U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUEST FOR
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR BEACH ACT GRANTS (RENEWAL)
EPA ICR No. 2048.03
October 2008
Table of Contents
1. Identification of the Information Collection
1(a) Title Of The Information Collection
1(b) Short Characterization/Abstract
2. Need for And Use of the Collection
2(a) Need/Authority For The Collection
2(b) Practical Utility/Users Of The Data
3. Nonduplication, Consultations, and Other Collection Criteria
3(a) Nonduplication
3(b) Public Notice Required Prior To ICR Submission To OMB
3(c) Consultations
3(d) Effects Of Less Frequent Collection
3(e) General Guidelines
3(f) Confidentiality
3(g) Sensitive Questions
4. The Respondents And The Information Requested
4(a) Respondents/SIC Codes
4(b) Information Requested
5. The Information Collected-Agency Activities, Collection Methodology, And Information Management
5(a) Agency Activities
5(b) Collection Methodology And Management
5(c) Small Entity Flexibility
5(d) Collection Schedule
6. Estimating The Burden And Cost Of The Collection
6(a) Estimating Respondent Burden
6(b) Estimating Respondent Cost
Labor Costs
Operation and Maintenance Costs
6(c) Estimating Agency Burden And Cost
6(d) Estimating The Respondent Universe And Total Burden And Costs
6(e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Cost Tables
6(f) Reasons For Change In Burden
6(g) Burden Statement
List of Tables
Table 1. BEACH Act Grant Performance Criteria Summary
Table 2. Individual Respondent 3-Year State Burden Hours
Table 3. Total Agency Burden Hours Per Activity over 3 Years
Table 4. Annualized Respondent Burden And Cost
Table 5. Total Annualized Respondent and Agency Burden and Costs
Table 6. Changes in State and Territory Burden Estimates from Original 2002 ICR
INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUEST
1. Identification of the Information Collection
1(a) Title Of The Information Collection
Reporting Requirements for BEACH Act Grants
1(b) Short Characterization/Abstract
The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH ) Act amends the Clean Water Act (CWA) in part and authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award BEACH Act Program Development and Implementation Grants to coastal and Great Lakes states, tribes, and territories for their beach monitoring and notification programs. The grants will assist states to develop and implement a consistent approach to monitor recreational water quality; assess, manage, and communicate health risks from waterborne microbial contamination; notify the public of pollution occurrences, and post beach advisories and closures to prevent public exposure to microbial pathogens. To qualify for a BEACH Act Grant, a state must submit information to EPA documenting that its beach monitoring and notification program is consistent with nine performance criteria outlined in the National Beach Guidance and Performance Criteria for Recreation Waters. For EPA to award a BEACH Implementation Grant, a state must document that its coastal monitoring and notification program includes or will include the following:
Risk-based beach evaluation and classification
Sampling design and monitoring implementation plan
Monitoring report submission and delegation
Methods and assessment procedures
Public notification and risk communication plan
Measures to notify EPA and local governments
Measures to notify the public
Notification report submission and delegation
Public evaluation of program
All beach program information will be collected by the EPA Office of Science and Technology, stored in the Beach Database, and displayed on EPA’s Beaches Website for use by the public, state environmental and public health agencies, and EPA.
The second ICR approval period expires in July of 2008. This Supporting Statement is for the renewal ICR being submitted to OMB for re-approval of the Reporting Requirements for BEACH Act Grants information collection. For the second ICR approval period after rule promulgation, EPA estimates that the Annualized Respondent Burden and Cost for 40 eligible coastal and Great Lakes states, tribes, and territories will be 94,947 hours and $11,388,919 for all 40 states annualized (1 year). This includes annualized Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs of $3,938,760 for all states. There are no start-up costs. Since the Agency does not incur any additional O&M costs, the Total Annualized Respondent and Agency Burden and Cost estimate is 98,147 hours (respondents and Agency) and $12,256,690.80 (which includes the respondent and Agency burden costs and the respondent O&M costs of $3,938,760). EPA requests that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review and approve this Information Collection Request (ICR) package proposal for 3 years.
