Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 141 /Thursday, July 23, 1998 / Notices 39567

from the facilities to the informationgathering questionnaire. Each facility’s

weight in the analysis would dictate the

probability that its surface

impoundment characteristics would be

selected in a Monte-Carlo analytical

framework; model inputs that tend to

correlate (e.g., hydrogeological settings

and waste types) would be linked so

that each model run reflects situations

that could actually occur. With this

framework, the specific combinations of

model inputs that relate to high-risk

situations (e.g., a certain chemical

managed in a surface impoundment of

a particular design, operated in a certain

way, or located in a specific type of

setting) can be identified as ‘‘risk

drivers.’’ Facility identities will not be

part of the final results. Second, in the

background document to the February

10, 1998 Federal Register document,

EPA stated incorrectly that the

threshold for determining risks of

concern would be ‘‘if an individual’s

probability of developing cancer due to

an exposure to the constituent in

question is estimated to be in the range

of 1 in 10,000 * * *’’ In fact, EPA stated

in the April 30, 1997 peer review of the

study methodology that an individual

cancer risk in the range of 1×10¥5, or 1

in 100,000, would be of concern. The 1

in 100,000 level is the intended

threshold for which the study is

attempting to estimate risks.

Responding to both the ‘‘screener’’

questionnaire and the larger

information-gathering questionnaire

will be mandatory, under the authority

of RCRA sections 3004(g)(10) and

3007(a). Respondents can claim their

responses as RCRA Confidential

Business Information (CBI). 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. The

Federal Register document required

under 5 CFR 1320.8(d) soliciting

comments on this collection of

information was published on February

10, 1998 (63 FR 6752); 7 comments were

received. EPA’s responses to these

comments are available in the docket for

this notice.

Burden Statement: The annual public

reporting and recordkeeping burden for

this collection of information is

estimated to average 84.5 hours per

response. 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.

Respondents/Affected Entities: 2100.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

2100.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:

14528 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost

Burden: $10,794.

Send comments on the Agency’s need

for this information, the accuracy of the

provided burden estimates, and any

suggested methods for minimizing

respondent burden, including through

the use of automated collection

techniques to the following addresses.

Please refer to EPA ICR No. 1841.01 in

any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, OP Regulatory

Information Division (2137), 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460 (or

E-Mail Farmer.

Sandy@epamail.epa.gov);

and

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for

EPA, 725 17th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: July 16, 1998.

Richard T. Westlund,

Acting Director, Regulatory Information

Division.

[FR Doc. 98–19516 Filed 7–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6128–1]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request; Evaluation

of the Burden of Waterborne Disease

Within Communities in the United

States

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this document announces

that the following Information

Collection Request (ICR) has been

forwarded to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for review and

approval: Evaluation of the burden of

waterborne disease within communities

in the United States. EPA ICR Number:

1727.02. OMB Control Number: 2080–

0050. Current expiration date: July 31,

1998. The ICR describes the nature of

the information collection and its

expected burden and cost; where

appropriate, it includes the actual data

collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before August 24, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Contact Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone

at (202) 260–2740, by E-mail at

farmer.sandy@epamail.epa.gov, or

download off the Internet at http://

www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR

No. 1727.02.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Evaluation of the burden of

waterborne disease within communities

in the United States (OMB Control

Number: 2080–0050, EPA ICR Number:

1727.02) expiring July 31, 1998. This is

a request for extension of a currently

approved collection.

Abstract: The proposed study will be

conducted by the Epidemiology and

Biomarkers Branch, Human Studies

Division, National Health and

Environmental Effects Research

Laboratory, Office of Research and

Development, U.S. EPA. Participation in

this collection of information is strictly

voluntary. The Branch will conduct a

feasibility study of water utilities and a

health study of individuals served by

targeted drinking water utilities.

Drinking water utilities serving

populations greater than 15,000 will be

asked to provide information on the

utility and results of monitoring

activities. The information will be used

to assess the feasibility of conducting an

environmental health study to evaluate

the burden of water-borne disease in the

community it serves. A utility

representative will be interviewed to

gather information on: miles of

distribution pipe, storage capacity,

quantity of source water, the availability

of the previous year’s monitoring

records, and the utilities’ willingness to

participate. The water utility will

provide annual reports describing the

monthly mean and range: water

temperature, turbidity, particle counts,

pH, color, total and fecal coliforms,

heterotrophic plate count, total organic

carbon, chlorine residual (free and

total), total organic halides, total
39568 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 141 /Thursday, July 23, 1998 / Notices

trihalomethanes, total haloacetic acids,

viruses, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium.

