[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 2 (Thursday, January 3, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 320-322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-111]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7124-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Modification of Secondary Treatment Requirements for 
Discharges Into Marine Waters

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 document announces that EPA is planning to submit the 
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB):
    Modification of Secondary Treatment Requirements for Discharges 
into Marine Waters, EPA ICR Number 0138.07, OMB Control Number 2040-
0088, expiring July 31, 2002. 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 March 4, 2002.

ADDRESSES: U.S. EPA; Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds; Oceans 
and Coastal Protection Division (4504F); 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, SW; 
Washington, DC 20460. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the ICR 
without charge by contacting the person identified below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Virginia Fox-Norse, 202-260-8448 
(phone), 202-260-9920 (facsimile), [email protected] 
(electronically).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Affected entities: Entities potentially 
affected by this action are those municipalities that currently have 
section 301(h) waivers from secondary treatment, have applied for a 
renewal of a section 301(h) waiver, or those with a pending section 
301(h) waiver application, and the states within which these 
municipalities are located.
    Title: Modification of Secondary Treatment Requirements for 
Discharges

[[Page 321]]

into Marine Waters (OMB Control Number 2040-0088; EPA ICR Number 
0138.07), expiring July 31, 2002.
    Abstract: Regulations implementing section 301(h) of the Clean 
Water Act (CWA) are found at 40 CFR part 125, subpart G. The section 
301(h) program involves collecting information from two sources: (1) 
The municipal wastewater treatment facility, commonly called a publicly 
owned treatment works (POTW), and (2) the state in which the POTW is 
located. Municipalities had the opportunity to apply for a waiver from 
secondary treatment requirements, but that opportunity closed in 
December, 1982. A POTW seeking to obtain a section 301(h) waiver, 
holding a current waiver or reapplying for a waiver, provides 
application, monitoring, and toxic control program information. The 
state provides information on its determination whether the discharge 
under the proposed conditions of the waiver ensures the protection of 
water quality, biological habitats, and beneficial uses of receiving 
waters and whether the discharge will result in additional treatment, 
pollution control, or any other requirement for any other point or 
nonpoint sources. The state also provides information to certify that 
the discharge will meet all applicable state laws and that the state 
accepts all permit conditions.
    There are 4 situations where information will be required under the 
section 301(h) program:
    (1) A POTW continuing the application process for a section 301(h) 
waiver, or reapplying for a waiver. As the permits with section 301(h) 
waivers reach their expiration dates, EPA must have updated information 
on the discharge to determine whether the section 301(h) criteria are 
still being met and whether the section 301(h) waiver should be 
reissued. Under 40 CFR 125.59(f), each section 301(h) permittee is 
required to submit an application for a new section 301(h) modified 
permit within 180 days of the existing permit's expiration date. 40 CFR 
125.59(c) lists the information required for a modified permit. The 
information that EPA needs to determine whether the POTW's 
reapplication meets the section 301(h) criteria is outlined in the 
questionnaire attached to 40 CFR part 125, subpart G.
    (2) Monitoring and toxic control program information: Once a waiver 
has been granted, EPA must continue to assess whether the discharge is 
meeting section 301(h) criteria, and that the receiving water quality, 
biological habitats, and beneficial uses of the receiving waters are 
protected. To do this, EPA needs monitoring information furnished by 
the permittee. According to 40 CFR 125.68(d), any permit issued with a 
section 301(h) waiver must contain the monitoring requirements of 40 
CFR 125.63(b), (c), and (d) for biomonitoring, water quality criteria 
and standards monitoring, and effluent monitoring, respectively. 
Section 125.68(d) also requires reporting at the frequency specified in 
the monitoring program. In addition to monitoring information, EPA 
needs information on the toxics control program required by Sec. 125.66 
to ensure that the permittee is effectively minimizing industrial and 
nonindustrial toxic pollutant and pesticide discharges into the 
treatment works.
    (3) Application revision information: Section 125.59(d) of 40 CFR 
allows a POTW to revise its application one time only, following a 
tentative decision by EPA to deny the waiver request. In its 
application revision, the POTW usually corrects deficiencies and 
changes proposed treatment levels as well as outfall and diffuser 
locations. The application revision is a voluntary submission for the 
applicant, and a letter of intent to revise the application must be 
submitted within 45 days of EPA's tentative decision (40 CFR 
125.59(f)). EPA needs this information to evaluate revised applications 
to determine whether the modified discharge will ensure protection of 
water quality, biological habitats, and beneficial uses of receiving 
waters.
    (4) State determination and state certification information: For 
revised or renewal applications for section 301(h) waivers, EPA needs a 
state determination. The state determines whether all state laws 
(including water quality standards) are satisfied. This helps ensure 
that water quality, biological habitats, and beneficial uses of 
receiving waters are protected. Additionally, the state must determine 
if the applicant's discharge will result in additional treatment, 
pollution control, or any other requirement for any other point or 
nonpoint sources. This process allows the state's views to be taken 
into account when EPA reviews the section 301(h) application and 
develops permit conditions. For revised and renewed section 301(h) 
waiver applications, EPA also needs the CWA section 401(a)(1) 
certification information to ensure that all state water quality laws 
are met by any permit it issues with a section 301(h) modification, and 
the state accepts all the permit conditions. This information is the 
means by which the state can exercise its authority to concur with or 
deny a section 301(h) decision made by the EPA Regional Office.
    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 estimated annual average burden for the 51 
respondents totals 65,037 hours for this information collection. The 
average annual reporting burden varies depending on the size of the 
respondent and the category of the information collection. The 
frequency of response varies from once every five years, to case-by-
case, depending on the category. 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.
    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 displayed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15.
    Please send comments regarding these matters, or any other aspect 
of information collection, including suggestions for reducing the 
burden, to the address listed above.


[[Page 322]]


    Dated: December 20, 2001.
Robert H. Wayland III,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 02-111 Filed 1-2-02; 8:45 am]
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