2. Need for and Use of the Collection
2(a) Need/Authority for the Collection
The BEACH Act (Public Law 106-284) established a grant program to assist states in implementing a uniform monitoring and notification program for their coastal recreational waters. As a condition of receipt of a BEACH Grant, states must show evidence of meeting the nine performance criteria and the conditions under the BEACH Act. Therefore, a state applying for a grant must submit information on its programs to its EPA Regional Coordinator and EPA Headquarters to document that its program is consistent with the performance criteria.
2(b) Practical Utility/Users Of The Data
Data will be used by EPA, state and local environmental and public health agencies, and the public. EPA will use the information submitted by a state to determine whether the state’s program is consistent with the performance criteria and the BEACH Act. State and local environmental and public health agencies will use the data as an indicator of program performance, and the public will use the data as reference to make informed decisions before going to the beach. The information provided by each state will also be used to report the status of beach monitoring and notification programs nationwide. A state must implement measures to notify EPA of the results of its water quality sampling. Therefore, these data will be used to create a national database of water quality trends, advisories, and closings.
3. Nonduplication, Consultations, and Other Collection Criteria
3(a) Nonduplication
The information requested from the respondents is required for receipt of a BEACH Grant and is not available from other sources. EPA has made every reasonable attempt to ensure that the beach monitoring and notification data and information requested through the BEACH Act Grant Program is not currently available through less burdensome mechanisms.
3(b) Public Notice Required Prior To ICR Submission To OMB
On July 8, 2008, EPA published the first Federal Register notice for this information collection request on July 8, 2008 (73 FR 39013). EPA requested comment from the public; no comments were received.
3(c) Consultations
EPA consulted with the public through the first Federal Register notice, published on July 8, 2008.
3(d) Effects Of Less Frequent Collection
The requirement for a state to submit its monitoring and notification data is a statutory requirement under the BEACH Act; therefore, EPA is requesting an annual report on a state’s program as a grant requirement. Monitoring and notification data may be submitted more frequently.
3(e) General Guidelines
The BEACH Act Grant Program will be conducted in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2)) and will adhere to OMB’s general guidelines for information collections.
3(f) Confidentiality
Measures to ensure the confidentiality of the collected beach monitoring and notification data are not necessary because the information submitted by the state respondents is public information.
3(g) Sensitive Questions
No information of sensitive nature will be collected as a result of this ICR.
4. The Respondents And The Information Requested
4(a) Respondents/SIC Codes
Information collected by EPA under the BEACH Act will be submitted by state environmental and public health agencies in coastal and Great Lakes states, territories, and tribes. No private industries will be required to submit information and therefore no SIC codes are relevant.
4(b) Information Requested
EPA is requiring states to provide information on how a beach monitoring and notification program is consistent with the following nine performance criteria, developed from the BEACH Act and summarized in Table 1.
Table 1. BEACH Act Grant Performance Criteria Summary
Category |
Performance Criteria |
Requirement |
BEACH Act Section |
Chapter Discussed |
Evaluation and Classification |
1 |
Risk-based Beach Evaluation and Classification |
406(b)(2)(A)(ii-iv) 406(c)(1) |
3 |
Monitoring |
2 |
Sampling Design and Monitoring Implementation Plan |
406(c)(3) |
4 |
3 |
Monitoring Report Submission and Delegation |
406(b)(3)(A), (B) 406(c)(2) |
4 |
|
4 |
Methods and Assessment Procedures |
406(c)(4) |
4 |
|
Public Notification and Prompt Risk Communication |
5 |
Public Notification and Risk Communication Plan |
406(c)(7) |
5 |
6 |
Measures to Notify EPA and Local Governments |
406(c)(5) |
5 |
|
7 |
Measures to Notify the Public |
406(c)(6) |
5 |
|
8 |
Notification Report Submission and Delegation |
406(b)(3)(A), (B) 406(c)(2) |
5 |
|
Public Evaluation |
9 |
Public Evaluation of Program |
406(b)(2)(A)(v) |
2 |
Risk-based Beach Evaluation and Classification
A state must develop a risk-based beach evaluation and classification plan and apply it to state coastal recreation waters. A state or tribal program must describe the factors used in its evaluation and classification process and explain how its beaches are ranked as a result of the process. This process must result in the identification of a list of coastal recreation waters in the state, including coastal recreation waters adjacent to beaches or similar points of access used by the public.
