[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 249 (Thursday, December 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78203-78204]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22302]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8263-6]


Total Coliform Rule / Distribution System Stakeholder Technical 
Workshop and Request for Nominations

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding a 
technical workshop in Washington, DC, to discuss available information 
on the Total Coliform Rule (TCR) and available information regarding 
risks in distribution systems in support of revisions to the TCR. The 
TCR provides public health protection from microbial contamination in 
drinking water while indicating the adequacy of treatment and the 
integrity of drinking water distribution systems. As part of the 
technical workshop, EPA is seeking information and analytic approaches 
for characterizing risks posed by the distribution system. 
Subsequently, if results from the workshop indicate that a formal 
consensus building process is appropriate for the revision effort, the 
Agency will consider establishing a Committee under the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act to provide advice and recommendations on how 
best to utilize available information for potential revisions to the 
TCR and to address public health risks from contamination of 
distribution systems. In addition, such a Committee could provide 
recommendations to determine if further information is needed to be 
collected to address health risks associated with distribution systems.
    To prepare in advance for the potential establishment of a Federal 
Advisory Committee, EPA is soliciting nominations for membership on the 
Committee in this notice.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 
through Thursday, February 1, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 
Eastern time (ET). Attendees should register for the meeting by calling 
Jason Peller at (202) 965-6387 or by e-mail to [email protected] no 
later than January 20, 2006.
    Submit nominations for a potential Federal Advisory Committee on or 
before January 29, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Capital Hilton, at 1001 16th 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Nomination materials for the potential 
Federal Advisory Committee should be submitted to Jini Mohanty by email 
to [email protected] or by U.S. Mail to the Office of Ground Water and 
Drinking Water, Office of Water, Mail Code 4607M, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the 
Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or go to the Internet site 
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/disinfection/tcr/index.html. For technical 
inquiries, contact Tom Grubbs, Standards and Risk Management Division, 
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (MC 4607M), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: (202) 564-5262; fax number: (202) 564-3767; e-mail 
address: [email protected]. For special accommodation questions, 
email Jini Mohanty, at [email protected], or call (202) 564 5269.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Stage 2 Microbial and Disinfection 
Byproducts Federal Advisory Committee, as part of its recommendations 
concerning the Long-Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule and 
the Stage 2 Disinfection Byproducts Rule, concluded in its Agreement in 
Principle (65 FR 83015, December 29, 2000) that EPA should evaluate 
available data and research on aspects of distribution systems that may 
create risks to public health as a part of the Six-Year Review of the 
TCR. They also concluded that EPA should work with stakeholders to 
initiate a process for addressing cross-connections and backflow 
prevention requirements, and for considering additional distribution 
system requirements related to significant health risks.
    The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) (Section 
1412(b) (9)) require the Administrator to review and revise, as 
appropriate, each national primary drinking water regulation no less 
often than every six years. As indicated in the Six-Year Review Notice 
of Intent (67 FR 19030, April 17, 2002), EPA believes that an 
opportunity for implementation burden reduction exists in revising the 
TCR; the Agency plans to assess the effectiveness of the current TCR in 
reducing public health risk and what technically supportable 
alternative/additional monitoring strategies are available to reduce 
implementation costs while maintaining or improving public health 
protection.
    In July 2003, EPA published, as part of its final National Primary 
Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) Review (i.e., Six-Year Review), its 
decision to revise the TCR (68 FR 42907, July 18, 2003). In that 
action, the Agency also stated that it plans to consider potential new 
requirements for ensuring the integrity of distribution systems.
    To initiate the revision process, EPA has compiled available 
information on the potential public health impacts of a range of 
distribution system issues and has also compiled information on issues 
with the existing TCR requirements where opportunities may exist for 
reductions in the implementation burden, while maintaining or improving 
public health protection. EPA has also compiled information and 
conducted workshops on determining the potential exposures resulting 
from contamination of the finished water in the distribution system.
    In this notice, EPA is announcing that the Agency is convening a 
technical workshop to discuss available data on understanding risks in 
drinking water

[[Page 78204]]

distribution systems, as well as to discuss data to characterize 
potential TCR implementation problems. As part of this workshop, EPA is 
seeking information and analytic approaches for characterizing risks 
posed by the distribution system. Major topics of discussion in the 
workshop may include public health perspectives on distribution 
systems, distribution system physical integrity and water quality 
issues such as cross connections, backflow, intrusion, and biofilm, and 
TCR implementation and compliance analysis.
    Depending on the outcome of the workshop, EPA will consider 
convening a Federal Advisory Committee to provide advice and 
recommendations on how best to utilize available information for 
potential revisions to the TCR and to address public health risk from 
contamination of distribution systems.
    Membership on Potential Federal Advisory Committee: If EPA were to 
establish a Federal Advisory Committee, the Agency would consider for 
membership stakeholders with viewpoints on issues related to 
distribution systems and the TCR and the potential impact that could 
result from an Agency action on those issues including, but not be 
limited to, representatives of Federal, State and local public health 
and regulatory agencies, Native American tribes, large and small 
drinking water suppliers, consumer, environmental and public health 
organizations, and local elected officials. EPA encourages those 
organizations and individuals interested in participating in the 
potential Federal Advisory Committee to attend the workshop.
    EPA anticipates that, if a Federal Advisory Committee is 
established, the terms of the members would likely be two years. EPA 
anticipates that meetings would be held at least quarterly, with 
additional conference calls in between the meetings.
    Nomination of a Member: Any interested person or organization may 
nominate individuals for membership. Nominees should be identified by 
name, occupation, position, address and telephone number. To be 
considered, all nominations must include a current resume providing the 
nominee's background, experience, and qualifications.
    If a Federal Advisory Committee were to be established, copies of 
the Committee Charter would be filed with the appropriate congressional 
committees and the Library of Congress and the establishment of a 
Committee would be announced in a separate Federal Register Notice 
(FRN). The Agency expects to address proposed revisions to the TCR and 
any additional distribution system requirements in a separate FRN.

Special Accommodations

    Any person needing special accommodations at the technical 
workshop, including wheelchair access, should contact Jini Mohanty at 
the number or email address listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this notice. Requests for special accommodations 
should be made at least ten days in advance of the meeting.

    Dated: December 21, 2006.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. E6-22302 Filed 12-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P