The Option A PRL eForm program is an application designed to assist you in electronically recording Pesticide Reporting Law (PRL) information and reporting it to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Each time you run the program you are asked to enter or verify some basic contact information. You can then view and fill out electronic forms that are similar to the four paper forms used to report pesticide usage and sales.
New in version 6.1 Option A replaces the file validation capability that used to reside in Option C. You can now check whether ASCII text files that you (or a third-party program) have created conform to the the NYSDEC guidelines using Option A. The required file formats are described in the Text File Specifications.
Option A runs under Microsoft Windows®.
After you download the Option A installation file, see the PRL Software Installation Guide to help you install the software on your computer.
If you need further assistance, contact the Pesticide Reporting Service Bureau.
A message box saying something like “Data directory created called 'C:\PRL2011'.” may appear. This is normal. The data directory is the location to which your data files will be written. The Control Center then opens.
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Option A is also designed to validate ASCII text files that were created using other software applications. For step-by-step instructions on using Option A to validate your files, see text file validation steps.
As of version 6.1 Option C has been incorporated into Option A and discontinued. |
There are several buttons and menu items available on the Control Center that can help you prepare and submit your PRL report.
Change Report Year
Change the Report Root
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The PRL report forms are where you will enter the data that you need to report to the NYSDEC. Each form is used to report a particular type of pesticide-related activity.
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The identity fields in the header area of each form are filled with the values you entered on the Control Center. With the exception of the commercial permit number, these fields are not editable.
The commercial permit number field is editable so that you can report for multiple commercial permittees in one report submission. Changes to the commercial permit number field on Form 25 or 27 do not update the field on the Control Center.
Form 26A also includes a business registration number column. If your pesticide business has more than one business registration number, you may but are not required to include all of your business’s registration numbers on the Form 26A.
On each of the forms you can indicate that there was no reportable activity for the report year. See Reporting No Applications or Sales for more information.
Below the header area of each form is a data entry grid. If you have applications or sales to report, enter each pesticide application or sales record in its own row in the grid. Although the forms open with a limited number of rows, additional rows will be added to the grid as needed.
On Form 25, 26, and 27 the data entry grid is hidden if you have indicated that you have No Applications (or No Sales) to report. |
You can use the arrow keys, tab keys, Enter key, or mouse to move from one cell in the grid to another.
If you hover over a cell with your mouse, a tool tip containing a data description for that cell will display. Additional information about the fields on each form is available from the Data Dictionary.
Cells are validated as you move the insertion point to the next cell. While it is possible to save and submit your files without correcting validation errors, the Pesticide Reporting Service Bureau may reject or return reports because of invalid data.
Ditto marks or use of the words "ditto", "same", or similar entries are not accepted by the Pesticide Reporting Service Bureau. Instead, you can use the EPA Reg Number List. or copy and paste as a convenient way to enter the same information repeatedly. |
The forms have a set of menus and controls designed to assist you in creating your PRL report.
See the Data Dictionary in the Appendix for more information.
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