[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41012-41013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11432]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0035; FRL-8199-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey of Drinking Water 
Treatment Facilities; EPA ICR No. 2176.01, OMB Control No. 2040-XXXX

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new collection. 
The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the 
information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 18, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2004-0035, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by e-mail to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket (Mail Code 
4101T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB 
by mail to: 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: Mr. M. Ahmar Siddiqui, Office of Water 
(Mail Code 4303T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1044; fax 
number: (202) 566-1053; 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 July 5, 2005 (70 FR 38675), EPA sought comments on this ICR 
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received several comments during the 
comment period from trade associations, utilities, state agencies, and 
private citizens, which are addressed in this ICR. Any additional 
comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days 
of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0035, which is available for online viewing at 
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 EPA's electronic docket and comment system at 
www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing at www.regulations.gov as EPA receives 
them and without change, unless the comment contains

[[Page 41013]]

copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure 
is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic 
docket, go to www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Survey of Drinking Water Treatment Facilities.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2176.01, OMB Control No. 2040-XXXX.
    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 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: In its 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan (September 
2, 2004; 69 FR 53705), which EPA published under Clean Water Act (CWA) 
section 304(m), EPA identified the ``drinking water treatment point 
source category'' as a candidate for rulemaking. EPA is collecting 
information from drinking water treatment facilities to develop 
effluent guidelines or pretreatment standards necessary to control the 
discharge of toxic and non-conventional pollutants into surface waters 
of the United States and to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).
    In order to inform the rulemaking process, EPA is conducting 
several data collection activities. The technical survey announced in 
this Federal Register notice would provide EPA with preliminary 
technical data needed to quantify any adverse environmental impacts of 
the discharges of residuals and metals from drinking water treatment 
facilities and to obtain information about finished water production 
and current residuals generation and management techniques.
    The technical survey is composed of a questionnaire. The 
questionnaire would allow EPA to collect information from facilities 
that serve populations greater than 10,000. EPA would use data from the 
questionnaire to better classify drinking water treatment facilities by 
treatment practices, residuals characteristics, and residuals 
management methods. EPA expects to collect additional information from 
some of the recipients of the questionnaire announced today through a 
follow-up detailed questionnaire.
    If approved, the survey will be administered under authority of 
section 308 of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1318. As a result, all recipients of 
the questionnaire would be required to complete and return the 
questionnaire to EPA. 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.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 6.7 
hours per unique response to the questionnaire. 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.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: The respondents affected by this 
information collection request are drinking water treatment plants that 
generated residuals in 2005. More specifically, the recipients of the 
questionnaire would be drinking water treatment utilities serving 
populations in excess of 10,000.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 618.
    Frequency of Response: This is a one-time information collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 4,143.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $145,544, includes $6,732 annualized 
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: Because this is a request for a new ICR, 
there is no change in the number of hours in the total estimated burden 
currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens.

    Dated: July 11, 2006.
Sara Hisel McCoy,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-11432 Filed 7-18-06; 8:45 am]
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