Overview
Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs) are key partners for California’s hazardous waste management and regulation activities. The previous system used to determine the geographic jurisdictions of the 105 CUPAs used zip codes instead of boundary lines and did not track local agreements that altered jurisdictional boundaries. This significantly delayed emergency response activities due to a lack of clarity and inaccuracies. CalEPA and their partners recognized the need for an updated way to quickly and accurately identify the relevant CUPA(s) to prevent the need for physical maps and phone calls to identify jurisdiction.
Access to this information helps 143,000+ regulated businesses to accurately identify their CUPA(s). A shorter identification timeline improves emergency response coordination and supports compliance assignment activities, all in service of reducing risk of adverse effects of hazardous materials on Californians.
Goal
Improve the effectiveness of emergency response teams.
Project Information
- Project #:
- 0555-019
- Total TMF investment amount:
- $497,631
Project Outcome
The project successfully deployed a tool for CUPA representatives to quickly validate their jurisdictional boundaries and submit necessary updates. As a result, the 25% that do not follow default boundaries were updated, completing an accurate dataset. This allowed CalEPA to publish a new searchable web map, where users may enter an address, use their current location, or draw a shape to get the results they need. This application allows anyone, including emergency responders, to identify an assigned jurisdiction within seconds where it previously took hours.
Key Activities
- Unified Program Agencies Survey
- GIS dataset creation and validation
- Searchable web map development and publication
Project Information: CUPA GIS Project | CERS (ca.gov)
Impacted audience
- CalEPA CUPAs
- Local Governments
- Emergency Responders