Sampling Design and Monitoring Plan
A state must develop a sampling design and monitoring implementation plan. This plan must adequately address the frequency and location of monitoring and assessment of coastal recreation waters based on the periods of recreational use of the waters, the nature and extent of use during certain periods, the proximity of the waters to known point sources and nonpoint sources of pollution, and any effect of storm events on the waters.
Monitoring Report Submission and Delegation
A state must develop a mechanism to collect relevant information and submit timely reports to EPA and document any delegation of monitoring responsibilities to local governments.
Report Submission
A state or tribal recipient of a grant must submit to the EPA Administrator timely information and reports that describes the data collected as part of the monitoring program, and the actions taken to notify the public when water quality standards are exceeded.
Delegation
If monitoring responsibilities are delegated to local governments, the state grant recipient must describe the process by which the state may delegate to local governments responsibility for implementing the monitoring program.
Methods and Assessment Procedures
A state must develop detailed methods and assessment procedures. These procedures must adequately address both the methods to be used for detecting levels of pathogens and pathogen indicators that are harmful to human health and the assessment procedures for identifying short-term increases in pathogens and pathogen indicators that are harmful to human health.
Public Notification and Risk Communication Plan
A state must develop an overall public notification and risk communication plan. The plan must describe the state’s public notification efforts and measures to inform the public of the potential risks associated with water contact activities in the coastal recreation waters that do not meet applicable water quality standards.
Measures to Notify EPA and Local Governments
A state must identify measures for promptly communicating to EPA and local governments of the occurrence, nature, location, pollutants involved, and extent of any exceeding of, or likelihood of exceeding, applicable water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators. The state must identify how this information will be promptly communicated to EPA and to a designated official of the local government that has jurisdiction over land adjoining the coastal recreation waters for which the failure to meet applicable standards has been identified.
Measures to Notify the Public
A state must develop measures to notify the public through the posting of signs at beaches or similar points of access or through functionally equivalent communication measures that are sufficient to give notice to the public that the coastal recreation waters are not meeting or are not expected to meet applicable water quality standards for pathogens and pathogen indicators.
Notification Report Submission and Delegations
A state must develop a mechanism to collect relevant information and submit timely reports to EPA and document any delegation of notification responsibilities to local governments.
Report Submission
A state or tribal recipient of a grant must submit to the Administrator timely information and reports that describes data collected as part of the notification program and the actions taken to notify the public when water quality standards are exceeded.
Delegation
If notification responsibilities are delegated to local governments, the state grant recipient must describe the process by which the state may delegate to local governments responsibility for implementing the notification program.
Public Evaluation of Program
A state must identify how to provide the public with an opportunity to review the program through a process that provides for public notice, review, and an opportunity to comment. This can be accomplished through a record of public comments, meetings, forums, or workshops.
5. The Information Collected-Agency Activities, Collection Methodology, And Information Management
5(a) Agency Activities
The BEACH Act Grant Program will be administered by EPA Headquarters and EPA Regional Offices, which have planned for and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management of the grant program. EPA is conducting the following activities in administering the BEACH Act grants:
EPA Headquarters to monitor state programs annually to ensure compliance with the performance criteria.
EPA Regions to monitor state programs annually to ensure compliance with the performance criteria.
EPA Regions and EPA Headquarters to provide miscellaneous support to the states.
EPA Regions to revise work plans and update Quality Management Plan.
EPA Regions to perform technical review on Quality Assurance Project Plan and Grants Management Plan.
Regions to ensure that Quality Assurance Project Plan is complete prior to implementation.
5(b) Collection Methodology And Management
The EPA Beach Program encourages states to electronically transmit beach monitoring and notification data directly to EPA. Electronic reporting is intended to achieve data collection efficiencies and reduce the possibility of data input error.
It is the State’s responsibility to conduct ongoing data analysis, including performing data QA/QC to check for anomalies in the data that may be related to data entry or laboratory errors. Data quality review and analysis will include: continuous analysis of laboratory results, pollution occurrence events, public notification, and review of all program data. The beach monitoring and notification data will be maintained in the BEACH Database. Historically, reporting of beach data to EPA through the National Beach Health Survey has been limited to beach program information and notification data. The new BEACH Database will maintain monitoring and locational data and grants information. The data collected under BEACH Act Grant Program will be used for program performance evaluation to determine if a state program is consistent with BEACH Guidance and Performance Criteria document, to analyze pollution occurrences at beaches across Nation, and report to Congress on status of Nation’s recreation waters.
