[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 121 (Wednesday, June 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34379-34380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-16768]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6115-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Small System Survey

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 proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB): Small System Survey, ICR # 1863.01. 
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 August 24, 1998.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Ground Water 
Drinking Water, Mail Code: 4607; 401 M Street, SW; Washington, DC 
20460. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the ICR without charge 
by contacting Kimberly Miller at (202) 260-1891, writing to her at the 
above address or sending her an e-mail at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Cunningham, (202) 260-9535/(202) 
401-6135/Cunningham.Nancy @ epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Affected entities: Entities potentially 
affected by this action are public drinking water systems that are 
supplied by surface water and serve fewer than 10,000 people.
    Title: Small System Survey; EPA ICR No. 1863.01.
    Abstract: The Environmental Protection Agency has developed three 
interrelated Supplemental Surveys as part of an ongoing, scientific 
research and information collection program

[[Page 34380]]

associated with the 1996 Information Collection Rule (ICR) that 
supports drinking water regulation development. The overall objective 
of this larger research and information collection program is to 
provide a sound scientific and technical basis for generating and 
evaluating strategies for reducing risks associated with microbial 
pathogens and disinfection byproducts in the US drinking water supply.
    EPA must conduct a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) for the 
upcoming Stage 2 Long Term Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2) 
that evaluates the potential impacts on all system sizes. This rule is 
scheduled for promulgation in May 2002. A major regulatory option being 
considered is to target treatment for protozoa as a means for 
controlling not only protozoa but other waterborne pathogens. 
Therefore, a critical element of the RIA is a characterization of the 
national distribution of protozoa in source waters for all size 
systems. Additional data are needed to better characterize these 
distributions because: (1) the ICR only targets systems serving 100,000 
people or more, (2) the ICR protozoa method exhibits low recovery and a 
high detection limit, and (3) limited data are available for systems 
serving less than 100,000. As these protozoan concentration estimates 
are inputs to the Regulatory Impact Analysis for this next phase of 
rulemaking, the Regulatory Impact Analysis may underestimate the level 
of treatment required for protozoa removal along with the resulting 
cost impacts of these rules.
    To address these remaining data needs, EPA has developed and funded 
the ICR Supplemental Surveys. Although the existing ICR method remains 
available for possible use in these surveys, a key component of the 
Supplemental Surveys will be reliance upon a new analytical method, 
Method 1622, to measure Cryptosporidium concentrations. Because of its 
anticipated higher recovery rate and lower detection limit, Method 1622 
will provide a more accurate estimate of Cryptosporidium concentrations 
in source waters. The Supplemental Surveys will focus on gathering and 
analyzing data from a subset of large, medium and small systems. 
Today's notice focuses on the information collection burden associated 
with small systems only. The burden associated with the large and 
medium surveys was covered under the Information Collection Request for 
the 1996 ICR.
    Participation in the Small System Supplemental Surveys will be 
voluntary. As is appropriate in survey design, the size of the initial 
sampling list (a simple random sample) will be large enough to allow 
for some expected declinations. 40 small systems will participate in 
the survey and will sample twice a month during a 12 month monitoring 
period. The first monthly analysis will include protozoa 
(Cryptosporidium, Giardia) and bacterial samples (total coliform, 
E.coli); wet chemistry samples for total organic carbon (TOC), 
alkalinity, calcium hardness, total hardness, UV254, bromide and 
ammonia; and water quality parameters including turbidity, pH and 
temperature. The second monthly analysis will include protozoa and 
bacterial samples and water quality parameters including turbidity, pH 
and temperature. Twenty percent of the sample events will collect an 
additional raw water sample for use as a matrix spike to assess how the 
water matrices may be affecting method performance. Additional 
parameters that will be measured during the matrix spike events include 
dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total suspended solids (TSS), total 
dissolved solids (TDS) and conductivity.
    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: The projected total cost for all respondents in 
the small system survey is $83,837. This is based on an hourly rate of 
$56/hr for a supervisor and $18/hr for the technician. The total 
reporting burden for the small system survey is 1280 hours. This figure 
is based on 40 utilities expending 32 hours each to respond to the 
survey. For each utility, the time required for all collection events 
is 2 hrs and 40 minutes per month. The following tasks are included in 
the burden estimate: reviewing sample procedures, receiving and 
unpacking sample equipment, sample collection including water quality 
parameter measurement, packing samples for shipment, completing traffic 
reports and completing Federal Express airbills. EPA is supplying the 
sample collection materials and paying the shipping costs. There is a 
burden of $114/month for the systems to analyze E. coli and total 
coliform samples. EPA is considering requesting that participating 
utilities analyze bacterial samples at the laboratories which they 
usually use, due to the short holding times for these samples. If EPA 
does not choose to request that participating utilities analyze 
bacterial samples, then the small utilities would not have the burden 
of $114/month to analyze E. coli and total coliform samples. There is 
no total capital and start-up cost component. There are no operation 
and maintenance costs associated with this survey. 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: June 18, 1998.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Groundwater Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 98-16768 Filed 6-23-98; 8:45 am]
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