Expanding Access to DEEP Information


DEEP is expanding access to our document records, maps, and data, and deepening our engagement with stakeholders through 20BY26 Goals 9, 1013, and 20.

Goal 9 header

Goal 9 sets out a strategic vision for modernizing DEEP’s record management and integrating this system with other IT systems through new online tools to access files and through map viewers. Background on this goal is presented in DEEP’s 20BY26, Setting the Target: CT DEEP 2026 Goals (February 2024).

arrow-previous quarter Latest Progress (as of Fall 2024)

DEEP has been working to update public data available on our map viewers and data portals. Analytics show that these public data sources are in daily use, viewed thousands of times and downloaded frequently. DEEP’s CT Geodata Portal updates this quarter include Natural Diversity Database (November) and water pollution control facilities (December). DEEP’s Open Data Portal is also regularly populated with data additions on topics such as hazardous waste, spill incidents, and underground storage tanks.


document search portal

DEEP actively encourages the public to directly search for information using these online resources before submitting a FOIA request through GovQA. These self-service data portals save researchers’ time and DEEP staff resources. Every quarter, DEEP receives several hundreds of FOIA requests, ranging in complexity. We received about 1,300 requests by the end of Q4 2024 and are maintaining a fulfillment rate of 72%.

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DEEP will train FOIA liaisons throughout the agency on the GovQA platform. The CT DEEP GIS Open Data Hub refresh will be completed over the next two months with the aim of increasing usability, accessibility, and data transparency. We will provide continued education to the public on our data sharing systems via our websites and through responses to inquiries.

GOAL 9 PROGRESS FROM PREVIOUS QUARTERS

Summer 2024

DEEP’s Property Layer was accessed 435,757 times via our GIS Open Data Hub this quarter; the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act application received 630 views since its release in February; and the Brownfield Inventory Application has received 280 views since the beginning of the year.

DEEP received close to 1,000 Freedom of Information Act requests by Q3 2024, of which 72% have been fulfilled. Over 500 requests were received in Q3 alone. Reports for emergency response unit documents are the most requested. These documents can be found directly by the requestor on our Online Documents Search Portal without going through the FOIA process.

Winter and Spring 2024

DEEP’s new Online Document Search Portal went live with a short instructional video; we updated the land surveyor submission criteria to include GIS-based property layers for faster integration with the DEEP-owned properties layer; we updated the Freedom of Information Act webpage; and the State Emergency Response Commission released a new map viewer.


Gaol 10 Header

Building off DEEP’s Goal 9 work to enhance access to public records, DEEP’s strategic IT vision in Goal 10 focuses on developing more sophisticated and efficient IT systems to improve the functionality, both internally and externally, for critical programs. These innovations will help us better manage data management for pollution release areas, process e-payments for fees, receive documents from the public, and allow the e-filing of permits, all on one platform. Background on this goal is presented in DEEP’s 20BY26, Setting the Target: CT DEEP 2026 Goals (February 2024).


arrow-previous quarter Latest Progress (as of Fall 2024)

DEEP and BITS continued work on REACT and electronic payment platforms. The e-payment portal is currently in the construction and development phase and will be launched before REACT. Since the summer update, an additional 4 development cycles (sprints) were completed for REACT.  DEEP and BITS have also started the discovery and design process for a stormwater electronic permitting platform.  The Adjudications Office selected a docket management system and public portal.

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DEEP will launch the e-payment portal for use across all programs, simplifying and expediting our stakeholder’s payments to the Department.

GOAL 10 PROGRESS FROM PREVIOUS QUARTERS

Summer 2024

DEEP and BITS identified hundreds of functional and technical features to be included in the new online tracking system, which we named the Release, Environmental Assessment, & Cleanup Tracker (REACT). We listed example documents and applicable regulations and statutes, and we inventoried GIS map layers that will be integrated into the system. We completed 3 development cycles (sprints) that included 70 user stories to test and build the system. We then identified requirements and initiated data migration tasks to integrate our existing data management system with the new platform.

Winter and Spring 2024

DEEP and BITS outlined the activities included in processing electronic payments and tracking release cleanup cases. We began refining the processes to register users on the online platform to allow document and payment submittals.


Goal 13 Header

Through Goal 13, DEEP is deepening its engagement with stakeholders, with a focus on inclusivity and equity. Enhanced outreach and partnerships are fundamental to DEEP’s success in serving its mission. Background on this goal is presented in DEEP’s 20BY26, Setting the Target: CT DEEP 2026 Goals (February 2024).


arrow-previous quarter Latest Progress (as of Fall 2024)

With this quarter’s progress report, DEEP is launching a new e-book format for 20BY26 reporting, improving the user experience for reading updates on the initiative and streamlining our work to provide this information to the public.

DEEP hosted an agency-wide Innovation Fair in December 2024 for municipalities, legislators, Governor Lamont and Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz, DEEP staff, and the general public in the Gina McCarthy Auditorium at DEEP Headquarters in Hartford. Forty-five posters represented programs across DEEP, showcasing a taste of what DEEP does.

photo grid of the DEEP Innovation Fair 2025

Following up on our commitment to expand equitable access to State Parks, DEEP procured two more all-terrain wheelchairs for use this Spring at Stratton Brook in Simsbury.

In this quarter, we continued to migrate newsletters and listservs for waste, energy, remediation, air, wildlife, and forestry to the Campaign Monitor platform for organized, streamlined communications.

