98-111. EPA's National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 225-226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-111]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5946-2]


EPA's National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Announcement of a Joint Requirements Planning Meeting on the 
National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has scheduled a 
three-day Joint Requirements Planning (JRP) meeting on EPA's 
development of a National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Data 
Base (NCOD). The JRP is a structured meeting designed to gather 
requirements on a new information system from a varied body of 
stakeholders with an interest in the system. At the upcoming meeting, 
EPA is seeking review and comment from key national, state, individual 
stakeholders, and other interested parties concerning the data elements 
to be included in the development of the NCOD.

DATES: The Joint Requirements Planning Meeting on the National Drinking 
Water Contaminant Occurrence Data Base will be held on January 26-28, 
1998 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the EPA Systems Development 
Center (SDC), Suite 300, conference rooms 1-3. The SDC is located at 
200 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA. For additional information, please 
contact Harriet Colbert, at phone: [phone], fax: [phone], 
or by e-mail at [e-mail]. Members of the public 
wishing to attend the meeting may register by phone by contacting 
Harriet Colbert by January 16, 1998.


[[Page 226]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information and logistics for the 
meeting, please contact Harriet Colbert, at phone: [phone], fax: 
[phone], or by e-mail at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background on the National Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence 
Data Base

    Section 126(g)(1) of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 
(SDWA) requires the Administrator to assemble and maintain a National 
Drinking Water Contaminant Occurrence Database (NCOD) by using 
information on the occurrence of both regulated and unregulated 
contaminants in public water systems and reliable information from 
other public and private sources. This NCOD will be a collection of 
data of documented quality on unregulated and regulated chemical or 
microbial contaminants likely to occur in drinking water systems. The 
purpose of the data system is to support the identification and 
selection of contaminants for future regulation or other appropriate 
actions and to support the review of existing regulations for possible 
modification. The database must be developed no later than three years 
after the date of enactment of the SDWA Amendments. Therefore, SDWA 
requires the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) to 
develop the NCOD by August 6, 1999.

B. Request for Stakeholder Involvement

    At the May 1997 NCOD Stakeholders meeting, there was general 
concurrence that the primary user of the database will be EPA. 
Stakeholders such as industry, environmental groups, states, and the 
general public are secondary users. As a result of the meeting, the 
NCOD Team established a system development strategy. The strategy will 
serve as a ``road map'' over the next two years for developing the 
first release of the data base to meet the statutory requirements. One 
of the major steps in implementing the development strategy is to 
determine what the needs are and specify what types of data are 
required to meet those needs. User requirements will serve as the 
foundation upon which the database will be developed.
    Discussion materials will be available at the meeting. The main 
issue for discussion at the meeting will be the review and comment on 
data elements that are needed to allow sound scientific analysis to 
support contaminant identification, contaminant selection, regulatory 
development, and regulatory re-examination. The data elements were 
identified at two previous JRP meetings held in October and November, 
1997. The first was for EPA staff interested in the NCOD. The draft 
baseline set of data elements were identified at that meeting. The 
second meeting was with EPA stakeholders to review and comment on the 
draft baseline data elements. The third and final JRP will combine the 
attendees of both previous meetings and additional interested parties.
    The public is invited to provide comments on the issue listed above 
or other issues related to the National Drinking Water Contaminant 
Occurrence Data Base during the January 26-28 meeting.

    Dated: December 29, 1997.
William R. Diamond,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 98-111 Filed 1-2-98; 8:45 am]
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