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Advanced Query Instructions
| Search for information by going directly to one or more of the following categories on the Advanced Query Form: |  |
The Advanced Query allows you maximum flexibility
to search for information on the nation's hazardous waste sites based
on many criteria. While it's by no means a prerequisite, knowledge
of the Superfund program will help you fully exploit this search function.
You may prefer to fill out a Basic Query
Form first and then come back to the Advanced Query.
The Advanced Query offers more detailed search options than the Basic Query. Similar to the Basic Query it enables you to search for information on active Superfund sites. It also allows you to customize the format of the information you have requested. For most of the search fields, you can either "display" the information or specify that a "count" be provided. You can start filling out your Advanced Query Form now or view more detailed instructions on using the Advanced Query below. |
Searching for information about Superfund hazardous waste sites using the Advanced Query involves two easy steps:
- Determining the search options to enter or select for available fields.
- Specifying the fields you want displayed or counted in your search results.
The Advanced Query Form allows you to select information for one or more fields. For each field, you may either enter text or make a selection from the drop-down list. To obtain the definition of a particular search field, simply click on that term. To change the information you have entered into the form, click on Reset Form at any time.
For most of the search fields, you can choose Display, Count, or Neither to specify the format of the search results page. The Display option will return a list of the results (e.g., site names). Count will return a count of the results (e.g., 15 sites). If you select neither, then that particular search field will not appear on the results page. For text fields, you have the option of choosing either Containing, Exact Match, or Beginning With. Choosing one of these radio buttons will enable you to fine-tune your search of text fields. For example, you may enter "Chicago" in the "City" field and select Containing. The results returned will include all entries where the city contained the word "Chicago" such as "Chicago Heights", "West Chicago", and "Chicago". If you had selected Beginning With, your results would contain only "Chicago Heights" and "Chicago". If you had selected Exact Match, your results would only contain "Chicago". The Containing option is selected by default.
If you do not limit your search by selecting specific criteria within a field, all criteria will be searched. For example, if you ask for a Display or Count on states/territories but do not specify a particular state or territory, all states/territories will be searched. Generally the results will be the most specific when you select specific search parameters. This will also speed up your search of the information. When given the option Multiple Selections Allowed, you may select or enter more than one criterion. Multiple selections are made by separating the entries with commas in text fields or by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on the selection items with your pointer. If you are having difficulty, use the help feature in your web browser.
Once you have entered your search options, click on Submit Query to obtain the results of your query. The results may take a little longer to display if a lot of data is being retrieved. The results will be returned to you in HTML format organized according to your report output selections. On the results page, you also have the option of viewing the results as a comma-delimited ASCII file. To do this, click on the link to load the page in your browser. Then, select "File" - "Save As..." to save the file locally to your computer.
Using the Alternate Site Name field in your search: If you choose to check the Include Alternate Site Names box, the results will display all matching site names and site aliases. For example, if you enter "Landfill" in the Site Name field, and check the box to include Alternate Site Names, the results will display the site name and alternate site names for all sites with the word "Landfill" in either the Site Name or Site Alias field.
Using the Activity ID field in your search: In order to display all the activities at a site, the Activity ID check box must be checked. This occurs automatically when Display is chosen and allows each record to be displayed separately with its own ID. This should be done whenever Display is selected regardless of the Activity Type(s) chosen. You have the ability to uncheck the check box and choose Display, however your results may not contain all of the activities in this case.
Using the Area Map feature: The Area Map provides an interactive map of individual NPL sites and the surrounding area.