[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 104 (Thursday, May 30, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25026-25027]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11168]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 141

[FRL-9994-44-OW]


Notification of a Public Meeting and Webinar: Development of the 
Fifth Proposed Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) for 
Public Water Systems

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Announcement of a public meeting and webinar.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) 
Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, Standards and Risk 
Management Division's Technical Support Center announces a public 
meeting and webinar to discuss potential approaches to developing the 
proposal for the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) 
for public drinking water systems. The EPA will discuss issues related 
to UCMR 5, including: The impacts of the America's Water Infrastructure 
Act of 2018; analytical methods and analytes the Agency is considering, 
including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); sampling design; 
minimum reporting levels; and other possible requirements.

DATES: The EPA will hold the public meeting and webinar on July 16, 
2019, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (local time) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Persons 
wishing to attend the meeting in-person or online via the webinar must 
register in advance no later than July 11, 2019, as described in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 
45268. Information about attending the meeting in-person can be found 
in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section (of this document).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public who wish to 
receive further information about the meeting and webinar or have 
questions about this document should contact Brenda Bowden or Melissa 
Simic, Technical Support Center, Standards and Risk Management 
Division, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (MS 140), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, 
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268; telephone numbers: (513) 569-7961 or (513) 569-
7864; email addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. 
Information about registration and participation in the meeting and 
webinar can be found in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section (of this 
document) and on the EPA's Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program 
Meetings and Materials website at: https://www.epa.gov/dwucmr/unregulated-contaminant-monitoring-rule-ucmr-meetings-and-materials.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. How may I participate in this meeting?

    Persons wishing to attend the meeting in-person or online via the 
webinar must register in advance no later than July 11, 2019, by going 
to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/public-meeting-and-webinar-development-of-the-proposed-unregulated-contaminant-monitoring-rule-ucmr-tickets-60889170147. The agenda for the public meeting and webinar 
will include time for public statements. To ensure adequate time for 
public statements, individuals or organizations interested in providing 
input should mention their request when they register. All presentation 
materials should be emailed to [email protected] no later 
than July 11, 2019, so that the information can be incorporated into 
the webinar. We ask that only one person present the statement on 
behalf of a group or organization and that the statement be limited to 
ten minutes. Additional statements from attendees will be taken if time 
permits or can be sent to [email protected] after the public 
meeting and webinar. The number of seats and webinar connections 
available for the meeting is limited and will be available on a first-
come, first-served basis.
    Because this meeting is being held at a U.S. Government facility, 
individuals planning to attend the meeting in-person should be prepared 
to show valid photo identification to the security staff in order to 
gain access to the meeting room. Please note that the REAL ID Act, 
passed by Congress in 2005, established new requirements for entering 
federal facilities. For purposes of the REAL ID Act, the EPA will 
accept government-issued IDs, including driver's licenses, from the 
District of Columbia and all States and Territories except from 
American Samoa. If your identification is issued by American Samoa, you 
must present an additional form of identification to enter the federal 
building where the public meeting will be held. Acceptable alternative 
forms of identification include: Federal employee badges, passports, 
enhanced driver's licenses, and military identification cards. For 
additional information on the status of your State regarding REAL ID, 
go to: https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-frequently-asked-questions. Any 
objects brought into the building need to fit through the security 
screening system, such as a purse, laptop bag, or small backpack. 
Demonstrations will not be allowed on federal property for security 
reasons. This meeting will be simultaneously broadcast as a webinar, 
available through the internet.

B. How can I get a copy of the meeting and webinar materials?

    The meeting materials will be sent by email to the registered 
attendees prior to the public meeting and webinar; copies will also be 
provided for attendees at the meeting. Materials will be posted to the 
EPA's website at: (https://www.epa.gov/dwucmr/unregulated-contaminant-monitoring-rule-ucmr-meetings-and-materials) following the meeting.

[[Page 25027]]

C. Special Accommodations

    Individuals with disabilities who wish to attend the meeting in-
person can request special accommodations by contacting 
[email protected] no later than July 11, 2019.

II. Background

    The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to promulgate rules 
requiring monitoring of drinking water supplied by public water systems 
and establishing criteria every five years for a monitoring program for 
unregulated contaminants in drinking water. The EPA published the 
fourth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 4) on December 20, 
2016 (81 FR 92666). The EPA plans to propose the fifth rule, UCMR 5, 
which is the subject of this meeting, in 2020 and publish the final 
rule by December 2021. In the EPA's Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances 
(PFAS) Action Plan, published in February 2019, the Agency stated the 
EPA's intention to propose monitoring for PFAS in UCMR 5, utilizing 
newer methods at lower minimum reporting levels than previously 
possible.
    UCMR monitoring varies based on system size, source water, and 
contaminants likely to be found. Under current EPA regulations, all 
systems serving more than 10,000 people must monitor for specified 
unregulated contaminants, while only a representative sample of systems 
serving 10,000 or fewer persons must monitor (40 CFR part 141, subpart 
E). Section 1445 of the Safe Drinking Water Act was recently amended by 
Public Law 115-270, America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA), 
and now specifies that, subject to the availability of appropriations 
for such purpose and appropriate laboratory capacity, the EPA must 
require all systems serving between 3,300 and 10,000 persons to monitor 
and ensure that only a representative sample of systems serving fewer 
than 3,300 persons are required to monitor.

    Dated: May 17, 2019.
Jennifer L. McLain,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2019-11168 Filed 5-29-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P