It is the first step in long-term plans to provide online, searchable databases for pesticide use reports, residue monitoring in fresh produce, ground and surface water data, and other technical documents such as pesticide risk assessments. Under a 1997 agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board, DPR developed and maintains the Surface Water Database. It includes monitoring results from 30 studies conducted by local, state, and federal agencies, private industry, and an environmental group. The archive also includes toxicity test results for some aquatic organisms. To make the database as inclusive as possible, DPR characterizes each study for its data quality without making judgments on the usefulness of that data.
Information is added on an ongoing basis, with priority given to the most recent data available.