00-14270. Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY:

Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of data collection submission.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR described the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before July 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

Comments on this information collection should be submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington D.C. 20503. A copy of your comments should also be directed to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention Ms. Nancy Purdy, Contract and Repayment Specialist, Lower Colorado Dams Facilities Office, P.O. Box 60400, Boulder City, NV 89006.

Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives of officials of organizations or businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information or a copy of the proposed collection of information, contact Ms. Nancy Purdy at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of Reclamation, including whether the information shall have practical use; (b) the accuracy of Reclamation's estimated burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, use, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Title: Diversons, Return Flow, and Consumptive Use of Colorado River Water in the Lower Colorado River Basin.

OMB No.: 1006-0015.

Abstract: Reclamation delivers Colorado River water to water users for diversion and beneficial consumptive use in the States of Arizona, California, and Nevada. Under Supreme Court order, the United States is required, at least annually, to prepare and maintain complete, detailed, and accurate records of diversions of water, return flow, and consumptive use. This information is needed to ensure that a State or a water user within a State does not exceed its authorized use of Colorado River water. Water users are obligated to provide information on diversions and return flows to Reclamation by provisions in their water delivery contracts. Reclamation determines the consumptive use by subtracting return flow from diversions or by other engineering means. Without the information collected, Reclamation could not comply with the order of the United States Supreme Court to prepare and maintain detailed and accurate records of diversions, return flow, and consumptive use.

Description of respondents: The Lower Basin States (Arizona, California, and Nevada), local and tribal entities, water districts, and individuals that use Colorado River water.

Frequency: Annually, or otherwise as determined by the Secretary of the Interior.

Estimated completion time: An average of 6 hours per respondent.

Annual responses: 54 respondents.

Annual burden hours: 290.

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. Reclamation will display a valid OMB control number on the forms. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on February 15, 2000 (65 FR 7562). Reclamation did not receive any comments on this collection of information during the comment period.

OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information collection, but may respond after 30 days, therefore, public comment should be submitted to OMB within 30 days in order to assure maximum consideration.

Murlin Coffey,

Manager, Property and Office Services,