[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 169 (Thursday, August 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44268-44269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18856]


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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0026; FRL-9983-03-OW]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
National Water Quality Inventory Reports (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``National Water Quality 
Inventory Reports (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 1560.11, OMB Control No. 
2040-0071) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Before 
submitting the ICR to OMB, EPA is soliciting public comments on 
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described 
below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through March 31, 2019. 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 October 29, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2003-0026, 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: Cynthia N. Johnson, Watershed 
Restoration, Assessment and Protection Division (WRAPD), Office of 
Water, Mail Code: 4503T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-
1679; fax number: 202-566-1336; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents that 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: The Clean Water Act Section 305(b) reports contain 
information on whether waters assessed by a state meet the state's 
water quality standards, and, when waters are impaired, the pollutants 
and potential sources affecting water quality. This information helps 
State's and the public track progress in addressing water pollution. 
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires States to identify and

[[Page 44269]]

rank waters that cannot meet water quality standards (WQS) following 
the implementation of technology-based controls. Under Section 303(d), 
States are also required to establish total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) 
for listed waters not meeting standards because of pollutant 
discharges. In developing the Section 303(d) lists, States are required 
to consider various sources of water quality related data and 
information, including the Section 305(b) State water quality reports. 
Section 106(e) requires that states annually update monitoring data and 
use it in their Section 305(b) report. Section 314(a) requires states 
to report on the condition of their publicly owned lakes within the 
Section 305(b) report.
    Pursuant to the Clean Water Act and its implementing regulations, 
EPA's WRAPD works with its Regional counterparts to review and approve 
or disapprove State Section 303(d) lists and TMDLs from 56 respondents 
(the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the five Territories). 
Section 303(d) specifically requires States to develop lists and TMDLs, 
and EPA is to review and approve or disapprove the lists and the TMDLs. 
EPA also collects State 305(b) reports from 59 respondents (the 50 
States, the District of Columbia, five Territories, and 3 River Basin 
Commissions).
    Tribes are not required to submit Section 305(b) reports. However, 
to meet the needs of Tribes at all levels of development, EPA has 
prepared guidance that presents the basic steps a Tribe should take to 
collect the water quality information it needs to make effective 
decisions about its program, its goals and its future directions. 
Tribal water quality monitoring and reporting activities are covered 
under the Section 106 Tribal Grants Program and are not included in the 
burden estimates for this ICR. In addition, ICR number 2553.02 
``Treatment of Indian Tribes in a Similar Manner as States for Purposes 
of Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (Final Rule)'' addresses the 
Tribes' CWA Section 303(d) Impaired Water Listing and TMDL TAS 
application and 303(d) Program implementation burden, as well as EPA's 
burden for reviewing the Tribes' applications and 303(d) Program 
submittals.
    During the period covered by this ICR renewal, respondents will: 
Complete their 2020 Section 305(b) reports and 2020 Section 303(d) 
lists; complete their 2022 Section 305(b) reports and 2022 Section 
303(d) lists; transmit annual electronic updates of ambient monitoring 
data via the Water Quality Exchange; and continue to develop TMDLs 
according to their established schedules. EPA will prepare biennial 
updates on assessed and impaired waters for Congress and the public for 
the 2020 reporting cycle and for the 2022 cycle, and EPA will review 
303(d) list and TMDL submissions from respondents.
    The burdens of specific activities that States undertake as part of 
their Section 305(b) and 303(d) programs are derived from a project 
among EPA, States and other interested stakeholders to develop a tool 
for estimating the States' resource needs for State water quality 
management programs. This project has developed the State Water Quality 
Management Workload Model (SWQMWM), which estimates and sums the 
workload involved in more than one hundred activities or tasks 
comprising a State water quality management program. Over twenty States 
contributed information about their activities that became the basis 
for the model. According to the SWQMWM, to meet Section 305(b) and 
303(d) reporting requirements the States will conduct: Watershed 
monitoring and characterization; modeling and analysis; development of 
Section 303(d) lists and TMDLs for public review; public outreach; 
formal public participation; tracking; planning; legal support; etc. In 
general, respondents have conducted each of these reporting and record 
keeping activities for past Section 305(b) and 303(d) reporting cycles 
and thus have staff and procedures in place to continue their Section 
305(b) and 303(d) reporting programs. The burden associated with these 
tasks is estimated in this ICR to include the total number of TMDLs 
that may be submitted during the period covered by this ICR.
    Form numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this action are States, Territories and Tribes with Clean Water Act 
(CWA) responsibilities.
    Respondent 's obligation to respond: Mandatory: Integrated Water 
Quality Inventory Reports (Clean Water Act Sections 305(b), 303(d), 
314(a), and 106(e)).
    Estimated number of respondents: 59 (total).
    Frequency of response: Biennial.
    Total estimated burden: 3,740,017 (per year) hours. Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $214,524,738 (per year), includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in estimates: There is no change of hours in the total 
estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by 
OMB, published on March 1, 2016. EPA has completed phase 1 of the Water 
Quality' Framework, which is a new way of integrating EPA's data and 
information systems to more effectively support reporting and tracking 
water quality protection and restoration actions. Phase 1 streamlined 
water quality assessment and reporting by reducing transactions 
associated with paper copy reviews and increasing electronic data 
exchange. The system to support this new electronic reporting was 
released to support the 2018 reporting cycle in April of 2018. Because 
this is the first year that the new reporting method is being used, EPA 
will use this reporting cycle to gather information on reporting burden 
using this new approach. EPA expects the new approach will result in a 
reduction in reporting burden, but does not have enough information at 
this time to quantify the reduction. EPA will use the information 
collected on reporting burden from the 2018 cycle to revise the ICR 
burden estimates in the next iteration of this ICR.

    Dated: August 22, 2018.
John Goodin,
Acting Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds.
[FR Doc. 2018-18856 Filed 8-29-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P