[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 23, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68142-68143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-25943]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2004-0031, FRL-7840-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Information Collection Request for National Pollutant 
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Sewage Sludge Monitoring 
Reports; OMB Control Number 2040-0004, EPA ICR Number 0229.16

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 a 
continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing 
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 28, 
2005. 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 January 24, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2004-
0031, to 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct questions on this ICR to: Jack 
Faulk, Industrial Branch, Water Permits Division, Office of Wastewater 
Management; tel.: (202) 564-0768, fax: (202) 564-6431; or e-mail: 
[email protected]. Or see Section I.C of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number OW-2004-0031, 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 obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, 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 within 
60 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.
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those covered by an NPDES permit and have monitoring and reporting 
requirements as a condition of the permit. States responsible for 
reviewing and following up to these reports are also affected.
    Title: Information Collection Request for National Pollutant 
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Sewage Sludge Monitoring 
Reports; OMB Control Number 2040-0004; EPA ICR Number 0229.16.
    Abstract: This ICR estimates the current monitoring, recordkeeping 
and costs associated with submitting and reviewing Discharge Monitoring 
Reports

[[Page 68143]]

(DMRs), sewage sludge monitoring reports, and other monitoring reports 
under EPA's NPDES program. The NPDES program regulations, codified at 
40 CFR parts 122 through 125, require permitted municipal and non-
municipal point source discharges to collect, analyze, and submit data 
on their wastewater discharges. Under these regulations, the permittee 
is required to collect and analyze wastewater samples or have the 
analysis performed at an outside laboratory and report the results to 
the permitting authority (EPA or an authorized NPDES State) using a 
DMR, a preprinted form used for reporting pollutant discharge 
information. Sample monitoring, analysis, and reporting frequencies 
vary by permit, but must be performed at least annually for all 
permitted discharges except for certain storm discharges. Upon renewal 
of this ICR, the permitting authority will continue to require NPDES 
and sewage sludge facilities to report pollutant discharge monitoring 
data and other monitoring information. The permitting authority will 
use the data from these forms to assess permittee compliance, modify/
add new permit requirements, and revise effluent guidelines. The 
monitoring data required of NPDES and sewage sludge facilities 
represents the minimum information necessary to achieve the Agency's 
goals and satisfy regulatory standards.
    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.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (1) 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;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) 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 Statement: EPA estimates that 79,055 NPDES permittees and 
24,346 sludge permittees will perform sample collection, pollutant 
analysis, reporting and recordkeeping as part of their NPDES permit 
requirements to collect and report discharge monitoring data to permit 
authorities. These permittees are expected to provide 598,016 responses 
to State and Federal NPDES permitting authorities. Nationally, 
permittees will spend 3,958,146 hours per year to collect samples of 
their wastewater or sludge, 9,041,965 hours per year to analyze samples 
collected, 1,202,620 hours per year to record and report the sampling 
and analysis information on DMRs, and 19,226 hours per year for sludge 
facilities to maintain records (the recordkeeping burden for the 
remaining NPDES permittees is reported in the Compliance Assessment 
ICR, OMB Control No. 2040-0110) for a total of 14,221,957 burden hours 
annually. Each permittee will spend an average of 138 hours per year 
(23.8 hours per response) to collect, analyze and report discharge 
monitoring data. Burden for State permitting authorities to review and 
follow-up on non-compliance identified in the monitoring reports is 
estimated to be 150,932 hours.
    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: November 18, 2004.
James A. Hanlon,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 04-25943 Filed 11-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P