2024-27730. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Annual Public Water Systems Compliance Report (Renewal)

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Environmental Protection Agency

1. [EPA-HQ-OECA-2020-0020; FRL-12443-01-OMS]

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Annual Public Water Systems Compliance Report (EPA ICR Number 1812.08, OMB Control Number 2020-0020) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2024. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on March 13, 2024 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

DATES:

Comments may be submitted on or before December 27, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OECA-2020-0020, to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by email to [e-mail], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.

EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the ( print page 93574) proposed information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Chen, Monitoring, Assistance, and Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, MC-2227A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: [phone]; email address: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2024. 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.

Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on March 13, 2024 during a 60-day comment period (89 FR 18407). This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Supporting documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/​dockets.

Abstract: Section 1414(c)(3)(A) of the Safe Drinking Water Act requires that each state that has primary enforcement authority under the Act shall prepare, make readily available to the public, and submit to the Administrator of EPA, an annual report of violations of national primary drinking water regulations in the state. The states' reports are to include violations of maximum contaminant levels, treatment requirements, variances and exemptions, and monitoring requirements determined to be significant by the Administrator after consultation with the states. To minimize a state's burden in preparing its annual statutorily required report, EPA issued guidance that explains what Section 1414(c)(3)(A) requires and provides model language and reporting templates. EPA also annually makes available to the states a computer query that generates for each state (from information states are already separately required to submit to EPA's national database on a quarterly basis) the required violations information in a table consistent with the reporting template in EPAs guidance.

Form Numbers: None.

Respondents/affected entities: Entities that are potentially affected by this action are states that have primacy enforcement authority and meet the definition of “state” under the SDWA.

Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory under Section 1414(c)(3)(A) of SDWA.

Estimated number of respondents: 55 (total).

Frequency of response: Annually.

Total estimated burden: 4,400 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).

Total estimated cost: $730,000 (per year), which includes $0 annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.

Changes in the Estimates: There is no change in burden hours from the most recently approved. This is due to two considerations. First, the requirements under SDWA have not changed over the past three years and are not anticipated to change over the next three years. Secondly, the number of states, territories or tribes with primacy has not changed, and is not anticipated to change over the next three years, so there is no significant change in the overall burden. The costs have increased solely due to increases in labor rates, see Tables 1 and 2 for further information.

Courtney Kerwin,

Director, Information Engagement Division.