EPA - Latitude / Longitude

Each applicant is required to provide the latitude and longitude of their construction site or industrial facility as part of the Notice of Intent (NOI) form. EPA encourages operators to make the best possible measurements when determining latitude and longitude.

Any one of these three formats may be used when reporting your site's or facility's latitude and longitude:

You are not required to make any conversions between formats. In processing your NOI form, EPA may convert the format you use into decimal format for consistency purposes.

Your measurements should be taken from the approximate center of the construction site or facility.

The latitude and longitude of your construction site or industrial facility can be determined in several different ways, including through the use of global positioning system (GPS) receivers, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps, and web-based siting tools. Applicants are reminded that regardless of the method chosen to report latitude and longitude, you must use one of the three formats listed above.

These devices are generally the most accurate for reporting latitude and longitude. Most GPS receivers can be programmed to display your location in one of the three formats EPA requires for reporting latitude and longitude. The default setting for most GPS units is degrees, minutes, decimals. You can easily determine the format that is displayed by comparing the read-out on the screen of the GPS to the formats listed above or by accessing the settings for the format of latitude and longitude.

USGS topographic maps provide another method for determining latitude and longitude of your site. These maps are published in varying degrees of detail. The most detailed version of the topographic map is in 7.5 x 7.5 minute increments with a scale of 1:24,000 (i.e., one inch on the map represents 2,000 feet). Detailed topographic maps are also available in 7.5 x 15 minute increments with a scale of 1:25,000 (i.e., one inch on the map represents approximately 2,000 feet).

Please use topographic maps and GPS settings that utilize either the 1983 North American Datum (NAD 83) or the 1984 World Geodetic System datum (WGS 84).

Identifying the Correct Topographic Map
There are two ways for you to identify the detailed topographic map in which your construction site or industrial facility is located. The quickest way to identify the correct map is to use the USGS online map list at http://topomaps.usgs.gov/

. This site allows users to search for specific maps by state, map name, or latitude and longitude. The other way is to use The Index to Topographical Maps and Other Map Coverage and The Catalog of Topographical Maps and Other Published Maps available for each state and published by USGS. Both the index and the catalog are available in many libraries free of charge. You can also obtain free copies of the catalog through any of the USGS Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) offices (further information available at http://ask.usgs.gov/sils_index.html

Ordering USGS Topographic Maps
Detailed topographic maps are available in many libraries or for purchase from a USGS ESIC office or private map dealers. A list of private map dealers is available on the USGS website at http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/acis-bin/choosebylocation.pl?statechoice=none

. To purchase a topographic quadrangle map from the USGS, contact the ESIC at 1-888-ASK-USGS or ask@usgs.gov, or visit http://ask.usgs.gov/sils_index.htmll

for more detailed information on which ESIC office to contact. The charge for USGS primary series topographic maps (1:24,000, 1:25,000, 1:63,360 scales) is $6.00 per sheet. Most other topographic maps cost $7.00 per sheet. There is a $5.00 handling fee for each order.

Internet Siting Tools

If you use EPA's eNOI System for obtaining permit coverage, you can have your latitude and longitude automatically determined for you.

EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program created the Envirofacts Warehouse which provides the public with direct access to information contained in its databases on Air, Chemicals, Facility Information, Grants/Funding, Hazardous Waste, Risk Management Plans, Superfund, Toxic Releases. In addition, it provides facility information and chemical reports, which tabulate air emissions, surface water discharges, releases to land, underground injections, and transfers to off-site locations. This tool is used to help users obtain information of their construction sites or industrial facilities. Envirofacts can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/enviro/.

Or you can use the Toxic Releases Query Form which allows you to retrieve data from the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) database in Envirofacts. Your query returns facility information and chemical reports, which tabulate air emissions, surface water discharges, releases to land, underground injections, and transfers to off-site locations.

Note that currently EPA's siting tool provides coverage for the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Not available are American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.

You may also use commercial siting tools such as http://www.topozone.com or http://www.maptech.com to obtain the latitude and longitude of your construction site or industrial facility.