In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is filing comment and withholding approval at this time. The agency shall examine public comment in response to the proposed rulemaking and will include in the supporting statement of the next ICR--to be submitted to OMB at the final rule stage--a description of how the agency has responded to any public comments on the ICR, including comments on maximizing the practical utility of the collection and minimizing the burden.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
03/31/2019
36 Months From Approved
03/31/2019
2,154
0
2,154
17,902
0
17,902
6,546,967
0
6,546,967
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended in 1996, requires EPA to establish criteria for a program to monitor not more than 30 unregulated contaminants every five years. Information collected under the program supports Agency decision making regarding whether or not to regulate particular contaminants in drinking water. EPA published the first group of contaminants in UCMR 1 in the Federal Register on September 17, 1999 (64 FR 50556), and the second group of contaminants in UCMR 2 in the Federal Register on January 4, 2007. UCMR 3 addresses the third group of 30 contaminants and was published in the Federal Register on May 2, 2012.
UCMR 3 "Assessment Monitoring" began in January 2013 and continues through December 2015 for all large systems (those systems serving 10,001 to 100,000 people) and very large systems (those systems serving more than 100,000 people), and for a nationally representative sample of 800 small public water systems (PWSs) (those serving 10,000 or fewer people). The "Screening Survey" began in January 2013 and continues through December 2015 for all very large systems, 320 randomly-selected large systems, and 480 randomly selected small systems. "Pre-Screen Testing" began in January 2013 and continues through December 2015 for a sample of 800 very small (systems serving 1,000 or fewer people) undisinfected ground water systems.
This request renews the currently approved UCMR 3 ICR, (OMB Control No. 2040-0270), which covered the period 2012-2014. This ICR renewal accounts for activities conducted during 2015-2017. The complete 5-year UCMR 3 period of 2012-2016 overlaps with the applicable ICR period only during 2015 and 2016. With respect to this ICR renewal, PWSs will only be involved in active monitoring during 2015 (i.e., one-third of this ICR period).
There are burden increases in the proposed rule ICR due to the fact that two of the three reporting years will fall into the current 3-year ICR cycle, as well as other miscellaneous changes from the previous UCMR 3, including:
⢠UCMR 4 includes only one monitoring component; Assessment Monitoring.
⢠UCMR 4 includes a new list of 30 contaminants. Because the laboratory methods are different, the cost of laboratory analysis differs for UCMR 4.
⢠EPA will not collect duplicate Quality Assurance (QA) field samples for the small PWSs.
⢠EPA updated wage rates, and re-examined labor burden estimates for states, EPA, and PWS activities.
⢠PWSs will collect samples from EPTDS, distribution locations, and source water locations. Because not all of these samples will be collected at the same time, and at the same locations, EPA estimated more time for sample collection activities than in previous UCMRs.
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.
2192ss07.docx
Public Water Systems