In the health studies, approximately

1000 households will be randomly

selected from each community.

Eligibility for households to participate

will include residence of one or more

children between the ages of two and

ten years as children are the most

sensitive population for illnesses of

interest. We expect that each household

has, on the average 2.2 members for a

total of approximately 2200 individuals

participating in each study.

Demographic information and a short

health history will be requested from

household members at the beginning of

each study. A representative from each

household will be asked to fill out a

monthly health questionnaire for each

family member for a total of eighteen

months. The monthly health

information requested includes a

checklist for upper respiratory illness,

gastrointestinal illness, fever, and

severity of illness. Care will be taken to

maintain participant confidentiality;

this work is mandated by the Safe

Drinking Water Act of 1996.

The information will be used to

estimate the burden of waterborne

disease in communities within the

United States (US). Health data obtained

from the household checklists will be

compared with the corresponding

monitoring data at the water utility to

determine whether any increase in

symptoms is associated with higher

levels of contaminants. Overall illness

rates will be measured. Specific

relationships between microorganisms

and disease may be developed by

linking microorganisms found in the

water with those found in symptomatic

people.

The information is being collected as

part of a research program to support

the Office of Water in estimating the

burden of waterborne disease in the US

as mandated under the Safe Drinking

Water Act Amendments of 1996, section

1458. This study will also provide

information on the level of disease

associated with microorganisms found

in the drinking water. The information

could potentially be used by other

laboratories in the Office of Research

and Development such as the National

Risk Management Laboratory

(Cincinnati) and the National Exposure

Research Laboratory (Cincinnati). The

information may also be used in

comparison analyses by scientists in

government or academia who are

conducting similar types of studies.

There is no maintenance of records

required under this ICR. 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. The Federal

Register document required under 5

CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on

this collection of information was

published on 2/5/98 (63 FR 5947–5949);

two comments were received.

Burden Statement: The annual public

reporting and recordkeeping burden for

this collection of information is

estimated to average 5.77 hours per

response. 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.

Respondents/Affected Entities:

Utilities serving more than 15,000

population or individuals living within

a community served by the utility.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

1400.

Frequency of Response: Varies.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden:

8,080 hours.

Estimated Total Annualized Cost

Burden: $0.

Send comments on the Agency’s need

for this information, the accuracy of the

provided burden estimates, and any

suggested methods for minimizing

respondent burden, including through

the use of automated collection

techniques to the following addresses.

Please refer to EPA ICR No.1727.02 and

OMB Control No. 2080–0050 in any

correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, OPPE Regulatory

Information Division (2137), 401 M

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460;

and

Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for

EPA, 725 17th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20503;

Dated: July 17, 1998.

Richard T. Westlund,

Acting Director, Regulatory Information

Division.

[FR Doc. 98–19655 Filed 7–22–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6128–2]

Technical Workshop on ExposureDuration and Toxicity Relationships

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a meeting

organized and convened by Eastern

Research Group, Inc., a contractor to

EPA’s Risk Assessment Forum, for

external scientific peer consultation on

the relationship of exposure-duration

and toxicity. The meeting is being held

to discuss methods under development

or currently in use by EPA to

characterize exposure-duration

relationships and to explore how to

model these relationships with respect

to risk assessment.

DATES: The meeting will begin on

Wednesday, August 5, 1998 at 8:30 a.m.

and end on Thursday, August 6, 1998 at

5:00 p.m. Members of the public may

attend as observers.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Sheraton Crystal City, 1800 Jefferson

Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia

22202. Since seating capacity is limited,

please contact Eastern Research Group,

Inc., Tel.: (781) 674–7374, or E-mail

confmail@erg.com, by July 27, 1998 to

attend the meeting as an observer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

technical inquires, contact Dr. Gary

Kimmel, U.S. EPA, Office of Research

and Development (8623–D) U.S. EPA,

401 M Street S.W., Washington DC.,

20460. Tel.: (202) 564–3308.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Current

risk assessment procedures are typically

based on overall daily exposure levels,

and tend to emphasize effects resulting

from continuous exposures over a

lifetime. This basis is widely recognized

to be an oversimplification, and there

has been an increasing realization that

exposures are more likely to be

experienced as bursts or spikes, or

intermittent exposures of varying levels.

The complexities of exposure effects on

toxic responses require consideration of

the entire exposure profile, including

the timing, duration, and intermittent

nature of exposures reflecting realistic

scenarios encountered in practical