[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20182-20184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10858]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6001-9]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Application for NPDES Discharge Permit and the Sewage
Sludge Management Permit
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit the
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB): Application for National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Discharge Permit and the Sewage
Sludge Management Permit ICR (Applications ICR), EPA ICR No. 0226.13,
OMB Control No. 2040-0086, expires August 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 June 22, 1998.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the ICR will be available at the Water Docket (W-
98-12), Mail Code-4101, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M.
Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. Copies of the ICR can be obtained
free of charge by writing to this address. All public comments shall be
submitted to: ATTN: NPDES Applications ICR Renewal Comment Clerk, W-98-
12, Water Docket MC-4101, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street SW, Washington, DC
20460.
Please submit the original and three copies of your comments and
enclosures (including references). 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-98-12. 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 ICR revision
has been established under docket number W-98-12, 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Lee, Phone: (202)260-6814, Fax:
(202) 260-9544, E-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Affected entities: Publicly owned treatment works (POTWs),
privately owned treatment works, new and existing manufacturing and
commercial dischargers, storm water dischargers, treatment works
treating domestic sewage (TWTDS), and other entities that apply for
NPDES permits.
Title: Application for NPDES Discharge Permit and the Sewage Sludge
Management Permit (EPA ICR No. 0226.13, OMB Control No. 2040-0086,
expiring 8/31/98).
Abstract: This ICR calculates the burden and costs associated with
permit applications for NPDES discharges and sewage sludge management
activities. EPA uses the data contained in applications and
supplemental information requests to set appropriate permit conditions,
issue permits, and assess permit compliance. EPA maintains national
applications information in databases, which assist permit writers in
determining permit conditions. For most permits, EPA has developed
standard application forms. In some cases, such as requests for
additional information and storm water applications from municipal
separate sewer systems, standard forms do not exist because standard
forms are not appropriate for the information collected or because they
have not been developed. Application forms correspond to the different
types of applicants, each form requesting information necessary for
issuing permits to the associated applicants. Applicants include POTWs,
privately owned treatment works, new and existing manufacturing and
commercial dischargers, storm water dischargers, TWTDS, and others.
Depending on the application form they are using, applicants may be
required to supply information about their facilities, discharges,
treatment systems, sewage sludge use and disposal practices, pollutant
sampling data, or other relevant information. Section 308 of the Clean
Water Act authorized EPA to request from dischargers any information
that may be reasonably required to carry out the objectives and
provisions of the Act. Under this authority, EPA sometimes requests
information supplemental to that contained in permit applications. In
its burden and cost calculations, this ICR includes requests for
information supplemental to permit applications. Other parts of the
Clean Water Act and federal regulations authorize EPA to collect
information that supplements permit applications, such as section
403(c). This ICR calculates the burden and costs for all information
collection activities associated with applications for permits.
Application information is necessary to obtain an NPDES or sewage
sludge permit. Information provided can be accessed by the public
through a Freedom of Information Act request. 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.
[[Page 20183]]
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: The total respondent burden nation-wide for the
Application for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Discharge Permit and the Sewage Sludge Management Permit ICR is 612,732
burden hours and a cost of $38,414,978 (including State government
burden). This total cost includes contracting costs of $17,720,000 for
biological testing. Tables 1 and 2 detail the respondent and government
costs for each of the applications included in this ICR.
Table 1.--Estimated Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total
Form/request Number of Burden hours Total hours Respondent Respondent
respondents per form labor rate cost ($)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standard Form A................. 802 15 12,030 $26.13 $314,344
Short Form A.................... 3,483 1 3,483 26.13 91,011
Biological Testing:
Major Municipalities........ 802 20 16,040 26.13 419,125
Minor Municipalities........ 84 20 1,680 26.13 43,898
Contractor Costs............ .............. .............. .............. .............. 17,720.000
Section 308 Requests
(Municipalities) Major
Municipalities:
Routine..................... 610 5 3,050 .............. ..............
Medium...................... 107 50 5,350 .............. ..............
Complex..................... 54 1,000 54,000 .............. ..............