5(c) Small Entity Flexibility
Measures to assist small entities are not applicable because the respondents for the BEACH Act Grant Program are state government agencies. However, EPA may make a grant to a local government for implementation of a monitoring and notification program only if, after the 1-year period beginning on the date of publication of performance criteria, EPA determines that the State is not implementing a program that meets the performance criteria.
5(d) Collection Schedule
A state must show evidence documenting its compliance with the nine performance criteria as listed in the Federal Register to be eligible for a BEACH Grant.
6. Estimating The Burden And Cost Of The Collection
6(a) Estimating Respondent Burden
The BEACH Act requires states to devote time and resources to implement a monitoring and notification program to meet the performance criteria outlined in the National Beach Guidance and Performance Criteria for Recreation Waters. To develop burden estimates, EPA estimated the number of hours that will be required by states to adhere to the performance criteria.
The Agency estimated that implementing a monitoring and notification program in accordance with the nine performance criteria will take 94,947 annualized hours and $3,938,760 O&M for all 40 respondents.
The following assumptions were made for this ICR based on data collected by EPA and consultations with respondents listed in Section 3(c):
The average beach (monitoring) season was assumed to be 18 weeks.
The average number of samples collected per week at each beach during the beach season was assumed to be 2 samples.
The average cost of sample analysis was assumed to be $30/sample.
6(b) Estimating Respondent Cost
The annual cost for a state or territory to implement the performance criteria necessary to comply with the BEACH Grant Program are attributed to labor costs and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. The total cost burden over 3 years for the 40 states and territories are estimated to be $35,785,082 which consists of $23,968,802 in labor costs, and $11,816,280 in O&M costs.
Labor Costs
To develop labor costs, EPA multiplied the number of hours that will be required to implement a monitoring and notification plan by the state employee hourly rate to generate a cost estimate. Because labor rates vary so widely among the state government personnel involved in implementing a state monitoring and notification program, EPA used an average loaded hourly rate that is representative of the average salary for a managerial and technical state employee as listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for full-time state and local government workers in the National Compensation Survey (June 2005). The managerial salary of $122.20 per hour was calculated using a rate of $47.00 per hour plus an overhead rate of 1.6%. The technical salary of $81.25 per hour was calculated using a rate of $31.25 per hour plus an overhead rate of 1.6%. Table 2 presents an estimate of the burden that state governments will incur to meet each performance criterion outlined in the National Beach Guidance and Grant Performance Criteria for Recreation Waters. The table identifies the activities to be performed by the state, the associated hours required for each activity, and the labor cost for each activity. Annualized totals are presented at the end of Table 2.
Table 2. Individual Respondent 3-Year State Burden Hours
Performance Criterion |
State Activity |
3 Year Managerial Burden |
3 Year Technical Burden |
Total 3 Year Burden |
|||
Total Burden Per Activity (Hours) |
Total Labor Cost $122.20/hour (Dollars) |
Total Burden Per Activity (Hours) |
Total Labor Cost $81.25/hour (Dollars) |
Total Burden Per Activity (Hours) |
Total Labor Cost (Dollars) |
||
1 - Risk-based Beach Evaluation and Classification |
Identify coastal recreation waters.a |
1 |
122.20 |
6 |
487.50 |
7 |
609.70 |
Identify and submit list of monitored waters.a |
1 |
122.20 |
6 |
487.50 |
7 |
609.70 |
|
Collect and submit beach lat/long coordinates (georeference beaches using maps, gps, etc.).a |
20 |
2,444.00 |
180 |
14,625.00 |
200 |
17,069.00 |
|
Identify bathing beaches and submit beach miles.a |
20 |
2,444.00 |
80 |
6,500.00 |
100 |
8,944.00 |
|
Determine legal authority for administering monitoring and notification programs.a |
3 |
366.60 |
6 |
487.50 |
9 |
854.10 |
|
Review available information. |
5 |
611.00 |
15 |
1,218.75 |
20 |
1,829.75 |
|
Rank beaches. |
3 |
366.60 |
100 |
8,125.00 |
103 |
8,491.60 |
|
Performance Criterion 1 Total |
