[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63528-63529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-24418]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2004-0013; FRL-7832-3]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; EPA Strategic Plan Information on 
Source Water Assessment and Protection (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 
1816.03, OMB Control No. 2040-0197

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on October 31, 
2004. Under OMB, regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or 
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending 
at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and 
its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 2, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2004-
0013, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Water Docket, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20503.

[[Page 63529]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Simon, Office of Ground Water and 
Drinking Water, Mail Code 4606M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 
564-3868; fax number: (202) 564-3756; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On August 18, 2004 (69 FR 51283), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2004-0013, which is available for public viewing at the Water 
Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading 
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water Docket 
is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. 
Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing 
of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in 
the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified 
above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, 
whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available 
for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, 
unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other 
information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA 
identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide 
a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is 
placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although 
identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as 
CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not 
included in the official public docket, and will not be available for 
public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic 
docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic 
docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: EPA Strategic Plan Information on Source Water Assessment 
and Protection (Renewal).
    Abstract: Section 1453(a)(3) of the Safe Drinking Water Act 
requires States to submit to EPA a Source Water Assessment Program 
within 18 months after issuance of the national guidance on State 
Source Water Assessment and Protection Programs, which was issued by 
EPA on August 5, 1997. Upon EPA approval of the programs, States 
conducted source water assessments of their public water systems. The 
assessment program is completed relative to the SDWA, because state 
assessments were required to be completed three and a half years after 
approval of a State's program. The burden and cost associated with any 
remaining assessment work has already been calculated under previous 
ICRs.
    The EPA Strategic Plan (2003-2008) includes source water assessment 
and protection program measures to describe the voluntary source water 
protection actions taken at the local or regional level, based on the 
results of completed source water assessments. This information is 
collected from States to understand, in aggregate, the results of State 
assessments and the protection actions based on those assessments, and 
to measure progress toward the Agency's strategic goal that, by 2008, 
50% of source water areas for community water systems will achieve 
minimized risk to public health. (``Minimized risk'' is achieved by 
substantial implementation, as determined by the State, of source water 
protection actions in a source water protection strategy.) The 
information is generated under the authority of section 1453 (a)(3) of 
the Safe Drinking Water Act and being collected under EPA's Office of 
Water National Program Guidance.
    EPA is collecting, on a voluntary basis, data from the States 
related to the status of assessment completion, the most prevalent and 
most threatening sources of contamination, overall risk to source 
waters, and progress toward substantial implementation of prevention 
strategies for all community water system source water areas. This data 
is generated under the authority of section 1453(a)(3) of the Safe 
Drinking Water Act. While implementing source water protection programs 
is not required under the Act, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 
monies under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act may be used, 
and are being used, for activities to support these efforts.
    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 in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on 
the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 81 
hours per response. 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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: States, Puerto Rico, and the 
District of Columbia.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 52.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 4,212 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $1,278,000, includes 
$1,122,000 annual capital startup costs, $0 annual O&M costs and 
$156,000 annual labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 2,604,575 hours in 
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to the shifting of efforts 
toward reporting only on assessment results and voluntary prevention 
activities, rather than on all the statutory required assessment 
actions under the previous ICR.

    Dated: October 26, 2004.
Joseph A. Sierra,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-24418 Filed 11-1-04; 8:45 am]
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