DEEP updated its Stakeholder Participation and Outreach webpage to make it easier for the public to access stakeholder work groups and contacts.

DEEP established a quarterly newsletter to provide conservation and advocacy groups with implementation updates on the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) and hosted a table at the Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetland Commissions event in November.

DEEP's Office of Telecommunications and Broadband continued outreach and engagement efforts with separate quarterly broadband roundtables for Internet Service Providers; State, Tribal, and Local Governments and Community Organizations in collaboration with DAS's Commission for Educational Technology and the Connecticut Education Network. During these events, we partnered to provided updates on Connecticut’s ARPA and IIJA-based broadband programs and funding opportunities. We published the 2024 Connecticut Broadband Report, highlighting Connecticut’s progress in closing the digital divide through strategic interagency collaboration and targeted initiatives and providing a comprehensive evaluation of advancements and ongoing challenges in achieving universal broadband access and adoption, as well as celebrating some major milestones, such as opening the second round of the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program and prequalification of 10 service providers in the $144M BEAD Program.

DEEP is also collaborating with stakeholders on its 2025-2027 Conservation & Load Management Plan and has issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding which C&LM program design options will most effectively serve Connecticut ratepayers and residents.

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  • DEEP will unveil CTDEEP.News, a modern, news-style site for accessible and up-to-date information on our work and environmental issues.
  • We will be showcasing the all-terrain chairs at different events throughout the season, such as WinterFest, held on February 1, 2025.
  • DEEP will host important waste stakeholder meetings in the first Quarter of 2025 – the relaunch of the Connecticut Coalition for Sustainable Materials Management (CCSMM) on January 14th and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) on January 28th. These meetings will be recorded and can be found online.
  • DEEP will launch a Conservation Action Tracker for the SWAP, as well as attend the Connecticut Land Conservation Council’s annual event in March 2025 to share information about SWAP, SCORP, the Green Plan, and OPM’s Plan of Conservation and Development.
  • DEEP is planning an Open House for the Bureaus of Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources on April 7, 2025 from 11am to 1pm at the Burroughs-Saden branch of the Bridgeport Public Library at 925 Broad Street Bridgeport, CT 06604.
GOAL 13 PROGRESS FROM PREVIOUS QUARTERS

Summer 2024

DEEP achieved the following:

  • Hosted an Open House for the Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse with 8 informational posters on topics ranging from Stream Flow to Brownfields and many great conversations with consultants, municipal officials, environmental attorneys, and DEEP staff from other bureaus.
  • Launched its new State Parks calendar on the State Parks website.
  • Expanded equitable and sustainable access to Connecticut State Parks and Forests, DEEP started an all-terrain wheelchair program at 5 State Parks and Forests - Dinosaur State Park; Gillette Castle State Park; Harkness Memorial State Park; Rocky Neck State Park; and Topsmead State Forest – using Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. In September 2024, Dinosaur State Park hosted an all-terrain wheelchair event, and DEEP made a training video with trail maps for the public.
  • Closed stakeholder surveys on Connecticut's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) with a total of 224 responses; DEEP will convert this feedback into actionable items in the Plan to preserve the state’s biodiversity.
  • Developed, in collaboration the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), a listing of all available broadband programs across all state agencies; engaged with EducationSuperHighway on connecting with stakeholders in Distressed Municipalities who are aware of Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDUs) in need of wiring upgrades as part of DEEP’s ConneCTed Communities Grant Program; and attended Congressman Joe Courtney’s Federal Resource Fair to share information with community partners about the BEAD and ConneCTed Communities Grant programs.
  • Established an internal Language Bank with staff who can provide language support during agency outreach as part of improving Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in communications with stakeholders.
  • Improved communications with Campaign Monitor, transitioning or decommissioning over 50% of our newsletters and e-mail lists to consolidate communications on one platform for greater effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility.

Winter and Spring 2024

DEEP updated its Contacts Webpage for faster assistance and set up a new email marketing and public awareness platform with Campaign Monitor for better flow of targeted information. DEEP engaged thousands of stakeholders for feedback on the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), and Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD).


Goal 20 header

Goal 20 in 20BY26 makes DEEP’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and reach the state’s carbon reduction goals by 2040 more transparent with a new Metrics Dashboard. Background on this goal is presented in DEEP’s 20BY26, Setting the Target: CT DEEP 2026 Goals (February 2024).


arrow-previous quarter Latest Progress (as of Fall 2024)

DEEP set up a framework for the metrics dashboards and completed the first group of pilot dashboards for waste, renewables, and grant funding opportunities. We will be deploying these pilot dashboards publicly on DEEP'sCentral Dashboard website, then starting on the next group of metrics dashboards using the lessons learned from the pilots.

 
arrow-up next Up Next

We will add metrics on programs across DEEP to our Central Dashboard. Let us know what types of metrics you are interested in seeing by writing to us at DEEP.20BY26@ct.gov.

GOAL 20 PROGRESS FROM PREVIOUS QUARTERS

Summer 2024

DEEP identified approximately 20 potential datasets in the categories of waste, energy, water, air, and conservation from across our agency. We began two pilot dashboards using Power BI, with data from the 2022 Annual Solid Waste Report and renewable energy technology deployment in Connecticut.

Winter and Spring 2024

This stakeholder-suggested goal was launched in August 2024.

 

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Content last updated March 2025