This guide provides instructions on how to navigate Indiana CAFO databases, find pending CAFO permit applications, find past CAFO violations, create custom aerial maps of CAFOs, and more. If you have any questions or comments, please contact: WaterRangers@sraproject.org.

Indiana CAFO Database and Virtual File Cabinet

Use the spreadsheets on this site to find livestock permit applications in Indiana. Use the Virtual File Cabinet to access permit documents for each facility.

To see a list of pending CAFO permit applications and/or currently issued CAFO permits:

• Click “Pending CFO and CAFO Permits” or “CFO and CAFO Permits Issued”
• A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet will automatically download to your computer
• To sort from newest to oldest in the Excel spreadsheet:
  • Click “Data” from the top menu
  • Click “Sort”
  • Next to “Sort by,” choose “Date Received,” “Values,” and “Newest to Oldest”
  • Click “Ok”

To view CAFO permit applications:

• Click “Virtual File Cabinet” at the bottom of your screen under the “Online Services” menu
• Click the blue “Virtual File Cabinet” button
• To search by facility:
  • Click “Facility Search” in the top menu
  • Enter the facility name in the box next to “Primary Name”
  • If you don’t have the facility name, use any of the other search boxes to search by address, city, and/or county
  • Click the blue “Search” button to the right of the facility name
  • Click the blue 8-digit number next to a document you want to view
  • Download any documents
• To search by document type:
  • Click “Document Search” at the top of the menu bar
  • Select “Program” from the drop-down menu (e.g., “Confined Feeding”)
  • Select “Document Type” from the drop-down menu (e.g., “Enforcement”)
  • Click “Search”

Indiana Enforcement Database

Use this site to find past CAFO enforcement documents (spills, violations, complaints…)

To view CAFO enforcement documents:

• Use the search boxes to search for company name, case number, and county
  • Note: If you don’t have specific information, just choose a county
• Under “Media of Interest” choose “All”
• Under “Type of Actions/Orders” choose “All”
• Choose the start and end dates that are relevant to your search
  • Records go back to 1/1/1995
• Click “Search”
• Click the Blue Case Number next to the company you’re interested in to view a document
  • Note: Some Enforcement documents are duplicated in the system.

NEPAssist

Use this tool to map CAFOs and impaired waterways

• Click “Launch the NEPAssist Tool” on right
• Type the address/city/location you want to view on the top left
• Go to the drop-down menu under “Basemap” on the top menu. Click “Bing Maps Hybrid” to add a satellite image base map
• Use the “Select Map Contents” section on the right to add layers to the map
• To make an impaired waterway map:
  • Click the + sign next to “Water”
  • Click “Impaired Streams” 
  • Click “Impaired Waterbodies”
  • Print or save map
• You can add more layers by clicking each + beside other map layer items to make maps with more/different information.

Enviromapper

Use this tool to map impaired waterways and find impaired waterway reports indicating the reason for impairment.

• Enter a location such as address, zip, city, county, waterbody, park name, etc. (e.g., 22207; Arlington, VA; Jones Creek; etc.)
• Click “More Data” at top
• Click “Additional Data Layers”
• Click “Water Features”
• Click “Impaired Streams”
• Click “Impaired Waterbodies”
• If you click the red impairment line, you’ll get a text box
• Click “MORE INFO” next to the “WaterbodyReportLink”
• This will give you the cause of impairment on the right side of your screen
• Print or save.

FWS Wetland Mapper

Use this site to identify wetlands near CAFOs.

• Click the “Wetlands Mapper” link at the bottom of the page to launch the map
• On the left, there will be two drop-down boxes:
  • Base Maps Includes:
    • Streets 
    • Satellite 
    • Hybrid 
    • Topo 
    • Terrain 
    • Gray 
    • Open Street Map 
    • NATGEO 
    • USGS Topo 
    • NAT’L MAP 
  • Map Layers Includes:
    • Wetlands 
    • Riparian 
    • Riparian Mapping Areas 
    • Areas of Interest 
    • FWS Managed Lands 
    • Historic Wetland Data 
• Choose your preferred basemap, then click all boxes under Map Layers
  • The USGS Topo basemap provides a topographic map with waterways; the Satellite basemap shows an aerial view of the land
• Type an address or coordinates 
• Zoom in or out to adjust picture 
• Wetlands will be shown on the map 
• Take your arrow and click on wetland
  • A box will open to give total acreage of wetland and a description 
• To measure the distance from a wetland to a CAFO:
  • Click “Measure” in the upper left corner
  • Click the ruler with arrows going left and right above it
  • Click your cursor on the map and drag it to the location to which you want to measure
  • View the distance in the gray box
• To measure the acreage of an area:
  • Click “Measure” in the upper left corner
  • Select the ruler icon with a green shape behind it
  • Select points on the map to measure the acreage of an area
  • De-select the ruler icon to exit the tool
• Click Print on the map to create a physical copy

Water Quality Standards by State

Use this site to find your state’s water quality standards

• Scroll down to the colorful map of the United States
• Click the state for which you want to find water quality standards
• Use the links under “State Standards in Effect for CWA Purposes” to find water quality standards in the state.