[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 145 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43868-43869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15055]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. OW-2004-0004; FRL-7945-3 ]


Notice of Availability: Tribal Drinking Water Operator 
Certification Program Final Guidelines

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 
the availability of the Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification 
Program (Program) Final Guidelines. EPA established the Program to 
further protect public health by providing operators of drinking water 
systems in Indian country additional training and certification 
opportunities for community and non-transient non-community drinking 
water systems. The Program guidelines establish baseline standards for 
non-State organizations certifying operators of systems in Indian 
county and outline a consistent method of assessing, tracking, and 
addressing the certification and training needs of those operators.

DATES: The Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification Program Final 
Guidelines are effective as of July 29, 2005.

ADDRESSES: EPA had previously established a docket for seeking public 
comment on the Draft Final Guidelines under Docket ID No. OW-2004-0004. 
All documents in the docket are listed in the EDOCKET index at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 
800-426-4791 for copies of the guidelines and for general information 
about the document. The guidelines are also available on the EPA Office 
of Ground Water and Drinking Water Web site at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/tribal.html. For technical inquiries, contact Monica 
Pe[ntilde]a, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Ground Water 
and Drinking Water, Mail Code 4606M, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-2575; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. How Can I Get Copies of The Guidelines and Other Related 
Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under Docket ID No. OW-2004-0004. The official public docket 
consists of the documents specifically referenced in this action, any 
public comments received, and other information related to this action. 
Although a part of the official docket, the public docket does not 
include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. The official public docket 
is the collection of materials that 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 
Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the 
Water Docket is (202) 566-2426.
    2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to view public comments, 
access the index listing of the contents of the official public docket, 
and to access those documents in the public docket that are available 
electronically. Although not all docket materials may be available 
electronically, you may still access any of the publicly available 
docket materials through the docket facility identified in section I.A. 
Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the appropriate 
docket identification number.

B. Background

    The Tribal Drinking Water Operator Certification Program Final 
Guidelines represent EPA's effort to establish a program for Tribes 
that is flexible, while at the same time provides meaningful public 
health protection to the drinking

[[Page 43869]]

water community. The Program will provide Tribes with further training 
and certification opportunities in addition to existing training or 
certification programs offered by States, various Federal agencies, and 
private organizations. EPA established the Program to further protect 
public health by providing operators of drinking water systems in 
Indian country additional training and certification opportunities for 
community and non-transient non-community drinking water systems. (A 
community water system provides drinking water to the same people year-
round. A non-transient non-community water system is a water system 
that serves at least 25 of the same customers on less than a year-round 
basis.) The Program guidelines establish baseline standards for non-
State organizations certifying operators of Tribal systems and outlines 
a consistent method of assessing, tracking, and addressing 
certification and training needs on Tribal lands. The Agency believes 
that establishing a Tribal Operator Certification Program will help 
bring greater public health protection to Tribal communities.
    In 1998, EPA headquarters (HQ) and Regional Offices formed a 
workgroup to discuss possible approaches for developing the Program in 
consultation with the Tribes. In addition, EPA coordinated with other 
Federal agencies and sought their recommendations. A Notice of 
Availability for the draft guidelines was published in the Federal 
Register on March 30, 2000 (65 FR 16917). An additional Notification of 
Availability was published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2004 
(69 FR 20874); public comments to those notices and EPA's responses are 
available at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/tribal.html.

    Dated: July 14, 2005.
Benjamin H. Grumbles,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 05-15055 Filed 7-28-05; 8:45 am]
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