[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 20, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53930-53931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21200]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7263-3]


Meeting of the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List 
Classification Process Working Group and Small Systems Affordability 
Working Group of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: Under section 10(a)(2) of Public Law 92-423, ``The Federal 
Advisory Committee Act,'' notice is hereby given of the forthcoming 
meetings of the Drinking Water Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) 
Classification Process Work Group, and the Small Systems Affordability 
Work Group, of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council, 
established under the Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 
S300f et seq.).

DATES: The CCL work group will meet on September 18-19, 2002 (9 a.m.-5 
p.m. EDT on September 18 and 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. EDT on September 19). The 
affordability work group will meet on September 11-12, 2002 (9 a.m.-
5:15 p.m. EDT on September 11 and 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m. EDT on September 
12).

ADDRESSES: Both meetings will be held at RESOLVE Inc., 1255 23rd 
Street, NW., Suite 275, Washington, DC and are open to the public, but 
from past experience, seating will likely be limited.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the location 
and times of these meetings, or general background information please 
contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (phone: 800-426-4791 or (703) 
285-1093; e-mail: [email protected]). Members of the public are 
requested to contact RESOLVE if they plan on attending at (202) 944-
2300. Any person needing special accommodations at either of these 
meetings, including wheelchair access, should contact RESOLVE (contact 
information previously noted), at least five business days before the 
meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made. For technical 
information contact Dr. Jitendra Saxena, Designated Federal Officer, 
CCL Classification Process Work Group, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (4607M), 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460 (e-mail: 
[email protected]; Tel. 202-564-5243), and Mr. Amit Kapadia, 
Designated Federal Officer, Small Systems Affordability Work Group at 
the same address (e-mail: [email protected]; Tel: 202-564-4879).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Drinking Water Contaminants Candidate List Work Group Meeting

    The CCL serves as the primary source of priority contaminants for 
research and regulatory evaluations for the Agency's drinking water 
program. The list is comprised of both chemical and microbial 
contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water 
systems, and may have adverse health effects, and which at the time of 
publication are not subject to any proposed or promulgated National 
Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs). EPA has formed a CCL 
Classification Process Work Group of the National Drinking Water 
Advisory Council (NDWAC) to help the Agency in developing a new risk 
based priority setting process based upon the recommendations made by 
the National Research Council (NRC) in its 2001 report.
    The work group is comprised of recognized technical experts 
representing an array of backgrounds and perspectives who are as 
impartial and objective as possible. The purpose of the meeting is to 
provide advice to the NDWAC as it develops recommendations for the U.S.

[[Page 53931]]

Environmental Protection Agency on the classification process EPA ought 
to use to develop its list of candidate contaminants. The work group is 
charged with discussing, evaluating, and providing advice on 
methodologies, activities, and analysis needed to implement the 
National Research Council's recommendations on an expanded approach for 
the CCL listing process. This may include advice on developing and 
identifying: (1) Overall implementation strategy, (2) classification 
attributes and criteria, (3) pilot projects to validate new 
classification approaches, (4) risk communication issues, and (5) 
additional issues not addressed in the NRC Report.
    The first meeting of the work group will be held on September 18-
19, 2002, and is open to the public for observation purposes only. 
Statements from the public will be taken at the close of the meeting. 
EPA is not soliciting written comments and is not planning to formally 
respond to comments. The first meeting will focus on the: (1) Review of 
NRC recommendations for a risk based priority ranking process for CCL 
contaminants, (2) development of an overall implementation strategy, 
(3) identification of technical expertise needed to support the 
process, (4) formation of technical subgroups, if deemed necessary, and 
(5) identification and discussion of other relevant issues.

Small Systems Affordability Work Group Meeting

    As part of the 2002 appropriations process, Congress directed EPA 
to ``begin immediately to review the Agency's affordability criteria 
and how small system variance and exemption programs should be 
implemented for arsenic'' (Conference Report 107-272, page 175). 
Congress further directed the Agency to prepare a report, which EPA 
submitted, ``on its review of the affordability criteria and the 
administrative actions undertaken or planned to be undertaken by the 
Agency, as well as potential funding mechanisms for small community 
compliance and other legislative actions, which, if taken by the 
Congress, would best achieve appropriate extensions of time for small 
communities while also guaranteeing maximum compliance.'' (Conference 
Report 107-272, page 175).
    In evaluating treatment technologies for small systems, EPA 
currently uses an affordability threshold of 2.5% of median household 
income. EPA's national-level affordability criteria consist of two 
major components: an expenditure baseline and an affordability 
threshold. The expenditure baseline (derived from annual median 
household water bills) is subtracted from the affordability threshold 
(a share of median household income that EPA believes to be a 
reasonable upper limit for these water bills) to determine the 
expenditure margin (the maximum increase in household water bills that 
can be imposed by treatment and still be considered affordable). EPA 
compares the cost of treatment technologies against the available 
expenditure margin to determine if an affordable compliance technology 
can be identified. If EPA cannot identify an affordable compliance 
technology, then it attempts to identify a variance technology. 
Findings must be made at both the Federal and State level that 
compliance technologies are not affordable for small systems before a 
variance can be granted.
    EPA is asking the NDWAC for advice on its national-level 
affordability criteria and the methodology used to establish these 
criteria. Taking into consideration the structure of the Safe Drinking 
Water Act and the limitations of readily available data and information 
sources, EPA is seeking the Council's opinion of the national level 
affordability criteria, methodology for deriving the criteria, and 
approach to applying those criteria to NPDWRs.
    As part of the Council's review of EPA's national-level 
affordability criteria, the Agency is seeking input on (1) the Agency's 
overall approach, (2) alternatives, if any, to the use of median 
household income as a metric, (3) alternatives, if any, to 2.5% as a 
metric, (4) alternatives, if any, to calculating the expenditure 
baseline, (5) the usefulness of a separate criteria for ground and 
surface water systems, (6) including an evaluation of the potential 
availability of financial assistance, and (7) the need for making 
affordability determinations on a regional basis. Other issue areas may 
also be discussed. The meeting is open to the public; statements from 
the public will be taken at the close of the meeting. EPA is not 
soliciting written comments and is not planning to formally respond to 
comments.

    Dated: August 14, 2002.
William Diamond,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 02-21200 Filed 8-19-02; 8:45 am]
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