[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 30 (Wednesday, February 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10766-10767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03067]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0751; FRL-9959-31-OW]


Extension of Public Comment Period: Draft Human Health 
Recreational Ambient Water Quality Criteria and/or Swimming Advisories 
for Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the 
comment period for the Draft Human Health Recreational Ambient Water 
Quality Criteria and/or Swimming Advisories for Microcystins and 
Cylindrospermopsin. In response to stakeholder requests, the comment 
period will be extended for an additional 31 days, from February 17, 
2017 to March 20, 2017.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 20, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2016-0751, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or withdrawn. EPA 
may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 
accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the 
official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish 
to make. EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents 
located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or 
other file sharing system). For additional submission methods, the full 
EPA public comment policy, information about CBI or multimedia 
submissions, and general guidance on making effective comments, please 
visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Ravenscroft, Health and 
Ecological Criteria Division, Office of Water (Mail Code 4304T), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1101; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 19, 2016 (81 FR 91929), EPA 
announced the availability of the Draft Human Health Recreational 
Ambient Water Quality Criteria and/or Swimming Advisories for 
Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin, and opened a 60-day public review 
and comment period. During the comment period, EPA is soliciting 
additional scientific views, data, and information regarding the 
science and technical approach used in the derivation of the draft 
Human Health Recreational Ambient Water Quality Criteria and/or 
Swimming Advisories for Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin document. 
EPA is proposing that these recommended criteria, if adopted by States 
or authorized Tribes as CWA section 303(c) WQS, be used for CWA section 
303(d) assessment and listing purposes where the magnitude is not 
exceeded for more than 10 percent of days during a recreational season 
up to one calendar year as an indicator of long-term impairment from 
multiple short-term blooms. EPA is soliciting public comment on this 10 
percent exceedance

[[Page 10767]]

frequency as well as alternative exceedance frequencies. For swimming 
advisories, EPA is proposing that these recommended values could be 
used to trigger public notification whenever values are exceeded for 
one day. EPA is soliciting public comment on this recommended single 
day exceedance as well as alternative exceedance frequencies.
    The original deadline to submit comments was February 17, 2017. 
This action extends the comment period for 31 days, for a total of 91 
days of public comment. Written comments must now be received by March 
20, 2017. The draft report and other supporting materials may also be 
viewed and downloaded from EPA's Web site at https://www.epa.gov/wqc/microbial-pathogenrecreational-water-quality-criteria#swimming.

    Dated: February 2, 2017.
Michael Shapiro,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 2017-03067 Filed 2-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P