[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 139 (Thursday, July 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42056-42057]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14400]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ORD-2004-0023; FRL-7941-6]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Health Effects of Microbial 
Pathogens in Recreational Waters; National Epidemiological and 
Environmental Assessment of Recreational (NEEAR) Water Study (Renewal), 
EPA ICR Number 2081.02, OMB Control Number 2080-0068

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 the following 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 August 
31, 2005. 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 August 22, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number ORD-2004-
0023 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, Office of Research and Development Docket, Mail Code 
28221T, 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Sams, National Health and 
Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection 
Agency, MD 58-C, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 
(919) 843-3161; fax number: (919) 966-0655; 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 February 14, 2005 (70 FR 7496), 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. ORD-2004-0023, which is available for public viewing at the Office 
of Research and Development 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 Office of Research and Development Docket is (202) 566-1752. 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: Health Effects of Microbial Pathogens in Recreational 
Waters; National Epidemiological and Environmental Assessment of 
Recreational (NEEAR) Water Study (Renewal).
    Abstract: This study will be conducted, and the information 
collected, by the Epidemiology and Biomarkers Branch, Human Studies 
Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Research 
Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA). Participation of adults and children in this 
collection of information is strictly voluntary.
    Households (families/individuals) at selected beaches will be 
interviewed on the beach about a variety of exposures including those 
to recreational water. Ten to twelve days later, families/individuals 
will be contacted by telephone and interviewed on the occurrence of 
selected symptomatolgy since swimming at the beach. In addition, 
selected groups of children (boy and girl scouts, church groups, camps) 
who are making day trips to selected beaches for recreation will be 
asked to participate in a special study to identify specific microbial 
pathogens.
    This information is being collected as part of a research program 
consistent with the Section 3(a) (v) (1) of the Beaches Environmental 
Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000 and the strategic plan for 
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Office of Water 
entitled ``Action Plan for Beaches and Recreational Water.'' The 
Beaches Act and ORD's strategic plan have identified research on 
effects of microbial pathogens in recreational waters as a high-
priority research area with particular emphasis on developing new water 
quality indicator guidelines for recreational waters. EPA has broad 
legislative authority to establish water quality criteria and to 
conduct research to support these criteria. This data collection is for 
a series of epidemiological studies to evaluate exposure to and effects 
of microbial pathogens in marine and fresh (Great Lakes) recreational 
waters as part of EPA's research program on exposure and health effects 
of microbial pathogens in recreational waters. The results of these 
health effects studies will be used to document human health effects 
associated with recreational water use and correlate these health 
effects with ongoing EPA studies to identify a new generation of 
indicators for detection of human pathogens in recreational water and 
appropriate, effective, and expeditious testing methods for these 
indicators (addressed separately under Section 3(a) (v) (2) and (3) of 
the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of

[[Page 42057]]

2000). The results will be used to develop mathematical relationships 
that will be used for the generation of new national water quality 
guidelines and appropriate monitoring guidelines.
    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 23 
minutes 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: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are families frequenting fresh and marine water beaches in 
the continental United States.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,000.
    Frequency of Response: 2 times.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 5,250 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $77,000, includes $0 annualized 
capital or O&M costs and $77,000 annual labor costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a increase of 2,500 respondents 
in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory 
of Approved ICR Burdens. Due to increased pressure to expeditiously 
complete the study, the study team may complete more than one beach per 
year, thus increasing the number of participants enrolled in the study 
annually. This renewal ICR 2081.02 reflects the estimated respondent 
and agency burden for two beaches per year, whereas the estimates in 
the previous ICR (EPA ICR Number 2081.01) account for only one beach 
annually. Although there is a significant increase in the number of 
respondents, there is only an increase of 250 burden hours in the total 
estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved 
ICR Burdens. This is due to the fact that the original ICR (EPA ICR 
Number 2081.01) included a second telephone survey that has been 
eliminated in this renewal ICR and consequently has reduced the total 
hours for each respondent.

    Dated: July 14, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-14400 Filed 7-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P