[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 144 (Thursday, July 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43688-43689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14933]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2003-0019, FRL-7945-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (Renewal), EPA ICR 
Number 0318.10, OMB Control Number 2040-0050

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 July 31, 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 August 29, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0019, to EPA online using

[[Page 43689]]

EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to [email protected] or by 
mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of 
Water, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Plastino, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Mail Code 4204M, 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-0682; fax number: 202-
501-2399; 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 March 14, 2005 (70 FR 12474), 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 
number OW-2003-0019, which is available for public viewing at the 
Office of 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 Office 
of 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 
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: Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (Renewal).
    Abstract: The Clean Watersheds Needs Survey (CWNS) is required by 
sections 205(a) and 516(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act (http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/cwns/index.htm). It is a periodic inventory of 
existing and proposed publicly owned wastewater treatment works (POTWs) 
and other water pollution control facilities in the United States, as 
well as an estimate of how many POTWs need to be built. The CWNS is a 
voluntary, joint effort of EPA and the States. The Survey records cost 
and technical data associated with POTWs and other water pollution 
control facilities, existing and proposed, in the United States. The 
State respondents who provide this information to EPA are State 
agencies responsible for environmental pollution control. No 
confidential information is used, nor is sensitive information 
protected from release under the Public Information Act. EPA achieves 
national consistency in the final results through the application of 
uniform guidelines and validation techniques.
    During the period of this ICR, EPA will not be requiring or asking 
States to update CWNS information. EPA is planning to keep the CWNS 
database open for States that voluntarily choose to submit updated 
information, for their own purposes, between the 2004 and 2008 CWNS 
data entry periods. EPA will not be requiring or asking States to 
submit updated data until the 2008 CWNS data entry period, which will 
be covered under a subsequent ICR.
    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.
    Burden Statement: Should States choose to update CWNS facilities 
during this period, the average burden per respondent per facility 
updated is 1.55 hours. In previous between-survey periods, five to ten 
States have elected to update CWNS facility information. Assuming ten 
states choose to update facilities in this between survey period, with 
an average of 600 facilities per state and an average of 50% of 
facilities needing updates every 4 years, the total overall voluntary 
burden to ten States would be approximate 4,650 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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: State government agencies 
responsible for water pollution control and sewage treatment.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 10.
    Frequency of Response: Every 4 years (States' options to update 
data between cycles).
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,550 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $53,816, which includes $0 Capital 
Expense, $0 Operation and Maintenance, and $53,816 Respondent Labor 
Costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 6,122 hours in the 
total annual estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory 
of Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease is due to a change in program 
requirements, as data updates during periods between the 4-year 
collection cycles are completely at states' discretion.

    Dated: July 19, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-14933 Filed 7-27-05; 8:45 am]
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