[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 107 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32340-32342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8660]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2005-0019, FRL-8179-7]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Information Collection Request for Contaminant 
Occurrence Data in Support of EPA's Second Six-Year Review of National 
Primary Drinking Water Regulations, EPA ICR Number 2231.01., OMB 
Control No. 2040.New

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

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 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 August 4, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2005-0019 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), 
EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. Such 
deliveries are only accepted during the Dockets'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-2005-
0019. 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 statue. 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: Peter Lassovszky, Office of Ground 
Water and Drinking Water, Standards and Risk Management Division, Mail 
Code 4607M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-4882; 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-2005-0019, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing 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.

[[Page 32341]]

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 
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 
the 56 States and territories.
    Title: Information Collection Request for Contaminant Occurrence 
Data in Support of EPA's Six-Year Review of National Primary Drinking 
Water Regulations.
    EPA ICR Numbers: 2231.01, 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, and 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: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, 
requires that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) review 
existing National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) no less 
often than every six years. This cyclical evaluation is referred to as 
the ``Six-Year Review of National Primary Drinking Water Regulations'' 
or, simply, the ``Six-Year Review.'' Through the Six-Year Review 
process, EPA reviews and assesses risks to human health posed by 
regulated drinking water contaminants. EPA completed its first Six-Year 
Review cycle (1996-2002), reviewing 68 chemical NPDWRs and the Total 
Coliform Rule (TCR), which were promulgated prior to the 1996 
Amendments. The occurrence assessments conducted for the first Six-Year 
Review were based on compliance monitoring data from 1993 to 1997, 
which were provided by States. The results of this review were 
published in the July 18, 2003, edition of the Federal Register (68 FR 
42907-42929).
    EPA's Office of Water is requesting from States, on a voluntary 
basis, historical compliance monitoring (contaminant occurrence) data 
for community water systems (CWSs) and non-transient non-community 
water systems (NTNCWSs). Contaminant occurrence data from 1998 to 2005 
is being requested for all regulated chemical and radiological 
contaminants, as well as data from the TCR, to support the Agency's 
future Six-Year Reviews. The next review cycle is hereafter referred to 
as ``Six-Year Review 2. The compliance monitoring records in this 
information collection (including all results for analytical detections 
and non-detections) provide the data needed to conduct statistical 
estimates of national occurrence of each regulated contaminant. These 
national occurrence estimates will support EPA's decision whether to 
revise existing regulations. In addition, the 1996 SDWA section 1445(g) 
requires the Agency to maintain a national drinking water contaminant 
occurrence database (i.e., the National Contaminant Occurrence Data 
(NCOD)) using occurrence data for both regulated and unregulated 
contaminants in public water systems (PWSs). This data collection will 
provide new occurrence data on regulated contaminants to maintain the 
NCOD.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information over the 3-year ICR period of 
2007-2009, is estimated to average 12.2 hours per State annually. 
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: 56.
    Frequency of response: One time only.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 1.
    Estimated total annual burden hours per response: 12.2.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 681 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $30,608.

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

[[Page 32342]]

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 26, 2006.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
 [FR Doc. E6-8660 Filed 6-2-06; 8:45 am]
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