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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 18, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57545-57546]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23014]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 141 and 142

[FRL-9727-9]

Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule: Public Meeting 
on Monitoring Data Analysis, Occurrence Forecasts, Binning, and the 
Microbial Toolbox

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a 
public meeting on November 15, 2012, concerning monitoring, binning and 
microbial toolbox information as part of the regulatory review of the 
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2 rule). At this 
meeting, EPA plans to discuss and solicit public input on data and 
information related to several topics. The first topic is the results 
of the first round of LT2 Cryptosporidium monitoring that are used to 
determine which one of the four categories (i.e., bins) a public 
drinking water system (PWS) should be placed. The second topic is the 
implications of predicted occurrence and bin category placement that 
may result from a second round of Cryptosporidium monitoring using the 
existing or enhanced analytical methods. The third topic is the 
effectiveness of Escherichia coli as a screen to identify small 
filtered PWSs that need to perform Cryptosporidium monitoring for bin 
placement. The fourth topic is the determination of the potential 
credits assigned to different risk mitigation tools. EPA will also 
provide background information on the LT2 rule's monitoring and binning 
requirements, microbial toolbox options for risk management, and the 
agency's Six Year Review process. EPA will consider the data and/or 
information discussed at this meeting during the agency's review of the 
LT2 rule, which the agency has announced as part of both the 
Retrospective Review Plan under Executive Order (E.O.) 13563 and the 
third Six-Year Review under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Date and Location:
    The public meeting will be held on Thursday, November 15, 2012 
(8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time). The public meeting will be held 
at the EPA East Building, Room 1153, 1201 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical inquiries, contact 
C[eacute]sar Cordero, Standards and Risk Management Division, Office of 
Ground Water and Drinking Water (MC 4607M), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460 at (202) 564-
3716 or cordero.cesar@epa.gov. For more information about the LT2 rule 
or the Six-Year Review process, visit: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/lt2/ or http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/regulatingcontaminants/sixyearreview/index.cfm, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Registration: Individuals planning to participate in the public 
meeting must register at this Web site  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LT2NovemberRegistration no later than November 9, 2012. 
Teleconferencing will be available for individuals unable to attend the 
meeting in person. EPA will do its best to include all those 
interested, but may have to limit attendance due to room and/or 
teleconference size limitations and therefore urges people to register 
early. Teleconference information will be emailed to registered 
participants in advance of the meeting. If you have any difficulty 
registering or have questions, please send an email to Morgan Hoenig

[[Page 57546]]

of Ross Strategic at mhoenig@rossstrategic.com.
    Special Accommodations: For information on access or accommodations 
for individuals with disabilities, please contact Jini Mohanty at (202) 
564-5269 or by email at mohanty.jini@epa.gov. Please allow at least 
five business days prior to the meeting to give EPA time to process 
your request.
    This meeting will be open to the public. EPA encourages public 
input and will allocate time on the agenda to receive verbal 
statements. EPA requests that participants limit statements to the 
topics described in the agenda and in the SUMMARY section of this 
notice. Participants will be provided with a set time frame for their 
statements. EPA also requests that only one person present a statement 
on behalf of a group or organization. Individuals or organizations 
interested in presenting a statement should notify Cesar Cordero by 
email at cordero.cesar@epa.gov no later than November 9, 2012. 
Individuals that have scientific data that they would like EPA to 
consider during the regulatory review of the LT2 rule are encouraged to 
email their data to Cesar Cordero at the email address listed in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section by December 31, 2012.
    The LT2 Rule: The purpose of the LT2 rule, promulgated in 2006 (71 
FR 654; January 5, 2006), is to reduce disease incidence associated 
with Cryptosporidium and other disease-causing microorganisms in 
drinking water. The rule includes requirements for PWSs that provide 
filtration to be classified in one of four categories (bins) for 
additional Cryptosporidium treatment that may be needed based on the 
occurrence of Cryptosporidium or E. coli in their source waters. 
Systems that are placed into the first bin require no additional 
treatment, while systems that are placed into bins 2, 3 or 4 will need 
to conduct additional treatment but will be able to select from a range 
of treatment and management strategies (i.e. microbial toolbox options) 
to meet their treatment requirements.
    EPA Reviews: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires EPA to 
review each existing national primary drinking water regulation (NPDWR) 
every six years and revise the regulation if appropriate (see SDWA 
Section 1412(b)(9)). Section 1412(b)(9) of SDWA specifies that any 
revision to a NPDWR ``shall maintain, or provide for greater, 
protection of the health of persons.'' In addition to reviewing the LT2 
rule under the third Six-Year Review, EPA announced in the August 2011 
document, Improving Our Regulations: Final Plan for Periodic Review 
Retrospective Reviews of Existing Regulations, that the agency would 
review the LT2 rule in response to E.O. 13563, which requires agencies 
to review regulations to determine where the agencies could streamline 
or eliminate ineffective, overly burdensome, and outdated rules. As 
part of these reviews, EPA plans to assess and analyze information and 
data regarding occurrence, analytical methods, and treatment to 
evaluate whether there are new or additional ways to manage risk.
    The public meeting announced in this notice will be the third 
meeting hosted by the agency for the purpose of reviewing the LT2 rule 
in response to SDWA Section 1412(b)(9) and E.O. 13563. The first 
meeting occurred on December 7, 2011, and focused on the analytical 
methods for Cryptosporidium and the preliminary drinking water source 
monitoring results from samples collected under the LT2 rule. The 
second meeting occurred on April 24, 2012, and focused on the uncovered 
finished water reservoirs requirement of the LT2 rule.

    Dated: September 6, 2012.
Pamela Barr,
Acting Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2012-23014 Filed 9-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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