[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 106 (Friday, June 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29793-29795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-13923]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6989-8]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Final National Primary Drinking Water Regulations; 
Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule and Interim Enhanced 
Surface Water Treatment Rule

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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[[Page 29794]]

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) is planning to submit the following two continuing Information 
Collection Requests (ICRs) to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB). Before submitting the ICRs to OMB for review and approval, EPA 
is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the information 
collection as described at the beginning of Supplementary Information.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 31, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (MC 4606), 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460. A hard copy of an ICR 
may be obtained without charge by calling the identified information 
contact individual for each ICR in Section C of the Supplementary 
Information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific information on the 
individual ICR see Section C of the Supplementary Information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. For All ICRs

    An Agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations 
are displayed in 40 CFR part 9.
    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;
    (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 automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    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.

B. List of ICRs Planned To Be Submitted

    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 two continuing Information Collection Requests (ICRs) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB):
    (1) Information Collection Request for Final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations; Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection 
Byproducts Rule, ICR Number: 1896.01, OMB Control Number: 2040-0204, 
expiring November 30, 2001.
    (2) Information Collection Request for Final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations; Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment 
Rule, ICR Number: 1895.01, OMB Control Number: 2040-0205, expiring 
November 30, 2001.

C. Contact Individuals for ICRs

    (1) Information Collection Request for Final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations; Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection 
Byproducts Rule, Nicole Foley, phone: 202-260-0875, facsimile: 202-401-
2345, [email protected]. (ICR Number: 1896.01, OMB Control Number: 
2040-0204, expiring November 30, 2001);
    (2) Information Collection Request for Final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations; Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment 
Rule, Nicole Foley, phone: 202-260-0875, facsimile: 202-401-2345, 
[email protected]. (ICR Number: 1895.01, OMB Control Number: 2040-
0205, expiring November 30, 2001).

D. Individual ICRs

    (1) Information Collection Request for Final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations; Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection 
Byproducts Rule, ICR Number: 1896.01, OMB Control Number: 2040-0204, 
expiring November 30, 2001.
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
State, local, Tribal or Federal governments, and public water systems 
(PWSs). This rule applies to community water systems and nontransient 
noncommunity water systems that add a chemical disinfectant to the 
water in any part of the drinking water treatment process and transient 
noncommunity water systems that use chlorine dioxide. ``Small'' systems 
serve less than 10,000 people. ``Large'' systems serve 10,000 or more 
people. ``Subpart H'' systems include all PWSs using surface water or 
ground water under the direct influence of surface water as a source 
(40 CFR 141.2).
    Abstract: The Stage 1 Disinfectants/Disinfection Byproducts Rule 
(Stage 1 DBPR) requires information collection for disinfectants and 
disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The contaminants included in this rule 
also include DBP precursors, characterized as total organic carbon 
(TOC). Under the Stage 1 DBPR, contaminants and disinfectants regulated 
include total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), five haloacetic acids (HAA5), 
bromate, chlorite, chlorine, chloramines, chlorine dioxide, and TOC 
(through a treatment technique). The regulation is intended to protect 
public health and welfare from these chemicals.
    All of the data collected from PWSs and States are mandatory (40 
CFR part 141 subpart L and 40 CFR part 142). Data from laboratories for 
laboratory certification or approval are not mandatory, but 
laboratories must provide it in order to obtain or retain a benefit. 
Under this rule, State and local respondents will collect and report 
information on the levels of various contaminants in drinking water 
supplies at specified intervals. The Environmental Protection Agency 
(the Agency), through the Safe Drinking Water Information System 
(SDWIS), will use the information to ensure compliance with this rule 
and to protect public health. The date that systems begin to monitor 
contaminants for the Stage 1 DBPR depends on the size and type of the 
system (40 CFR 141.130).
    Monitoring, reporting, and record keeping are required at both 
system and State levels under the National Primary Drinking Water 
Regulations (NPDWRs) (40 CFR 141.131, 141.132, 141.134, 141.135, 
142.14, 142.16). All public water systems (PWSs) shall maintain and 
report to the State information documenting compliance with the 
treatment and monitoring requirements under the NPDWRs. States shall 
maintain records essential for program implementation and oversight. 
These records, retained in the SDWIS or at State offices, will allow 
EPA to track PWS compliance with the NPDWRs.
    Data collected under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) are used by 
the Agency's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water and other U.S. 
EPA