53 |
6,476.60 |
393 |
31,931.25 |
446 |
38,407.85 |
|
2 - Sampling Design and Monitoring Implementation Plan |
Identify sampling plan (when and where to sample, what depth to sample, etc.). |
3 |
366.60 |
5 |
406.25 |
8 |
772.85 |
Ensure data quality. |
12 |
1,466.40 |
100 |
8,125.00 |
112 |
9,591.40 |
|
Staff monitoring programs. |
4 |
488.80 |
7 |
568.75 |
11 |
1,057.55 |
|
Train monitoring staff. |
16 |
1955.20 |
200 |
16,250.00 |
216 |
18,205.20 |
|
Create database and data submission process.a |
40 |
4,888.00 |
360 |
29,250.00 |
400 |
34,138.00 |
|
Manage data for beach season. |
20 |
2,444.00 |
180 |
14,625.00 |
200 |
17,069.00 |
|
Program implementation and oversight. |
120 |
14,664.00 |
120 |
9,750.00 |
240 |
24,414.00 |
|
Performance Criterion 2 Total |
215 |
26,723.00 |
972 |
78,975.00 |
1,187 |
105,248.00 |
|
3 - Monitoring Report Submission and Delegation |
Submit report that describes data collected and public notification activities. |
8 |
977.60 |
30 |
2,437.50 |
38 |
3,425.910 |
Describe process by which the state may delegate to local governments the responsibility for implementing a monitoring program. |
6 |
733.20 |
18 |
1,462.50 |
24 |
2,195.70 |
|
Performance Criterion 3 Total |
14 |
1,710.80 |
48 |
3,900.00 |
62 |
5,610.80 |
|
4 - Methods and Assessment Procedures |
Identify laboratories for analysis. |
1 |
122.20 |
12 |
975.00 |
13 |
1,097.20 |
Determine analytical procedures. |
0 |
0.00 |
4 |
325.00 |
4 |
325.00 |
|
Identify sample collection techniques. |
1 |
122.20 |
6 |
487.50 |
7 |
609.70 |
|
Collect water sample |
0 |
0.00 |
1350 |
109,687.50 |
1,350 |
109,687.50 |
|
Determine data validation and verification procedures. |
2 |
244.40 |
9 |
731.25 |
11 |
975.65 |
|
State analyze and submit monitoring data to EPA. |
135 |
16,497.00 |
2565 |
208,406.25 |
2,700 |
224,903.25 |
|
Identify the use of predictive tools in beach monitoring. (If currently using predictive tools, identify what type of tool, how used, how applicable, etc.) |
4 |
488.80 |
20 |
1,625.00 |
24 |
2,113.80 |
|
Performance Criterion 4 Total |
143 |
17,474.60 |
3966 |
322,237.50 |
4,109 |
339,712.10 |
|
5 - Public Notification and Risk Communica-tion Plan |
Perform a problem assessment and audience identification. |
2 |
244.40 |
22 |
1,787.50 |
24 |
2,031.90 |
Determine and develop content and procedures for advisories and closings. |
4 |
488.80 |
44 |
3,575.00 |
48 |
4,063.80 |
|
Performance Criterion 5 Total |
6 |
733.20 |
66 |
5,362.50 |
72 |
6,095.70 |
|
6 - Measures to Notify EPA and Local Governments |
Determine the mechanisms for states to notify local governments of advisories and closings, and removal of advisories and closings |
3 |
366.60 |
23 |
1,868.75 |
26 |
2, 235.35 |
Determine the mechanisms for states to notify EPA of advisories, closings, and removal of advisories and closings. |
1 |
122.20 |
13 |
1,056.25 |
14 |
1,178.45 |
|
Collect and submit notification data to EPA. |
1 |
122.20 |
12 |
975.00 |
13 |
1,097.20 |
|
Performance Criterion 6 Total |
5 |
611.00 |
48 |
3,900.00 |
53 |
4,511.00 |
|
7 - Measures to Notify the Public |
Determine the mechanisms for states to notify the public of advisories, closings, and removal of advisories and closings. |
2 |
244.40 |
20 |
1,625.00 |
22 |
1,869.40 |
State to implement notification program. This may include the posting of signs or functional equivalent. |
45 |
5,499.00 |
855 |
69,468.75 |
900 |
74,967.75 |
|
Performance Criterion 7 Total |
47 |
5,743.40 |
875 |
71,093.75 |
922 |
76,837.15 |
|
8 - Notification Report Submission and Delegation |
Submit report that describes data collected and the public notification activities. |
3 |
366.60 |
35 |
2,843.75 |
38 |
3,210.35 |
Describe process by which the state may delegate to local governments the responsibility for implementing a notification program. |
2 |
244.40 |
22 |
1,787.50 |
24 |
2,031.90 |
|
Performance Criterion 8 Total |
5 |
611.00 |
57 |
4,631.25 |
62 |
5,242.25 |
|
9 - Public Evaluation of Program |
Ensure the monitoring and notification program meets the needs of the audiences and the objectives of the Agency. |
8 |
977.60 |
96 |
7,800.00 |
104 |
8,777.60 |
Evaluate the monitoring and notification program. |
8 |
977.60 |
96 |
7,800.00 |
104 |
8,777.60 |
|
Performance Criterion 9 Total |
16 |
1,955.20 |
192 |
15,600.00 |
208 |
17,555.20 |
|
TOTAL |
504 |
61,588.80 |
6,617 |
537,631.25 |
7,121 |
599,220.05 |
|
ANNUALIZED TOTAL |
168.00 |
20,529.60 |
2,205.67 |
179,210.67 |
2,374 |
199,740.27 |
|
a Indicates that most of the burden for this activity incurred during the initial ICR period.
