[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37894-37895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-18114]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5263-2]


Public Meeting on Drinking Water Paperwork Burden Reduction

    Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) is holding a public meeting to solicit ideas on reducing 
the ``paperwork'' burden associated with the National Primary Drinking 
Water Regulations (NPDWR) and the Public Water System Supervision 
Program, on August 14, 1995, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Washington 
Information Center (WIC), in Conference Room 17. The WIC is located on 
the mall level of the Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, 
Washington, DC, 20460.
    The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water has held a number of 
public meetings over the past few months to solicit ideas, suggestions 
and options for proceeding with or modifying various aspects of the 
drinking water program. The public meeting announced today is being 
held to solicit ideas, suggestions, and options for reducing the 
current ``paperwork'' burden placed on public water systems and State 
primacy agencies as a result of the National Primary Drinking Water 
Regulations.
    In general, ``paperwork'' burden is any workload or cost associated 
with providing EPA or the State Primacy agency with data, information, 
or reports that are required by the federal regulations. This includes 
not only the burden associated with reporting the information but any 
burden associated with obtaining or collecting that information if it 
is not already available. For example, 40 CFR 141.31(a) requires public 
water systems to ``report to the State the results of any test 
measurement or analysis required by this part'' (40 CFR 141). The 
paperwork burden associated with reporting these results to the State 
includes the cost and burden of collection and analyses, as well as 
that of reporting. Likewise, the paperwork burden created by 40 CFR 
142.15(a)(1), which requires States to report ``new violations by 
public water systems'' to EPA, includes the cost to the State of 
collecting the analytical information and calculating compliance as 
well as reporting non-compliance results to EPA. Paperwork burden does 
not, however, include the costs or burdens associated with installation 
of any treatment necessary to remedy non-compliance.
    Other public meetings that have already been held have addressed 
some aspects of paperwork burden reduction. For example, there has been 
a public meeting to solicit ideas on EPA's current 

[[Page 37895]]
chemical monitoring requirements. There has also been a public meeting 
to solicit alternatives to EPA's current requirements on water systems 
to notify the public whenever the system has violated a monitoring or 
maximum contaminant level (MCL) requirement. Many ideas were offered on 
alternative chemical monitoring and public notification requirements 
which would reduce the paperwork burden created by the existing federal 
regulations. Further, other public meetings have been held to solicit 
opinions about potential future federal drinking water regulations. The 
public meeting announced today is not intended to duplicate those prior 
meetings. The meeting announced today will be limited to existing 
regulations and burdens. Further, we would prefer that the focus be on 
the areas of paperwork burden that were not addressed through other 
public meetings--for example, burdens associated with the lead and 
copper, total coliform, surface water treatment requirements. We will 
not reject any ideas or opinions, however, that participants wish to 
offer on the paperwork burdens created by the current chemical 
monitoring or public notification requirements.
    Following the public meeting, EPA intends to provide meeting 
summaries to senior EPA managers to oversee the development of an 
action plan consistent with available resources. Final decisions 
concerning any paperwork reduction will be made Assistant Administrator 
for Water, Robert Perciasepe.
    Alternatively, or in addition to the public meeting, members of the 
public may submit written comments to EPA for up to fifteen days after 
the meeting. These comments to EPA should be sent to Raymond Enyeart, 
EPA, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, Drinking Water 
Implementation Division (4604), 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460. 
Members of the public who wish to attend the meeting should call 
Raymond Enyeart on (202) 260-5551.
    A limited number of telephone lines have been reserved for members 
of the public wishing to participate in the August 14, 1995 meeting by 
telephone. Anyone wishing to participate in the meeting via telephone 
should contact Raymond Enyeart on (202) 260-5551. EPA will cover the 
long distance telephone charges for the reserved telephone lines. 
General questions about the meeting process and telephone participation 
should also be directed to Raymond Enyeart with EPA's Office of Ground 
Water and Drinking Water at (202) 260-5551.

    Dated: July 18, 1995.
Peter L. Cook,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 95-18114 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-M