[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 226 (Monday, November 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62590-62592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30814]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5927-2]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Renewal of Existing 
Collection; Comment Request; National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 
System (NPDES)/Sewage Sludge Monitoring Reports

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this notice announces that EPA is planning to submit the 
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES)/Sewage Sludge Monitoring Reports, EPA ICR 
No. 229.11, and OMB Control No. 2040-0004, expires May 31, 1998. Before 
submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting 
comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as 
described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 23, 1998. All 
public comments shall be submitted to: ATTN: DMR ICR Comment Clerk (W-
97-19), Water Docket MC-4101, U.S. EPA, Room 2616 Mall, 401 M. Street, 
S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.
    Please submit the original and three comments and enclosures 
(including references). Comments must be received or post-marked by 
midnight no later than January 23, 1998. Commenters who want EPA to 
acknowledge receipt of their comments should enclose a self-addressed 
stamped envelope. No facsimiles (faxes) will be accepted. Comments may 
also be submitted electronically to: [email protected]
Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use 
of special characters and forms of encryption. Electronic comments must 
be identified by the docket number W-97-19. No Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Comments and data 
will also be accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1 format or ASCII file 
format. Electronic comments on this notice may be filed online at many 
Federal Depository Libraries. The record for this proposed Information 
Collection Request (ICR) revision has been established under docket 
number W-97-19, and includes supporting documentation as well as 
printed, paper versions of electronic comments. It does not include any 
information claimed as CBI. The record is available for inspection from 
9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays, at the 
Water Docket, Room M2616, Washington, DC 20460. For access to the 
docket materials, please call (202) 260-3027 to schedule an 
appointment.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the proposed ICR will be available at the Water 
Docket (W-97-19), Mailcode 4101, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 
M. Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Copies of the proposed ICR can 
be obtained free of charge by writing to this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Lee, Telephone: (202)260-6814, 
Fax: (202) 260-9544, E-mail: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
NPDES

[[Page 62591]]

permittees including publicly owned treatment works, privately owned 
treatment works industrial facilities, and storm water permittees. The 
sewage sludge record keeping and reporting requirements identified in 
this ICR apply to treatment works (public and private) treating 
domestic sewage and to domestic septage haulers.
    Title: NPDES/Sewage Sludge Monitoring Reports, EPA ICR No. 0229, 
and OMB Control No. 2040-0004, expiring May 31, 1998.
    Abstract: This ICR estimates the current monitoring, reporting, and 
record keeping burden and costs associated with submitting and 
reviewing Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs), sewage sludge monitoring 
reports, and other monitoring reports under the Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA) NPDES program. The NPDES program regulations, 
codified at 40 CFR parts 122 through 125, require permitted municipal 
and non-municipal point source discharges to collect, analyze, and 
submit data on their wastewater discharges. Under these regulations, 
the permittee is required to collect and analyze wastewater samples or 
have the analysis performed at an outside laboratory and report the 
results to the permitting authority (EPA or an authorized NPDES State) 
using DMRs, a pre-printed form used for reporting pollutant discharge 
information. Sample monitoring, analysis, and reporting frequencies 
vary by permit, but must be performed at least annually for all 
permitted discharges except for certain storm water discharges.
    Upon renewal of this ICR, the permitting authority will continue to 
require NPDES and sewage sludge facilities to report pollutant 
discharge monitoring data. The permitting authority will use the data 
from these forms to assess permittee compliance, modify/add new permit 
requirements, and revise effluent guidelines. The monitoring data 
required of NPDES and sewage sludge facilities represents the minimum 
information necessary to achieve the Agency's goals and satisfy 
regulatory standards.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's 
regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: EPA estimates that 131,460 NPDES permittees and 
24,346 sludge permittees will perform sample collection, pollutant 
analysis, reporting and record keeping as part their NPDES permit 
requirements to collect and report discharge monitoring data to permit 
authorities. The reporting frequency varies depending on the nature and 
effect of the discharge, but, except for storm water discharge, is not 
less than annually. Table 1 presents a summary of the estimated time 
and financial resources (burden) for NPDES (and sludge) facilities for 
submitting DMRs. The record keeping burden for NPDES permittees (other 
than sludge facilities) is reported in the Compliance Assessment ICR, 
OMB Control Number 2040-0110. There are no capital costs associated 
with this ICR because all monitoring and record keeping are performed 
using equipment that NPDES facilities already have as a routine part of 
running their facility or the facilities send their samples to outside 
sources. Annual sample analysis cost is estimated to be $281,277,550 
nation-wide for facilities that send their samples to outside sources 
for analysis.

   Table 1.--Summary of Burden and Costs for the Discharge Monitoring   
                 Reports Information Collection Request                 
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                        Category                              Burden    
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Annual Pollutant Sampling Burden (hours) (A)............       3,085,230
Annual Pollutant Analysis Burden (hours) (B)............       2,410,081
Annual DMR Reporting Burden (hours) (C).................       1,255,084
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Total Response Burden (hours) (A+B+C)...................       6,750,395
Annual Record keeping Burden (hours)....................          12,326
Annual Contractor Sample Analysis Cost ($)..............    $281,277,550
Annual Number of Responses (D)..........................         632,805
Average Time per Response (hours) (A+B+C)/(D)...........           10.67
Total Burden Hours for Respondents......................       6,762,721
Annual State Burden (hours).............................         134,811
Annual Federal Burden (hours)...........................          44,462
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    EPA issued a April 19, 1996 policy memorandum entitled, ``Interim 
Guidance for Performance-Based Reductions of NPDES Permit Monitoring 
Frequencies.'' EPA estimated that this guidance would result in a 26 
percent reduction in monitoring burden (about 4,680,000 hours) for 
NPDES permittees and amended the 1995 DMR ICR's total burden to reflect 
this expected reduction. The amendment was approved by OMB in 1996 with 
a total burden of 13,333,396 hours. The proposed ICR incorporates the 
effect of the 1996 DMR ICR modification in the specific areas where a 
reduction in burden is expected. EPA has changed the presentation of 
the total burden in the proposed DMR ICR to reflect the new approach in 
reporting burden required by the 1995 Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). 
The PRA requires outside contractor costs (i.e. the cost for analysis 
of pollutants conducted by an outside laboratory) to be disaggregated 
and reported separately in dollars rather than burden hours. The total 
burden hours for this draft ICR is 6,762,721 hours and $281,277,550 in 
capital costs.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or 
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time 
needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize 
technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to 
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; 
train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; 
search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; 
and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.


[[Page 62592]]


    Dated: November 18, 1997.
Michael B. Cook,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 97-30814 Filed 11-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P