Operation and Maintenance Costs
In addition to labor costs, the states and territories incur O&M costs associated with the analytical fees and shipping for the water quality samples. Non-labor costs for the 40 states and territories are solely attributed to the laboratory fees that will be charged for analysis and to shipping charges for sending the sample bottles to the appropriate laboratory.
The O&M costs were calculated as an average based on the 3,647 coastal and Great Lakes beaches identified in EPA’s 2007 National List of Beaches (the most recent version currently available) for the 40 states and territories eligible to participate in the BEACH Act Grant Program. EPA obtained laboratory fees and shipping costs from testing labs and estimated the cost to be $30 per sample. The cost for each state was calculated using the equation below:
3,647 beaches X 36 samples (twice per week for 18 week season) X $30 per sample = $98,469/state
40 states
EPA estimated an annualized O&M cost of $98,469 per state, an Annualized Total O&M cost of $3,938,760 for all 40 states, and a Total O&M cost of $11,816,280 for 40 states over 3 years.
6(c) Estimating Agency Burden And Cost
The BEACH Act requires EPA to devote time and resources to manage the grant program. To develop burden estimates, EPA estimated the number of hours that will be required to administer this program. The Agency estimated that it will take 80 hours per respondent to review and process the applications. When multiplied by 40 respondents, the Annualized Agency Burden is 3,200 hours to administer the program and a Total Agency Burden of 9,600 hours over 3 years. The Agency used an average hourly salary for Agency employees of $102.60, which was calculated using a rate of $39.46 plus an overhead rate of 1.6 percent. The labor rate was obtained using 2008 salary tables provided by the Office of Personnel Management.
Table 3 presents an estimate of the burden that EPA will incur to manage the BEACH Act Grant Program for Years 1 through 3 of this ICR. The annualized totals are presented at the bottom of the table.
Table 3. Total Agency Burden Hours Per Activity over 3 Years
Activities |
Agency Burden Hours |
Agency Burden Dollars ($) |
EPA Headquarters to monitor state programs annually to ensure compliance with the performance criteria |
1371 |
$104,664.60 |
EPA Regions to monitor state programs annually to ensure compliance with the performance criteria |
2057 |
$211,048.40 |
EPA Headquarters and EPA Regions to provide miscellaneous support to states. |
1371 |
$140,64.60 |
EPA Regions to revise work plans and update beach monitoring and notification program procedures. |
1371 |
$140,64.60 |
EPA Regions to perform technical review on Quality Assurance Project Plan and Grants Management Plan, DQOs and SOPs prior to implementation. |
3429 |
$351,815.40 |
Total over 3 years |
9600 |
$984,960 |
Annualized total |
3200 |
$328,320 |
6(d) Estimating The Respondent Universe And Total Burden And Costs
Table 4 presents an estimate of the total respondent burden and costs expected for the BEACH Act Grant Program. The Total Annualized Respondent Burden is expected to be 94,947 hours and $3,938,760 O&M Costs. There are no start-up costs, and the burden estimate does not include labor costs.
