SDWIS Prime Development Update

SDWIS Community,

I am writing to convey to you updates on actions we are taking with respect to the SDWIS Prime development.

OW has decided to move forward with updating SDWIS State and its data flow components to address security issues related to outdated underlying software.  This will enable primacy agencies to safely continue to use SDWIS State while we proceed with actions to assess the SDWIS Prime database issues and path ahead.  We have received feedback from multiple state staff identifying software and system security issues they are experiencing. We will also have a broader conversation with state staff at the Data Management Users Conference next week. Using that feedback, we are developing requirements for the next SDWIS State update. We expect to have an initial, draft SDWIS State update plan and schedule over the next one to two months.

OW in consultation with the Agency’s Chief Information Officer will also be working to assess methods for completing an in-depth analysis of the database architecture and determining next steps for future Prime development.

While we move forward with updating SDWIS State and assessing SDWIS Prime next steps, we will be improving the Compliance Monitoring Data Portal (CMDP) and providing support for increasing the number of primacy agencies using the CMDP.

We greatly appreciate your sustained engagement with EPA on SDWIS over the years. We will maintain the robust engagement with the SDWIS community as we move forward on this modernization journey. We understand that you may have concerns and questions, and we will be transparent and responsive to you as we continue additional analysis and refine our path forward.

Many Thanks,

Anita

Anita Maria Thompkins
Director, Drinking Water Protection Division
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency