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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 216 (Thursday, November 7, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88302-88303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25840]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX25DJ70GY10000; OMB Control Number 1028-NEW]

Agency Information Collection Activities: U.S. Geological Survey 
Generic Clearance for Water Availability Data Collections

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Information Collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 6, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to U.S. Geological Survey, Information Collections 
Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1028-NEW in the subject line 
of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Katrina Alger by email at [email protected] or by 
telephone at 608-828-9901. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require 
approval.

[[Page 88303]]

    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This 
helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements 
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand our information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format.
    We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How the agency might minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personally identifiable information 
(PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While 
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: Water information is fundamental to national and local 
economic well-being, protection of life and property, and effective 
management of the Nation's water resources. The USGS works with 
partners to monitor, assess, conduct targeted research, and deliver 
information on a wide range of water resources and conditions, as 
mandated by the SECURE Water Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-11, title IX, 
subtitle F of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009). This 
legislation emphasizes the need for updated, reliable data to support 
water resource planning and management, and specifically directs the 
USGS to improve assessments and forecasts of water availability, 
defined as ``the balance between water supply and demand, as determined 
using a set of core components of water quality, quantity, and use.'' 
This generic clearance will centralize administration of USGS public 
data collections in the topic area of water availability--encompassing 
both the supply and demand aspects, as well as water quality, access, 
and usage patterns--and allow for more systematic and timely 
collections that will benefit new and ongoing research programs within 
the Water Resources Mission Area.
    The USGS plans a variety of qualitative and quantitative data 
collection methods under this clearance, which may include surveys, 
interviews, and focus groups. The exact nature of the instruments and 
samples is dependent on each individual project and details will be 
provided for each individual information collection request submitted, 
following OMB requirements. The bureau commits to ensuring that all 
collections are voluntary, minimally burdensome, noncontroversial, and 
only conducted with informed participant consent. All data collected 
will protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law, with a 
particular emphasis on protecting PII. Any information collected will 
not be used to influence policy decisions directly and will only be 
disseminated in aggregated or anonymized formats, adhering to strict 
guidelines for scientific integrity and privacy. Respondents will be 
informed of all planned data uses. Measures will be taken to minimize 
public burden to the greatest extent possible, including review and 
pre-testing of instruments to ensure clarity and relevance, and using 
electronic collection means whenever possible.
    The research anticipated under this request will be used to advance 
both the scientific understanding of our socio-hydrological system, and 
bureau priorities to integrate social science, decision science, and 
human-centered design more fully into Water Enterprise projects in a 
strategic, rigorous, and consistent way. Collection of this information 
supports the USGS by improving both national and regional assessments 
of water quantity, quality, and use, advancing scientific understanding 
of how water availability impacts different groups in different ways, 
informing product development to maximize the utility and usability of 
USGS water data, and framing future and ongoing research efforts within 
the Bureau. Outputs are likely to reduce costs and improve outcomes for 
both the bureau and the public by ensuring our science is conducted 
efficiently, effectively, and is serving its intended purpose.
    Title of Collection: USGS Generic Clearance for Water Availability 
Data Collections.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, local, Federal, and Tribal 
governments; individuals or households; Universities, businesses, or 
other for-profit organizations; not-for-profit institutions;
    Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 10,860.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 15 minutes to 2 
hours, depending on information collection method.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 10,000.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: As needed.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $0.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to 
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.

Joseph Nielsen,
Director, Integrated Information Dissemination Division, Water 
Resources Mission Area.
[FR Doc. 2024-25840 Filed 11-6-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338-11-P
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