Water Supply actively participated in several USEPA initiatives, including the development of an XML schema to enable drinking water system or laboratory-to-State electronic data exchange. The NJDEP participated in the USEPA Challenge Grant for laboratory-to-State data exchange XML schema development, during 2003 and 2004. The XML schema developed with the USEPA provides drinking water systems or laboratories an option to electronically report drinking water monitoring analytical data to the NJDEP, in addition to the current paper-to-data system process.

The New Jersey E2 Reporting System allows laboratories to submit three major categories of reports:

• Electronic Drinking Water Reports (DWR) related to the Safe Drinking Water Act;
  
• New Jersey Quantitation Limit (NJQL) reports for Office of Quality Assurance lab certification program; and
  
• Private Well Testing Reporting under the Private Well Testing Act (PWTA).

Drinking Water Reporting (E2-eDWR)

The NJDEP is working with enfoTech & Consulting, Inc., to implement a web based application, “E2-eDWR” for New Jersey, based upon the results of the USEPA Challenge Grant for laboratory-to-State data exchange XML schema. This effort, initiated February 25, 2004, resulted in the first E2-eDWR production data flow in December 2005.

The overall schedule intends that New Jersey will make available the E2 web based application in 2006, to be used in conjunction with SDWIS/State version 8.0. Future development of E2 is expected to enable use with the next release of SDWIS/State, web release version (SSwr1).

As of 2004, accomplishments included the development of a software design document including the proposed design of a module to enable laboratories to report drinking water sampling results to a web application. Data validation techniques applied to the data received by E2 will ensure improved data quality before data is passed to SDWIS/State for compliance decision support. Ongoing development included a module to incorporate additional reporting features for water systems to report other data.

During 2005, NJDEP and enfoTech developed the E2-eDWR system for Safe Drinking Water reporting, completed design modifications, conducted acceptance and performance testing, laboratory pilot testing, system administrator training, and pre-production preparation. NJDEP and enfoTech initiated a Laboratory Pilot of the E2 application on June 28, 2005, which concluded successfully on July 29, 2005.

On December 29, 2005, NJDEP, enfoTech, a participating laboratory and water system, demonstrated laboratory-to-State live production data flow via the E2-eDWR system, to electronically transmit Safe Drinking Water "for-compliance" laboratory sample and result data from the laboratory to the State. The data was processed through the SDWIS/State Sampling via Electronic Data Interchange module for acceptance or rejection, with applicable error codes and messages returned electronically to the submitting laboratory via the E2-eDWR system.

As of March 2006, the NJDEP completed the E2-eDWR System Documentation, including the E2 Reporting System XML Transmission Protocol, Laboratory Participation Package, Water System Participation Package, Laboratory and Water System Registration Forms, Electronic Signature Agreement, User Guide for Drinking Water Reporting, and Training Video. These documents are available for download from the New Jersey Electronic Environmental (E2) Reporting System web at http://www.nj.gov/dep/online/e2.

NJDEP has not yet achieved full implementation of the New Jersey Electronic Environmental (E2) Reporting System. NJDEP anticipates the effort to implement E2, including outreach, guidance and assistance to interested users, NJDEP program changes to revise standard operating procedures, perform system administration and report management roles, design and develop various reports, may require substantial effort and time in order to achieve a high level of participation by drinking water laboratories and water systems. This effort is underway as of calendar year 2006.

Private Well Testing Reporting (PWTA)

During 2005, NJDEP and enfoTech completed the development of the E2 Reporting System for the Private Well Testing program. NJDEP and AMS-CGI have completed the development of the COMPASS database to store PWTA test results. NJDEP performed extensive testing of both the E2 delivery system and the database, and anticipates several enhancements may be required prior to production data flow from E2 to COMPASS.

During 2006, NJDEP conducted a pilot project to ensure that PWTA reporting laboratory business processes are satisfied, as well as to ensure adequate performance of E2 and COMPASS, prior to live production data flow, proposed for late calendar year 2006.

NJDEP anticipates the need to design and develop various reports in support of the E2 Reporting System for PWTA reporting, data evaluations, and perform other system implementation activities. In addition, NJDEP anticipates future activities necessary to move legacy PWTA data from the existing EQuIS system to the COMPASS system.

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