Microbial Rules (Renewal)

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
1895.12_ss.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2026-10-27	Available
Micro ICR Public Comment.pdf	Public Comments	Uploaded 2026-10-14	Available
1895.12_60.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-08	Available

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
23688	Microbial Rules - Public Water Systems		Modified
202045	Microbial Rules - Commercial Air Carriers		Modified
187351	Microbial Rules - Primacy Agencies		Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 2040-0205	ICR Reference No: 202610-2040-001
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202207-2040-001
Agency/Subagency: EPA/OW	Agency Tracking No: 1895.12
Title: Microbial Rules (Renewal)
Type of Information Collection: Extension without change of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 10/29/2026

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	10/31/2026
Responses	28,200,100	28,306,324
Time Burden (Hours)	14,873,334	15,020,711
Cost Burden (Dollars)	219,519,000	174,805,000

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Abstract: The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for developing National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs) as mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Section 1412 of the SDWA requires the EPA to establish NPDWRs for contaminants that may adversely impact human health. In section 1414, the Act further requires the EPA to enforce these regulations to ensure that the nations public drinking water systems dependably comply with the standards stipulated in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 40 CFR Part 141, Subpart B. Section 1445 of the SDWA stipulates that every public drinking water system (PWS) supplier must conduct monitoring, maintain records, and provide such information as is needed by the EPA to implement its monitoring and enforcement responsibilities with respect to the Act. Forty-nine states have been given primary enforcement responsibility, or primacy, under the SDWA to ensure that PWSs are complying with the requirements of the NPDWRs. The Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) federal and state databases contain information in conformance with reporting requirements established by the SDWA and related regulations. These data assist the EPA in fulfilling its SDWA obligations. SDWIS assists the EPA in tracking and interpreting violations data and other program-related data. EPA is currently developing a new data management system, the Drinking Water State-Federal-Tribal Information Exchange System (DW-SFTIES). DW-SFTIES will replace SDWIS State, the Compliance Monitoring Data Portal, and SDWIS FedRep. The EPA expects primacy agencies to fully transition to DW-SFTIES between the start of 2027 and the end of 2030.

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Authorizing Statute(s): PL: Pub.L. 93 - 523 1412-1445 Name of Law: Safe Drinking Water Act
   PL: Pub.L. 93 - 523 1401(1)(D) Name of Law: Safe Drinking Water Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 37109	06/22/2026
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	91 FR 68136	10/29/2026
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 3

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Microbial Rules - Commercial Air Carriers
Microbial Rules - Primacy Agencies
Microbial Rules - Public Water Systems

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list of burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	28,200,100	28,306,324	0	0	-106,224	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	14,873,334	15,020,711	0	0	-147,377	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	219,519,000	174,805,000	0	0	44,714,000	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: There is an overall decrease of 147,377 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB; this overall decrease is mostly due to a decrease in burden related to RTCR initial implementation. The increase in O&M costs for SWTR and RTCR activities reflects updated coliform analysis estimates to account for inflation. Prior cost assumptions were based on the 2006 GWR Economic Analysis.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $0

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 10/29/2026

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