[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12227-12228]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4825]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 141 and 142

[FRL-9641-3]


Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule: Uncovered 
Finished Water Reservoirs; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a public 
meeting on April 24, 2012, concerning information that may inform the 
regulatory review of the uncovered finished water reservoir requirement 
in the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2 rule). At 
this meeting, EPA will provide background information on the LT2 rule's 
uncovered finished water reservoir requirement and the agency's Six 
Year Review process. EPA also plans to discuss and solicit public input 
on data and information related to microbial occurrence of 
Cryptosporidium, Giardia, viruses, and other pathogens/indicators in 
uncovered finished water reservoirs; public health risks; strategies to 
control or remove contaminants in uncovered finished water reservoirs; 
and potential assessment approaches to determine the effectiveness of 
these control and/or removal strategies. The primary focus of this 
meeting is to have a scientific and technical discussion related to 
uncovered finished water reservoirs. EPA will consider the data and/or 
information discussed at this meeting during the agency's review of the 
LT2 rule, which the agency announced as part of EPA's Retrospective 
Review Plan under Executive Order (E.O.) 13563 in August 2011.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 (8 
a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the EPA East Building, 
Room 1153, 1201 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical inquiries, contact, 
C[eacute]sar Cordero, Standards and Risk Management Division, Office of 
Ground Water and Drinking Water (MC 4607M), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460 at (202) 564-
3716 or [email protected]. For more information about the LT2 rule 
or the Six Year Review Process, visit: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/lt2/ or http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/regulatingcontaminants/sixyearreview/index.cfm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the LT2 rule, promulgated in 
2006, is to reduce disease incidence associated with Cryptosporidium 
and other disease-causing microorganisms in drinking water. The rule 
includes requirements for public water systems to either cover an 
uncovered finished water storage facility or treat the storage facility 
discharge to address the risk of contamination. The 1996 Amendments to 
the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) require EPA to review its existing 
drinking water regulations every six years. SDWA (Section 1412(b)(9)) 
specifies that any revision to a national primary drinking water 
regulation ``shall maintain, or provide for greater, protection of the 
health of persons.'' In response to E.O. 13563, EPA announced in the 
August 2011 document, Improving Our Regulations: Final Plan for 
Periodic Review Retrospective Reviews of Existing Regulations, that the 
agency would review the LT2 rule. As part of the review, EPA plans to 
analyze information and data to evaluate the approaches for managing 
risks related to uncovered finished water reservoirs while 
``maintaining, or providing for greater, protection of the health of 
persons'' as specified in SDWA.
    The public meeting announced in this notice will be the second 
meeting related to the LT2 rule hosted by the agency in response to 
E.O. 13563. The first meeting occurred on December 7, 2011, and focused 
on analytical methods for Cryptosporidium and the source water 
monitoring data from the LT2 rule.
    This meeting is open to the public. EPA encourages public input and 
will allocate time on the agenda to receive verbal statements. EPA 
requests that participants limit statements to the topics described in 
the SUMMARY section of this notice and will hold participants to a set 
timeframe for their statements. EPA also requests that only one person 
present a statement on behalf of a group or organization. Individuals 
or organizations interested in presenting a

[[Page 12228]]

statement should notify C[eacute]sar Cordero by email at 
[email protected] no later than April 20, 2012. Individuals that 
have scientific data that they would like EPA to consider during 
regulatory review of the uncovered finished water reservoir requirement 
are encouraged to email their data to C[eacute]sar Cordero. It would be 
helpful to have the data in advance of the public meeting.
    Registration: Individuals planning to participate in the public 
meeting must register for the meeting by email at 
[email protected] no later than April 20, 2012. Teleconferencing 
will be available for individuals unable to attend the meeting in 
person. EPA will do its best to include all those interested, but may 
have to limit attendance due to room and/or teleconference size 
limitations and therefore urges people to register early. When 
registering, please include your full name, organization, phone number, 
and email address in the body of the email message and indicate whether 
you would be participating in person or via teleconference. 
Teleconference information will be emailed to registered participants 
in advance of the meeting.
    Special Accommodations: For information on access or accommodations 
for individuals with disabilities, please contact Jini Mohanty at (202) 
564-5269 or by email at [email protected]. Please allow at least 
five business days prior to the meeting to give EPA time to process 
your request.

    Dated: February 24, 2012.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2012-4825 Filed 2-28-12; 8:45 am]
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