[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 198 (Monday, October 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48077-48078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22350]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ -OW-2002-0011; FRL-9969-53-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Laboratory Quality Assurance Evaluation Program for Analysis of 
Cryptosporidium Under the Safe Drinking Water Act (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Laboratory Quality Assurance 
Evaluation Program for Analysis of Cryptosporidium Under the Safe 
Drinking Water Act'' (EPA ICR No. 2067.06, OMB Control No. 2040-0246) 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is 
soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed 
information collection request as described below. This is a proposed 
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through March 31, 
2018. 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 15, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2002-0011, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by 
email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Hautman, Technical Support Center 
(TSC), Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, (MC-140), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, 
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; telephone number: 513-569-7274; fax number: 
513-569-7191; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
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. 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. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: Under the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment 
Rule (LT2ESWTR), EPA requires public water systems (PWSs) to use 
approved laboratories when conducting Cryptosporidium monitoring. The 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 141.705(a) provides for 
approval of Cryptosporidium laboratories by ``an equivalent'' state 
laboratory certification program (i.e., equivalent to EPA's Laboratory 
Quality Assurance Evaluation Program). In the preamble to the LT2ESWTR 
as well as several other notices, EPA has described the criteria for 
approval of laboratories to analyze Cryptosporidium samples under the 
LT2ESWTR. See the following Federal Register notices: 78 FR 54643 
(September 5, 2013), 74 FR 8529 (February 25, 2009), 71 FR 727 (January 
5, 2006) and 67 FR 9731 (March 4, 2002).

[[Page 48078]]

    State responsibilities for Cryptosporidium laboratory approval and 
oversight will be comparable to their certification responsibilities 
for the chemistry and microbiology laboratories that they oversee in 
their current programs (e.g., initial evaluation of laboratory 
capability; ongoing assessment of the laboratory--including an 
assessment of Proficiency Test results; and on-site audits, at least 
triennially). Whereas 40 CFR 142.10(b) generally requires the 
establishment and maintenance of a laboratory ``certification'' program 
for all regulated analytes, state approval programs for Cryptosporidium 
laboratories are optional based on the structure of the LT2ESWTR (40 
CFR 141.705(a)).
    If a laboratory is located in a state that does not operate a 
Cryptosporidium laboratory certification/accreditation program, that 
laboratory can still support LT2ESWTR monitoring if the laboratory has 
been approved by another state's laboratory certification/accreditation 
program that: (1) Has demonstrated substantial conformity to procedures 
described in Chapter 7 of ``Supplement 2 to the Fifth Edition of the 
Manual for the Certification of Laboratories Analyzing Drinking Water'' 
https://www.epa.gov/dwlabcert/supplement-2-fifth-edition-manual-certification-laboratories-analyzing-drinking-water; and (2) uses 
auditors that have passed EPA's Technical Support Center's (TSC) 
Cryptosporidium Laboratory Certification Officers Training Course. PWSs 
should be aware that their states may establish requirements that are 
more stringent than EPA's regulations; state requirements would take 
precedence.
    Consistent with the longstanding laboratory certification program 
approach, and resources-permitting, TSC will: (1) Train state/regional 
Certification Officers (CO) responsible for auditing Cryptosporidium 
laboratories; (2) provide written guidance to state/regional COs; (3) 
provide day-to-day technical support to states, EPA Regions, and 
laboratories; (4) review/assist the regional programs that oversee 
state certification/accreditation programs; and (5) maintain a list of 
links to state Web sites naming certified laboratories and/or a list of 
certified laboratories on EPA's Web site.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Interested states and laboratories.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 43 labs and 20 states/territories.
    Frequency of response: Annual.
    Total estimated burden: 3,741 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $669,490, includes $332,891 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is decrease of 1,731 hours and $134,284 
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR 
currently approved by OMB. This decrease is due to a reduced number of 
laboratories (45 to 43), re-evaluation of hours for tasks, and an 
improved demonstration of capability by the laboratories.

    Dated: October 4, 2017.
Peter Grevatt,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2017-22350 Filed 10-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P