[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 220 (Thursday, November 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78780-78781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25249]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX23DJ56UFK1000]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments on 
the USGS Water Use Data Acquisition

AGENCY: U. S. Geological Survey, Department of the 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 a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 16, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to Cheryl Dieter, USGS Maryland-Delaware-DC Water Science 
Center, 5522 Research Park Drive, Catonsville, MD 21228, or by email at 
[email protected]. Please reference `OMB Information Collection 1028--
NEW USGS Water Use Data Acquisition' in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Cheryl Dieter by mail at Maryland-Delaware-DC 
Water Science Center, 5522 Research Park Drive, Catonsville, MD 21228; 
by email at [email protected], or by telephone at 443-883-0761. 
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 https://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), all information collections require 
approval. We may not conduct or sponsor, nor are you required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
new, 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 especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How the agency might 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 response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personally identifiable information (PII) in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us 
to withhold your PII from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: This notice identifies an information collection activity 
that the USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program has submitted 
to OMB for approval to collect information on the use of water 
resources in the United States. The information is used by USGS 
scientists to estimate water use in several categories including (but 
not limited to) public-supply, domestic, irrigation, thermoelectric-
cooling, industrial, mining, aquaculture, and livestock applications. 
USGS national water-use estimates are disseminated to stakeholders and 
the general public on an ongoing basis and fulfill requirements of the 
SECURE Water Act. The information also supports regional and national 
water-availability studies in the United States. The USGS has produced 
estimates of annual water use by category aggregated at the county- and 
state level every five years since 1950. For 2020, models will be used 
to produce the estimates and they will be made at a higher temporal and 
spatial resolution than previous years' estimates. Model estimates are 
dependent on validation using the data collected nationally for 
specific water-use facilities. USGS water-use specialists will request 
reported water-use data annually from non-federal agencies. This 
collection also aims to request data from facilities on an ad hoc basis 
to acquire data for categories of use or locations where state-reported 
data are not sufficient for estimating water use. Respondents can 
provide relevant data in a variety of electronic formats, usually via 
websites, file sharing, or email. Information will also be gathered on 
the water-use data-delivery needs of USGS water-use stakeholders and 
other end users.
    Title of Collection: USGS Water Use Data Acquisition.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.
    Form Number: DI-3680.
    Type of Review: New collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State and local government agencies, 
Individuals or households, businesses, Tribal governments.

Water-Resource Agencies

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 300.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 300.
    Initial contact: 150 with completion time of 1 minute.
    Data submission: 150 with completion time of 4 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 603 hours.

Water-Use Facilities

    Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 7,500.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 7,500.
    Initial contact: 5,000 with completion time of 1 minute.
    Data submission: 2,500 with completion time of 4 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 10,084 hours.

Individual Water Users

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1,500.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 7,000.
    Initial contact: 1,000 with completion time of 1 minute.
    Data submission: 6,000 with completion time of 0.5 hours.

[[Page 78781]]

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 3,017 hours.

Data End-Users

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 300.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 300.
    Initial contact: 150 with completion time of 1 minute.
    Data submission: 150 with completion time of 15 minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 41 hours.

Totals Combining All Four Information-Collection Components

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 9,600.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 15,100.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 1 minute-4 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 13,745 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Once per year, except monthly for 
individual water-user reporting component.
    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.

Donald W. Cline,
U.S. Geological Survey, Associate Director for Water.
[FR Doc. 2023-25249 Filed 11-15-23; 8:45 am]
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