The report is collected by the State or Federal permitting authority. There is some variance in how rapidly this information is submitted from facilities to States to the PCS, though this usually occurs within a period of 45 days. When errors are discovered, it is relatively easy to update the information. As PCS is updated twice per week, this can happen extremely quickly. PCS primarily covers discharges from point sources only.
Limited information is available from non-point sources.
The accuracy of the information varies from State to State depending on procedures. When errors are detected, PCS is updated only if the State chooses to make a correction. Generally, these data are delivered within 45 days since a nonreceipt violation occurs after this time period. The PCS database resides on a mainframe computer at the National Computer Center. Online services EPA offers information from the PCS database at the EPA website.