Most plants in Indiana have been filling out Monthly Monitoring Reports  (MMRs) or Monthly Report of Operations (MROs) electronically, printing them out for signature and snail mailing them to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) for years.  Now there is NetDMR.  NetDMR allows National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit holders to electronically sign and submit federally-required discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) to IDEM. You will also be able to go paperless with the required state forms because the system enables you to attach and submit electronic MMR and MRO forms. In addition to attaching state-required MMRs and MROs, the system offers many other benefits. It will automatically check for errors, validate result, allow revised DMRs to be submitted quickly, and provides instant confirmation of DMR submissions. NetDMR is tied directly into the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s database and automatically checks for certain violations in the reporting process, which helps ensure data quality. Using the system also helps improve the timeliness and accessibility of DMR data.  The process to sign up takes just a few minutes. Right now, Indiana facilities are not required to submit federal reports through NetDMR, but IDEM anticipates that paper forms will eventually be phased out altogether. US EPA has stated that it is in the process of promulgating regulations that will eliminate the paper DMR forms and require electronic DMR reporting for NPDES permit holders.  Some facilities may be required to switch to electronic reporting as soon as January 2014.  Any facility with an individual or general NPDES permit that is currently required to submit paper DMRs and the associated state required forms can apply to use NetDMR. Go to IDEM’s NetDMR website at www.idem.IN.gov/6765.htm to learn how to get started. If you have any questions, please contact IDEM staff members Rose McDaniel at (317) 233-2653 or Gary Starks (317) 232-8694, or send an email to them at NetDMR@idem.IN.gov.