[[Page 29795]]

programs, such as Superfund and RCRA. The data are also used by the 
Farmers Home Administration, the Department of the Interior, the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, White House Task forces, the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, public interest groups, and 
many private companies and individuals. The information collected is 
not confidential.
    Burden Statement: The estimated annual burden hours for this 
renewed information collection are 724,307 hours. The estimated average 
burden hours per response is 0.7 hours. The estimated average number of 
responses per respondent is 24. The estimated number of likely 
respondents annually is 47,074. The estimated annual cost is $43.1 
million which represents O&M costs in the form of fee for service.
    Change in Burden: The burden will be changed from 314,471 annual 
burden hours to 724,307 annual burden hours for this renewal ICR. The 
estimated burden of 409,836 annual burden hours is occurring because 
all monitoring, reporting, and record keeping requirements associated 
with compliance under the Stage 1 DBPR will take effect during the next 
ICR approval period. The O&M costs also occur as a result of the 
monitoring requirements.
    (2) Information Collection Request for Final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulations; Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment 
Rule, ICR Number: 1895.01, OMB Control Number: 2040-0205, expiring 
November 30, 2001.
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
State, local, Tribal or Federal governments, and public water systems 
serving 10,000 or more people using surface water or ground water under 
the direct influence of surface water. ``Subpart H'' systems include 
all PWSs using surface water or ground water under the direct influence 
of surface water as a source (40 CFR Sec. 141.2).
    Abstract: The Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule 
(IESWTR) requires information collection of turbidity measurements and 
water quality characteristics for Subpart H public water systems (PWSs) 
serving 10,000 or more people. Subpart H systems include all PWSs using 
surface water or ground water under the direct influence (GWUDI) of 
surface water as a source (40 CFR 141.2). Under this rule, standards 
for combined filter effluent are strengthened to improve control of 
microbial contaminants, the protozoan Cryptosporidium in particular. 
The rule also establishes individual filter monitoring and reporting 
requirements. Additionally, the provisions of this rule are intended to 
prevent an increase in microbial risk while PWSs comply with new 
standards for disinfection byproducts. The regulatory initiative 
discussed in this document is intended to protect public health and 
welfare from microbial contaminants. All of the data collected from 
PWSs and States are mandatory (40 CFR part 141 subpart L and 40 CFR 
part 142). Data from laboratories for laboratory certification or 
approval are not mandatory, but laboratories must provide the data in 
order to obtain or retain a benefit. In addition, under this drinking 
water protection initiative, EPA would assure appropriate laboratory 
approval through a volunteer program for the measurement of microbial 
contaminants (e.g., Cryptosporidium) for the protection of public 
health. Through this program, EPA would evaluate the performance of 
laboratories analyzing PWS source water microbial samples. Given the 
high level of skill and experience required for the appropriate 
analytical methods, and the impracticality for States to adopt their 
own laboratory approval program for a small number of laboratories, an 
EPA laboratory approval program is critical to ensure high quality 
data. Also, the microbial contaminant data analyzed by the laboratories 
may be used to meet possible future compliance requirements for PWSs.
    Several distinct types of data are being collected under the 
IESWTR. The most extensive data collection effort involves monitoring 
the turbidity of drinking water at individual filters for all PWSs 
covered by this rule. This monitoring requirement supplements current 
combined filter effluent turbidity monitoring already required under 
the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR). Under the current SWTR, PWSs 
must monitor their combined filter effluent every 4 hours to determine 
compliance. This requirement will continue under the IESWTR, but the 
turbidity compliance levels will change. The IESWTR will initiate new 
requirements for individual filter monitoring using a continuous 
monitoring turbidimeter and electronically recording data on a 
continuous basis. The turbidity data for individual filters are used to 
determine if follow-up filter or plant assessments are needed.
    Monitoring, reporting, and record keeping are required at both 
system and State levels under the National Primary Drinking Water 
Regulations (NPDWRs) (40 CFR 141.172, 141.174, 142.175, 142.14, 
142.15). All affected PWSs shall maintain and report to the State 
information documenting compliance with the treatment and monitoring 
requirements under the NPDWRs. States shall maintain records essential 
for program implementation and oversight. These records, retained in 
the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), will allow EPA to 
track PWS compliance with the NPDWRs.
    Data collected under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) are used by 
the Agency's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, and other U.S. 
EPA programs such as Superfund and RCRA. The data are also used by the 
Farmers Home Administration, the Department of the Interior, the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, White House task forces, the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, public interest groups, and 
many private companies and individuals. The information collected is 
not confidential.
    Burden Statement: The estimated annual burden hours for this 
renewed information collection are 4,682,067 hours. The estimated 
average burden hours per response is one hour. The estimated average 
number of responses per respondent is 3,229. The estimated number of 
likely respondents annually is 1,497. The estimated annual capital cost 
is $30.9 million. The estimated annual O&M cost is $10.3 million.
    Change in Burden: The burden will be changed from 150,557 annual 
hours to 4,687,452 annual hours for this renewal ICR. The burden of 
4,682,067 annual hours is occurring because turbidity monitoring for 
individual filters and sanitary surveys are beginning in the third year 
following promulgation of the rule. In addition, a laboratory approval 
program for measurement of microbial contaminants will add an estimated 
marginal burden of 5,385 annual hours, an estimated annual capital cost 
of $17,000, and an estimated annual O&M cost of $71,000.

    Dated: May 24, 2001.
Phil Oshida,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 01-13923 Filed 5-31-01; 8:45 am]
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