[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 225-226] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-111] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-5946-2] EPA's National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Announcement of a Joint Requirements Planning Meeting on the National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scheduled a three-day Joint Requirements Planning (JRP) meeting on EPA's development of a National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base (NCOD). The JRP is a structured meeting designed to gather requirements on a new information system from a varied body of stakeholders with an interest in the system. At the upcoming meeting, EPA is seeking review and comment from key national, state, individual stakeholders, and other interested parties concerning the data elements to be included in the development of the NCOD. DATES: The Joint Requirements Planning Meeting on the National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base will be held on January 26-28, 1998 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the EPA Systems Development Center (SDC), Suite 300, conference rooms 1-3. The SDC is located at 200 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA. For additional information, please contact Harriet Colbert, at phone: (202) 260-2302, fax: (202) 260-3762, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting may register by phone by contacting Harriet Colbert by January 16, 1998. [[Page 226]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information and logistics for the meeting, please contact Harriet Colbert, at phone: (202) 260-2302, fax: (202) 260-3762, or by e-mail at [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. Background on the National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base Section 126(g)(1) of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (SDWA) requires the Administrator to assemble and maintain a National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Database (NCOD) by using information on the occurrence of both regulated and unregulated contaminants in public water systems and reliable information from other public and private sources. This NCOD will be a collection of data of documented quality on unregulated and regulated chemical or microbial contaminants likely to occur in drinking water systems. The purpose of the data system is to support the identification and selection of contaminants for future regulation or other appropriate actions and to support the review of existing regulations for possible modification. The database must be developed no later than three years after the date of enactment of the SDWA Amendments. Therefore, SDWA requires the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) to develop the NCOD by August 6, 1999. B. Request for Stakeholder Involvement At the May 1997 NCOD Stakeholders meeting, there was general concurrence that the primary user of the database will be EPA. Stakeholders such as industry, environmental groups, states, and the general public are secondary users. As a result of the meeting, the NCOD Team established a system development strategy. The strategy will serve as a ``road map'' over the next two years for developing the first release of the data base to meet the statutory requirements. One of the major steps in implementing the development strategy is to determine what the needs are and specify what types of data are required to meet those needs. User requirements will serve as the foundation upon which the database will be developed. Discussion materials will be available at the meeting. The main issue for discussion at the meeting will be the review and comment on data elements that are needed to allow sound scientific analysis to support contaminant identification, contaminant selection, regulatory development, and regulatory re-examination. The data elements were identified at two previous JRP meetings held in October and November, 1997. The first was for EPA staff interested in the NCOD. The draft baseline set of data elements were identified at that meeting. The second meeting was with EPA stakeholders to review and comment on the draft baseline data elements. The third and final JRP will combine the attendees of both previous meetings and additional interested parties. The public is invited to provide comments on the issue listed above or other issues related to the National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base during the January 26-28 meeting. Dated: December 29, 1997. William R. Diamond, Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water. [FR Doc. 98-111 Filed 1-2-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P