2018-04055. Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Annual Public Water Systems Compliance Report (Renewal)

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Annual Public Water System Compliance Report (EPA ICR No. 1812.06, OMB Control No. 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 April 30, 2018. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on September 29, 2017 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its estimated burden and cost to the public. 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.

DATES:

Additional comments may be submitted on or before March 30, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OECA-2017-0438 to (1) 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, and (2) OMB via email to [e-mail]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for EPA.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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 (SDWA) requires that each state (a term that includes states, commonwealths, tribes and territories) that has primary enforcement authority under the SDWA 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. These Annual State Public Water System Compliance 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 EPA's guidance.

Form numbers: None.

Respondents/affected entities: States that have primacy enforcement authority and meet the definition of “state” under the SDWA.

Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory 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).

T otal estimated cost: $470,000 (per year), includes $0 annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.

Changes in estimates: There is no change of hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. This universe of respondents remains the same. The changes in costs are due to inflation and an increase in wages for respondents, rounded to 3 significant figures.

Courtney Kerwin,

Director, Regulatory Support Division.