OIRA is not approving the ICR at this time. In determining the final list of contaminants for which testing is required and which tier of testing is required for each,the agency should ensure that it complies with all applicable requiremetns of the PRA and its implementing regulations, including the requirements that the data reported have practical utility and that the rule reduce to the extent practicable and appropriate the burden on persons who shall provide information to or for the agency. We note with approval that testing costs for small entities will be paid by the agency.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
01/31/2014
36 Months From Approved
01/31/2014
1,694
0
1,694
9,761
0
9,761
2,863,520
0
2,863,520
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, directs EPA to establish criteria for a program to monitor not more than 30 unregulated contaminants every five years. EPA published the first group of contaminants in the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation (i.e., UCMR 1), which established a revised approach for UCMR implementation, in the Federal Register dated September 17, 1999, (64 FR 50556). EPA published the second group of contaminants in UCMR 2, in the Federal Register dated January 4, 2007, (72 FR 367). This regulation met the SDWA requirement by identifying 25 new priority contaminants to be monitored during the UCMR 2 cycle of 2007-2011.
Under UCMR 2, Assessment Monitoring uses more common analytical method technologies used by drinking water laboratories. All public water systems (PWSs) serving more than 10,000 people, and 800 representative PWSs serving fewer than 10,001 people are required to monitor for the 10 "List 1" contaminants during a 12-month period between January 2008-December 2010. Screening Survey monitoring uses more specialized analytical method technologies not as widely used by drinking water laboratories. All PWSs serving more than 100,000 people, 320 representative PWSs serving 10,001-100,000 people, and 480 representative PWSs serving fewer than 10,001 people are required to monitor for the 15 "List 2" contaminants during a 12-month period between January 2008-December 2010.
This ICR The reasons that respondents to UCMR 3 will incur a different burden than those responding to UCMR 2 include:
-UCMR 3 establishes a new list of 30 priority contaminants, including 28 chemicals using six EPA-developed analytical methods, and four equivalent consensus organization-developed methods, and two viruses using one analytical method. The cost for sample analysis is different than for UCMR 2. EPA plans to have laboratories under EPA contract to conduct sample analysis for the two viruses using one analytical method (see Exhibit 1 in section 4(b)(i), Part A of this ICR document).
-UCMR 3 does not exclude systems that purchase all of their water from monitoring. Because of this change, more large and very large systems are expected to monitor for UCMR 3 than for UCMR 2 (see Exhibit 8 in section 6(a)(i), Part A of this ICR document).
-Samples for the four metals and chlorate (under Assessment Monitoring) for all systems will be collected at the DSMRT in addition to the required EPTDS locations (see explanation in section 4(b)(ii), Part A of this ICR document).
-UCMR 3 includes monitoring for Pre-Screen Testing instead of a Screening Survey (see section 1(b) for a description of Pre-Screen Testing).
-TNCWSs are no longer excluded from UCMR monitoring, and may be selected to conduct Pre-Screen Testing (see section 1(b) for a description of Pre-Screen Testing).
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.
2192ss04.doc
Public Water Systems