[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 67 (Friday, April 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20902-20903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07303]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX23DK00GUH0300; OMB Control Number 1028-0118]


Agency Information Collection Activities; USGS Water Use Data and 
Research Program Announcement

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to revise an information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1028-
0118 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Erik A. Smith by email at [email protected], or 
by telephone at 512-466-8697. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States. You may also view the ICR at 
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq. and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide the general public and other 
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, 
and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the 
impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the 
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format.
    We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described 
below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following issues:
    (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the 
USGS;
    (2) Will this information be processed and used in a timely manner;
    (3) Is the estimate of burden accurate;
    (4) How the USGS might enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and
    (4) How the USGS might minimize the burden of this collection on 
the respondents, including through the use of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personally identifiable information 
(PII) in your

[[Page 20903]]

comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us 
in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The USGS is authorized under SECURE Water Act section 
9508 to assist state water-resource agencies with improving their 
water-use data collection activities. The USGS has implemented the 
Water Use Data and Research program (WUDR) to work with state water 
agencies in gathering and analyzing their data and assists this effort 
via cooperative agreements. The WUDR will work to improve the 
collection and reporting of water-use categories by state agencies, 
including categories of water use that were previously discontinued due 
to limited resources. This collection will be used in reports to 
Congress on water resources in the Nation. Program authorization is 
$1,500,000 per year.
    Cooperative agreements will be announced and awarded as part of a 
competitive process that will be guided, annually, by a technical 
committee whose members will include representatives from the 
stakeholder community as well as the USGS. WUDR funds will be 
coordinated with a single agency in each state.
    Revision: As part of the ongoing efforts to include the collection 
and sharing of water use data, a nationwide data-sharing feasibility 
study of State and Territory agencies that provide water-use 
information to the USGS will be conducted. This study will investigate 
the water-use data availability and identify barriers that may prevent 
State and Territory agencies from sharing water-use data, in particular 
site-specific water-use data. Example feasibility study questions 
include the following: (1) whether water-use location data (latitude/
longitude for example) is available to the public, and if so, the 
format of availability to the public (e.g., website, publication, 
accessible paper files); (2) sharing the water-use data with other 
agencies, such as the USGS, and any restrictions for sharing data (such 
as location and/or water quantity); (3) if information on quantities of 
water used, such as withdrawals, wastewater return, and sales/
deliveries between users, is available to the public, and if so, the 
restrictions on water-quantity data such as categories of use or time 
intervals.
    Collaboration and coordination with USGS personnel will be required 
as part of the WUDR program. Data must be stored electronically and 
made available in machine-readable formats that can be incorporated 
into USGS databases. Additionally, methods used for data collection 
(estimated values, coefficients, etc.) and a description of data 
quality assurance and control must be provided to the USGS.
    Title of Collection: USGS Water Use Data and Research Program 
Announcement.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0118.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State water-resource agencies that 
collect water-use data.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: WUDR estimates that 
30 respondents (states) will read the Program Announcement, 12 
respondents will submit applications, 10 respondents will submit semi-
annual progress reports and a final technical report, and 40 
respondents (states) will respond to the water-use data-sharing 
feasibility study.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 12 applications; 20 
progress reports, 10 final technical reports, 40 respondents to water 
use data sharing feasibility study.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Read Program announcement: 
1 hour; prepare applications: 40 hours; progress reports: 4 hours; 
final technical report: 24 hours; water use data sharing feasibility 
study: 8 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,150 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Response is required to be eligible to 
receive funding, but it is voluntary to respond to the water-use data-
sharing feasibility study.
    Frequency of Collection: Program Announcements are published 
annually. Proposals are submitted annually by State water-resource 
agencies wishing to compete for funding through the annual Program 
Announcement. State water-resource agencies that receive a cooperative 
agreement must submit semi-annual progress reports and a final 
technical report. State water-resource agencies that respond to the 
water-use data-sharing feasibility study will only need to respond once 
with potential clarification questions on study responses.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Cory Angeroth,
Deputy Program Coordinator, on behalf of Melinda Dalton, Program 
Coordinator, USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-07303 Filed 4-6-23; 8:45 am]
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