This month, Arizona’s Department of Environmental Quality is rolling out an expanded version of an online map that shows permits in process throughout the state.
“This really was a reaction to comments that I heard from community members who were concerned that in order for them to know what was happening with the facility in their community,” said Deputy Director Karen Peters, “they had to do a public records request. And I thought, well, that's just not appropriate. They ought to be able to just look online.”
She said the tool is updated daily and accessible on mobile devices.
“The data is available, it's accurate, it's timely and we'll be able to see how people are using it,” Peters said. “I'm hopeful that it'll reflect in the input that we get regarding these permits and maybe fewer public records requests.”
While an online map of water permits has been available, Peters said they’ve expanded to include data on air quality and waste programs.
“Any member of the community can understand what's happening down the street or, you know, 5 miles away,” she said, adding that making the map user-friendly and available on mobile devices were also top priorities.
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