Compliance Monitoring Data Portal

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Resources (TDEC/DWR) currently receives sample analytical results from water systems primarily through paper reports. It is the goal of TDEC/DWR to transition all chemical and bacteriological paper reports to electronic data transmissions using a product supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called the Compliance Monitoring Data Portal (CMDP). CMDP is a module within a suite of software products the Division utilizes for Drinking Water inventory and compliance data storage and reporting.

Department rule 0400-01-40-.04 allows for the submission of electronic reports through an approved electronic reporting system (such as CMDP) to satisfy statutory or regulatory requirements administered by the Department.  The transition of reporting electronically to the Division is currently underway and will become the required mechanism for reporting chemical and bacteriological sample results. 

The CMDP is a web-based data reporting system comprising of several components, including a web application, web services, and synchronization tools. Its purpose is to enable laboratories and public water systems to electronically report compliance sample results to the TDEC/DWR.

The primary components of the CMDP system are the web-based software application and the Division’s Drinking Water database.  In addition, there are several other software components supporting the CMDP system including:

  • MS Excel Templates that support reporting sample results in an XML file uploaded manually
  • Web Services that support reporting sample results in an XML file using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
  • A Shared CROMERR Services web application for registration and end-user management 

The CMDP accepts various types of sample results from laboratories and water utilities using three different electronic reporting methods:

  • Web-services (i.e., REST API) for connecting Laboratory Inventory Management Systems (LIMS) or Public Water System (PWS) to CMDP
  • XML files generated from CMDP Excel templates into which samples and results can be entered from a computer,
  • Direct data entry using web forms within CMDP

Laboratories and water systems with robust IT departments and knowledgeable staff may choose to utilize the Web Services option listed above to retrieve sample results from their LIMS system and compile an XML file for submission to CMDP.  However, the use of Excel templates to generate the XML file appears to be the most preferred and simplest mechanism.  Direct data entry of samples and results into CMDP using the available web forms may be a better option, for labs with few results to report.

Information and examples for the Excel Templates and Web Form options are available from the Division upon request and will eventually be available on the Division’s CMDP webpage.

Currently, the Division’s instances of CMDP (Pre-Production and Production) support the following types of samples and results:

Microbiological samples and results, including:

  • Total coliform
  • E. coli
  • Coliphage
  • Enterococci
  • Cryptosporidium

Chemical and radionuclide samples and results, including:

  • Inorganic chemicals
  • Organic chemicals (VOCs and SOCs)
  • Radionuclides
  • Stage 2 Disinfection By-Products (TTHM and HAA5)
  • Cryptosporidium

Eventually, the Division’s instances of CMDP will accept:

Operational parameters including:

  • Turbidity
  • Disinfectant residuals
  • LCR water quality parameters

Calculated operational sample information including:

  • Locational Running Annual Averages (LRAA) for TTHM and HAA5
  • % Reduction of total organic carbon (TOC)

Register for CMDP Test/Pre-Production Environment

The CMDP Pre-Production environment allows users to get familiar with the CMDP and serves as a testing environment. All users must register to use CMDP Pre-Production and complete the recommended testing prior to receiving approval to report compliance data through CMDP Production. Section 2.0 of the CMDP Role Registration User Guide, available from the CMDP Help Center, provides a detailed, step-by-step registration sequence for Laboratory (Lab) and Public Water System (PWS) Administrators.

CMDP users will be required to register with the EPA’s Shared CROMERR Services (SCS) to access the Pre-Production testing environment.  Please review the CMDP Role Registration User Guide, identified above, to identify the various “Roles” for your staff.  

Submit Test Files - Laboratories will be required to successfully submit test files of sample results before registration/use of the Production CMDP instance.  Chemical labs will be only required to submit chemical files for testing but may choose to submit bacteriological results as well.  Bacteriological labs will only be required to submit bacteriological sample results. 

Test files will be submitted to the Pre-Production instance of CMDP, using one of the 3 reporting options listed above under “What does CMDP do?”.  Excel templates are available for downloading from the CMDP site, and Users will be able to enter results directly into web forms if desired.  Division staff will be available to assist as needed.

  • CMDP Demo - This video is a narrated demonstration of the use of the Compliance Monitoring Data Portal, including the initial login, dashboards presented, use and contents of the various "tabs" and sample job creation/submission.
  • CMDP Demo-Excel - This video is a narrated demonstration of using the Excel Template to create a Job file for uploading and submission to the Compliance Monitoring Data Portal.

 

Submit Compliance Files - Following successful testing in the CMDP Pre-Production environment, users will then register with EPA’s Share CROMERR Services (SCS) for the CMDP Production Environment. The registration process is similar in Production as in Pre-Production, but access to each environment is separate and distinct from each other, utilizing different URLs and website addresses. The Production instance of CMDP will be virtually identical in appearance, so users will need to be aware of which environment they are working within.

Once a laboratory fully transitions to reporting sample results into the CMDP Production environment, paper reports will no longer be necessary, and the Department will be directly receiving compliance data electronically.

EPA has established the CMDP Help Center to provide training materials and technical guidance to assist all CMDP users. All users are encouraged to visit the CMDP Help Center to become familiar with relevant training materials prior to requesting access to the application.

Some labs have found the LIMS Interface Control Document to be helpful. Other technical documents can be found on the bottom left of the CMDP Help Center.

Public water systems are required to monitor chemical and biological parameters at various frequencies, depending on several factors. 

Detailed monitoring schedules for individual water systems can be viewed on the Drinking Water Watch Website.  Monitoring schedules for multiple water systems are available in additional formats upon request. 

CMDP requires specific PWS ID, Facility ID, and Sampling Point IDs to match with designated monitoring schedules. 

Detailed facility and sampling point identifications for individual water systems can be viewed on the Drinking Water Watch Website.  Detailed profiles for multiple water systems are available in additional formats upon request.


Contact

Division of Water Resources Drinking Water Compliance

615-532-0625
DWRWater.Compliance@tn.gov