About

What is PermitMinder

PermitMinder is a data transparency tool that makes Pennsylvania discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) searchable and readable. We take public NPDES eDMR data, organize it by facility and parameter, and surface exceedances — reported values that fall outside a facility's permit limits — so that residents, researchers, and journalists can find what they're looking for without digging through state agency portals.

Who built it

PermitMinder was built by Amelia Minder. My background is in social work, not environmental engineering, and I built this because public environmental data should be accessible to the public that paid for it. The raw data already exists in state systems; the barrier is finding it and reading it. This site is an attempt to lower that barrier.

What it's not

PermitMinder is not:

• An enforcement tool. We do not issue fines, file complaints, or take action against facilities. Enforcement is the job of EPA and state regulators.
• An advocacy organization.We do not campaign against facilities, publish shame lists, rank "worst polluters," or editorialize about the data. We present public records as facts.
• A violation-determination tool. An exceedance is an arithmetic observation: a reported value was higher than a permit limit. A violation is a legal conclusion that only EPA, a state agency, or a court can reach. PermitMinder does not determine violations. For details on how we distinguish the two, see our Methodology page.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback: permitminder@gmail.com

Operated by Amelia Minder, an individual

PermitMinder is independently operated and is not affiliated with any government agency, law firm, or regulatory body. It is not a substitute for professional legal or environmental compliance advice. For inquiries, contact permitminder@gmail.com.