and Environmental History.
EPA PFAS Analytic Tools - Learn what the PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) data show across the U.S.
EPA EnviroMapper - See what regulated sites are in your neighborhood from air polluters to Superfund this mapping tool has it all.
EPA Envirofacts - this provides similar information as EPA Enviromapper but in a different format. You can search an address, zip code or city to find out what regulated facilities are in your area.
EPA EnivroAtlas - Access to 500+ maps and multiple analysis tools. Landing page with tutorials on how to use.
EPA Air Quality - Curious about your air? This tool displays monitor locations information from daily and annual summary data.
EPA Cleanups in My Community - Learn about just that...sites that are undergoing cleanup in your community.
Primary MCLs - Legally enforceable primary standards and treatment techniques that apply to public water system
Secondary MCLs - set non-mandatory water quality standards for 15 contaminants. Guidelines for aesthetic considerations, such as taste, color, and odor.
MCLs, tap water, residential and industrial soil, and air screening levels can all be viewed on the EPA Regional Screening Level (RSL) Generic Tables. These tables are updated from time to time.
