

[Federal Register: July 19, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 138)]
[Notices]
[Page 41012-41013]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19jy06-70]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0035; FRL-8199-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Survey of Drinking Water
Treatment Facilities; EPA ICR No. 2176.01, OMB Control No. 2040-XXXX

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)(44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new collection.
The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of the
information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before August 18,
2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2004-0035, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by e-mail to OW-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket

Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket (Mail Code
4101T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB
by mail to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. M. Ahmar Siddiqui, Office of Water
(Mail Code 4303T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1044; fax
number: (202) 566-1053; e-mail address: siddiqui.ahmar@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR
1320.12. On July 5, 2005 (70 FR 38675), EPA sought comments on this ICR
pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received several comments during the
comment period from trade associations, utilities, state agencies, and
private citizens, which are addressed in this ICR. Any additional
comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days
of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0035, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water Docket in the

EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-1744, and the
telephone number for the Water Docket is 202-566-2426.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at
http://www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the

index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives

them and without change, unless the comment contains

[[Page 41013]]

copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure
is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

    Title: Survey of Drinking Water Treatment Facilities.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2176.01, OMB Control No. 2040-XXXX.
    ICR Status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity.
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. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations
in title 40 of the CFR are displayed either by publication in the
Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such as on the related
collection instrument or form, if applicable. The display of OMB
control numbers in certain EPA regulations is consolidated in 40 CFR
part 9.
    Abstract: In its 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan (September
2, 2004; 69 FR 53705), which EPA published under Clean Water Act (CWA)
section 304(m), EPA identified the ``drinking water treatment point
source category'' as a candidate for rulemaking. EPA is collecting
information from drinking water treatment facilities to develop
effluent guidelines or pretreatment standards necessary to control the
discharge of toxic and non-conventional pollutants into surface waters
of the United States and to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).
    In order to inform the rulemaking process, EPA is conducting
several data collection activities. The technical survey announced in
this Federal Register notice would provide EPA with preliminary
technical data needed to quantify any adverse environmental impacts of
the discharges of residuals and metals from drinking water treatment
facilities and to obtain information about finished water production
and current residuals generation and management techniques.
    The technical survey is composed of a questionnaire. The
questionnaire would allow EPA to collect information from facilities
that serve populations greater than 10,000. EPA would use data from the
questionnaire to better classify drinking water treatment facilities by
treatment practices, residuals characteristics, and residuals
management methods. EPA expects to collect additional information from
some of the recipients of the questionnaire announced today through a
follow-up detailed questionnaire.
    If approved, the survey will be administered under authority of
section 308 of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1318. As a result, all recipients of
the questionnaire would be required to complete and return the
questionnaire to EPA. 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.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 6.7
hours per unique response to the questionnaire. Burden means the total
time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate,
maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a
Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions;
develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the
purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information,
processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing
information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously
applicable instructions and requirements which have subsequently
changed; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of
information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of
information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: The respondents affected by this
information collection request are drinking water treatment plants that
generated residuals in 2005. More specifically, the recipients of the
questionnaire would be drinking water treatment utilities serving
populations in excess of 10,000.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 618.
    Frequency of Response: This is a one-time information collection.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 4,143.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $145,544, includes $6,732 annualized
capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: Because this is a request for a new ICR,
there is no change in the number of hours in the total estimated burden
currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens.

    Dated: July 11, 2006.
Sara Hisel McCoy,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
 [FR Doc. E6-11432 Filed 7-18-06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