Totals...................... 771 .............. 62,400 26.13 1,630,512
Contractor Costs............ .............. .............. .............. .............. 48,600
Minor Municipalities:
Routine..................... 519 5 2,595 26.13 67,807
Interim Sewage Sludge Permit:
Municipalities.............. 3,623 8 30,433 26.13 795,220
Privately Owned Treatment
Works...................... 27 8 227 43.67 9,904
Form 1:
New Facilities.............. 5,167 3 15,501 43.67 676,929
Existing Facilities......... 10,203 1 10,203 43.67 445,565
Form 2b......................... 990 6 5,940 43.67 259,400
Form 2c......................... 5,989 33 197,637 43.67 8,630,808
Form 2d:
Major New Facilities........ 40 46 1,840 43.67 80,353
Minor New Facilities........ 322 32 10,304 43.67 449,976
Section 308 Requests (Non-
municipal) Majors:
Routine..................... 219 5 1,095 43.67 47,819
Medium...................... 27 50 1,350 43.67 58,955
Minors:
Routine..................... 483 5 2,415 43.67 105,463
Form 2e:
New Facilities.............. 138 14 1,932 43.67 84,370
Existing Facilities......... 3,225 14 45,150 43.67 1,971,701
Form 2f......................... 66 29 1,888 43.67 82,431
Alaskan Lands MS4s.............. 3 30 90 43.67 3,930
Large....................... 4 4,432 17,730 26.13 463,274
Medium...................... 7 2,813 19,690 26.13 514,508
Notice of Intent (NOI):
NOI for Storm Water (SW)
General Permit............. 5,288 1 5,288 43.67 230,927
NOI for SW discharges to
MS4s....................... 11,053 1.5 16,580 43.67 724,027
NOI for general permits
other than SW.............. 4,217 1 4,217 43.67 184,156
Petition for Individiaul Permit. 24 40 960 26.13 25,085
Permit Consolidation............ 100 2 200 43.67 8,734
Notice of Construction.......... 3 1 3 43.67 131
Ocean Discharge Recordkeeping... 30 778 23,340 43.67 1,019,258
Existing Facilities
(Municipal)................ 4,284 1 4,284 26.13 111,941
Existing Facilities (Non-
Municipal)................. 10,203 1 10,203 43.67 445,565
Major New Facilities........ 40 5 200 43.67 8,734
Municipal Separate Storm
Sewer Systems.............. 11 5 55 26.13 1,437
Minor New Facilities &
Individual SW Permits...... 520 1.5 780 43.67 34,063
Sludge Only Facilities
(municipals)............... 390 1.5 585 26.13 15,286
Sludge Only Facilities (non-
municipals)................ 40 1.5 60 43.67 2,820
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.................. 58,480 .............. 574,640 .............. 37,208,220
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 20184]]
Table 2.--Estimated Annual Government Burden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number Number State Federal
Form/request reviewed by reviewed by Review time burden State cost burden Federal
State Federal (hours) hours ($) hours cost ($)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standard Form A.............................................. 661 141 0.5 331 $10,530 70.5 $2,233
Short Form A................................................. 3,040 443 0.5 1,520 48,427 221.5 7,017
Section 308 Requests (Municipalities) Major Municipalities:
Routine.................................................. 503 107 1.0 503 16,026 107.0 3,390
Medium................................................... 88 19 10.0 880 28,037 190.0 6,019
Complex.................................................. 45 9 20.0 900 28,674 180.0 5,702
Minor Municipalities:
Routine.................................................. 453 66 1.0 453 14,443 66.0 2,091
Interim Sewage Sludge Permit:
Municipalities........................................... 2,971 652 3.0 8,913 283,968 1,956.0 61,966
Privately Owned Treatment Works.......................... 22 5 2.0 44 1,402 10.0 317
Form 1:
New Facilities........................................... 4,547 620 0.5 2,274 72,434 310.0 9,821
Existing Facilities...................................... 8,979 1,224 0.5 4,490 143,035 612.0 19,388
Form 2b...................................................... 792 198 0.5 396 12,617 99.0 3,136
Form 2c...................................................... 5,836 796 2.0 11,672 371,870 1,592.0 50,435
Form 2d:
Major New Facilities..................................... ........... 40 0.5 0 ........... 20.0 634
Minor New Facilities..................................... ........... 322 0.5 0 ........... 161.0 5,100
Section 308 Requests (Non-municipal) Majors:
Routine.................................................. 192 27 1.0 192 6,117 27.0 855
Medium................................................... 22 5 10.0 220 7,009 50.0 1,584
Minors:
Routine..................................................
Form 2e:
New Facilities........................................... 121 17 0.5 61 1,928 8.5 269
Existing Facilities...................................... 3,143 428 0.5 1,572 50,068 214.0 6,780
Form 2f...................................................... 53 13 2.2 117 3,715 28.6 906
Alaskan Lands MS4s........................................... 0 3 0.6 0 ........... 1.8 57
Large.................................................... 3 1 60.0 180 5,735 60.0 1,901
Medium................................................... 5 2 40.0 200 6,372 80.0 2,534
Notice of Intent (NOI) NOI for Storm Water (SW) General:
Permit--MSGP............................................. 0 5,288 0.5 0 0 2,644.0 83,762
NOI for SW discharges to MS4s............................ 7,050 2,163 0.3 2,115 67,384 649.0 ...........
NOI for general permits other than SW.................... 3,458 759 0.3 865 27,543 189.8 6,011
Petition for Individual Permit............................... 20 4 8.0 160 5,098 32.0 1,014
Permit Consolidation......................................... 81 19 0.5 41 1,290 9.5 301
Notice of Construction....................................... 0 3 0.6 0 ........... 1.8 57
Ocean Discharge.............................................. 24 6 88.0 2,112 67,288 528.0 16,727
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals................................................... ........... ........... ........... 38,092.10 1,206,758 6,825.95 216,246.10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
Dated: April 16, 1998.
Michael B. Cook,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 98-10858 Filed 4-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P