Table 4. Annualized Respondent Burden And Cost
Performance criteria |
Respondent hrs/yr |
Respondent labor cost/yr |
O&M cost/yr |
Number of Respondents/yr |
Total Hrs/yr |
Total cost/yr |
1 |
149 |
$12,802.62 |
|
40 |
5,947 |
$512,104.67 |
2 |
396 |
$35,082.67 |
|
40 |
15,827 |
$1,403,306.67 |
3 |
21 |
$1,870.26 |
|
40 |
827 |
$74,810.67 |
4 |
1,370 |
$113,237.37 |
|
40 |
54,787 |
$4,529,494.67 |
5 |
24 |
$2,031.90 |
|
40 |
960 |
$81,276.00 |
6 |
18 |
$1,503.67 |
|
40 |
707 |
$60, 146.67 |
7 |
307 |
$25,612.38 |
|
40 |
12,293 |
$1,024,495.33 |
8 |
21 |
$1,747.42 |
|
40 |
827 |
$69,896.67 |
9 |
69 |
$5,851.73 |
|
40 |
2,773 |
$234,069.33 |
Total |
2,374 |
$199,740.27 |
$3,938,760 |
40 |
94,947 |
$7,989,610.80 |
6(e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Cost Tables
Table 5 presents an estimate of the Total Annualized State and Agency Burden and Costs expected for the BEACH Act Grant Program. As shown in Table 5, the Annualized Burden for the Agency and 40 states, tribes, and territories with coastal recreation waters is 98,147 hours and $12,256,690.80 including O&M costs.
Table 5. Total Annualized Respondent and Agency Burden and Costs
|
Burden (Hours) |
Burden Cost |
O&M Cost (Dollars) |
Total Cost |
40 States |
94,947 |
$7,989,610.80 |
$3,938,760 |
$11,928,370.80 |
Agency |
3,200 |
$328,320 |
$0 |
$328,320 |
Total |
98,147 |
$8,317,930.80 |
$3,938,760 |
$12,256,690.80 |
6(f) Reasons For Change In Burden
The respondent average annual burden remains at the 2005 level of 7,121 hours for the total average annual number of 40 respondents, with the Agency annual burden also remaining at the corresponding 3,200 hours. EPA used the higher number of respondents because the Agency expects several tribes to apply for BEACH Act Grants that had not done so during the original ICR period. The annual operation and maintenance costs for all respondents also increased from $3,749,760 to $ 3,938,760 for all states. This is because the estimated number of beaches monitored by grant recipients increased from 3,472 (estimated from EPA’s 2003 National List of Beaches) to 3,647 (estimated from the 2007 National Beaches Survey), a 5.0% increase. Relative to the 2005 ICR, EPA maintained its estimate of two samples collected each week per beach monitored with a beach season length of 18 weeks based on data that EPA collected and comments received from several state Beach Program contacts.
EPA also revised the labor rates, which increased from $42.96 to 47.00 for a Managerial employee and from $30.03 to $31.25 for a Technical employee based on the average Bureau of Labor Statistics salaries for managerial and technical employees in state and local governments as shown in their June 2005 National Compensation Survey Tables.
Burden estimates for specific tasks under the performance criteria listed in Table 2 remain consistent with changes made under the 2005 ICR update based on respondent consultations. The original estimates for these tasks were significantly lower than the actual burden reported by these respondents.
6(g) Burden Statement
The Annualized Respondent Burden and Cost Estimate for 40 states for the BEACH Grant Program is estimated to be 94,947 hours and $11,928,370.80. There are no start-up costs. Since the Agency does not incur any additional O&M costs, the Total Annualized Respondent and Agency Burden and Cost estimate is 98,147 hours and $8,317,930.80 (includes respondent burden costs, O&M costs, and Agency burden costs). Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information. 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. The OMB control numbers for EPA's regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15.
To comment on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the use of automated collection techniques, EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0357, which is available for public viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Water Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public docket is available through Regulations.gov at http://www.regulations.gov/. Use Regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select “search,” then key in the docket ID number identified above. Also, you can send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk Office for EPA. Please include the EPA Docket ID No. (EPA-HQ-OW-2008-0357) and OMB control number (2040-0244) in any correspondence.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | Owner |
| Last Modified By | Spencer W. Clark |
| File Modified | 2008-11-10 |
| File Created | 2008-11-10 |