California Integrated Water Quality System Project (CIWQS)


Where do I submit DMRs?

Dischargers can submit their DMRs using the Electronic Self-Monitoring Reports (eSMR) module of the California Integrated Water Quality System (CIWQS). It accepts data required in Discharger Monitoring Reports (DMRs) and transfers that data electronically to the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS).

If the permit is coded into the ICIS database, the eSMR record will have a DMR tab:

esmr record screenshot

Users will navigate to the eSMR report to be submitted, complete the eSMR as usual, go to the DMR tab, complete the equivalent DMR(s), then certify and submit the report. Once certified and submitted, the DMR data is transferred to Extensible Markup Language (XML) format, sent to USEPA through Exchange Network nodes. (For more information about the Exchange Network, see http://www.exchangenetwork.net/.)

Who will be required to submit DMRs through eSMR?

All National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit holders are required to submit DMRs through eSMR. Major dischargers have been reporting DMRs electronically since October 2014 and Minor dischargers since December 2016. If you have an individual NPDES permit, you are required to submit DMRs through eSMR, even for intermittent discharge.

How do I manually enter my data?

The DMR Entry Guide (PDF) will help you navigate through the DMR tab.

The following link is a video on how to submit DMRs:

eSMR 2.5 Training Video
Actual run time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

What other options do I have to enter my DMR data?

Data can either be entered through the web interface (screens) or uploaded using a specified file format. The file format must be a comma separated value (CSV) file and is described in an Excel spreadsheet. Here is also an example CSV file. Please also refer to this NODI Guide to view the procedures on entering NODI codes in the upload file.

The information required by my DMRs differs from my SMRs. Will I be prompted on what to enter for my DMR?

Yes, permits will continue to be individually coded into ICIS. This information is transferred to CIWQS and populates the DMR tab so that users using the eSMR web interface will see what data to report.

Where will this data be seen?

U.S. EPA has an Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website that enables the public to search for facilities within their communities, investigate pollution sources, search enforcement cases, analyze trends in compliance and enforcement data, and explore California’s performance.