These 56 generic civil works project planning questionnaires in the broad categories of flood damage, navigation, environment, customer satisfaction, public participation, operations, recreation planning, and recreation resource management are approved for three years, subject to the following conditions: 1) Wording changes to the specific questions to more accurately reflect the context of the survey are permitted. 2)Subsets or combinations of questions from one or more approved questionnaire, as applicable to the area and problem being evaluated, are permitted. 3)Each questionnaire must display the OMB control number (0710-0001) and expiration date (March 31, 2002), and must inform respondents that 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. For surveys conducted orally, this information must also be provided. 4) Each questionnaire must be submitted to OMB for final approval prior to use. OMB will complete this approval step within 10 business days. Each questionnaire should be accompanied by a brief supporting statement describing the purpose of the survey, where and when it is to be conducted, the population to be surveyed, the sample size, the sampling methodology, and references to the approved generic questionnaires and question numbers. OMB will approve all questionnaires that are consistent with the generic questionnaires in this ICR and these terms of clearance. 5)Corps Headquarters will send a memo to all District Offices informing them of the conditions for use of these questionnaires. 6)Corps Headquarters will provide a copy to OMB of the annual reports submitted by the Divisions each November summarizing their use of these questionnaires. When interpreting the results of surveys, care should be taken in extrapolating those results from the sample to a larger population. This should be done only to the extent that a statistically valid representative sample has been surveyed. This is particularly relevant for customer satisfaction surveys, which are generally designed to identify potential problems and provide qualitative guidance on ways to improve customer service, rather than to provide quantitative statistics for use in program evaluation. OMB understands that the Corps is currently developing and refining models for use in estimating potential flood control benefits, and that once opertional, such models may reduce the need to survey potential flood victims directly. OMB believes this aproach may both reduce respondent burden and yield better damage estimates, and encourages the Corps to move forward with it expeditiously.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
03/31/2002
03/31/2002
03/31/1999
112,400
0
6,400
15,923
0
3,700
0
0
0
The Corps of Engineers uses public surveys for collecting primary data for planning, program evaluation, and basic research to improve formulation and design projects and the management of their operations. Respondents are typically flooding victims, other floodplain residents, and business managers, shippers of waterborne commodities, waterway operators, local officials who work with the Corps of Engineers on planning and managing water resource projects and services, and individual users of Corps recreation areas.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Corps of Engineers Civil Works Questionnaires, Generic Clearance