[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 105 (Thursday, June 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31176-31177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8466]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0454; FRL-8177-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Community Water System Survey 2006 Agency Information 
Collection; EPA ICR No. 2232.01; OMB Control No. 2006-2040. New

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to 
submit a request for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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 July 31, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2006-0454 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-564-3760.
     Mail: Water Docket, EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. 
Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of 
operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of 
boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2006-
0454. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site 
is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through http://www.regulations.gov your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the Internet. If you 
submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name 
and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any 
disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to 
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA 
may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid 
the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of 
any defects or viruses. For additional information about EPA's public 
docket visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Rourke, Standards and Risk 
Management Division (Mailcode 4607M), Office of Ground Water and 
Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-5241; fax 
number: 202-564-3760; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No 
EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0454 which is available for viewing on line at http://www.regulations.gov, or viewing in person at the Water Docket in the 
EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from 
8 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.
    Use http://www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the 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 in this document.

What Information is EPA Particularly Interested in?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically 
solicits comments and information to enable it to:
    (i) 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;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork

[[Page 31177]]

burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

What Should I Consider when I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2.. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page 
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those that own or operate community water systems.
    Title: Community Water System Survey 2006.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2232.01; OMB Control No. 2040-New.
    ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity. 
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 title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when 
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by 
publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such 
as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The 
display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is 
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: Last conducted in 2001, the Community Water System Survey 
is conducted about every five years to gather information on the 
operating and financial characteristics of a nationally representative 
sample of community water systems. Specifically, the Agency uses the 
data provided by this survey to meet its Regulatory Impact Analysis 
(RIA) obligations under executive Order 12866 and its obligations to 
assess and mitigate regulatory impacts on small entities under the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act and the Small Business Regulatory 
Enforcement Fairness Act. Also, under section 1412(b)(3)(C) of the Safe 
Drinking Water Act, the Agency must prepare a Health Risk Reduction and 
Cost Analysis for any proposed National Primary Drinking Water 
Regulation. Through this survey, EPA seeks to gather information on 
community drinking water system finances, as well as infrastructure 
characteristics that bear on both present costs and future cost 
impacts, including current treatment, storage and distribution system 
configurations, to help inform the Agency's determination of baseline 
conditions for effective economic analysis. In addition, the survey 
will provide a limited amount of information designed to help the 
Agency better conduct its outreach efforts to assist the regulated 
community and gauge the effectiveness of current program initiatives in 
the area of water security. This is a one-time collection effort. 
Responses are voluntary and are not required in order to obtain or 
retain any benefit. The Agency does not intend to share or make public 
the names or identities of survey participants.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average five 
(5) hours per response for large systems serving more than 3,300 people 
and one-half (\1/2\) hour for small systems serving fewer than 3,300 
people. The smaller systems will experience reduced burden because 
their questionnaires will be completed for them by EPA contractors on 
site. 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 
which have subsequently changed; 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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 1,500.
    Frequency of response: One time.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
    Estimated total annual burden hours per response: One-half (1/2) 
hour for small systems; five (5) hours for large systems.
    Estimated total annual costs for all respondents: $176,678. This 
includes an estimated burden cost of $176,678 and an estimated cost of 
$0 for capital investment or maintenance and operational costs.

What is the Next Step in the Process for this ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will 
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any 
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: May 25, 2006.
Cynthia Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. E6-8466 Filed 5-31-06; 8:45 am]
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