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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 240 (Friday, December 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 101008-101009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-29403]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0561; FRL-12416-01-OW]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information 
Collection Request; Comment Request; The 8th Drinking Water 
Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), the 8th Drinking Water 
Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (EPA ICR Number 7798.01, OMB 
Control Number 2024-0561) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
Before doing so, the EPA is soliciting public comments on specific 
aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This 
is a request for approval of a new collection. This notice allows for 
60 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 11, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA- HQ-
OW-2024-0561, to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all 
comments received will be included in the public docket without change 
including any personal information provided, unless the comment 
includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tirzah Glebes, Drinking Water 
Infrastructure Development Division, Office of Ground Water and 
Drinking Water, 4606M, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; email address: 
[email protected]. John Towe, Drinking Water Infrastructure 
Development Division, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, 4606M, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-2298; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for approval of a new 
collection. 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.
    This notice allows 60 days for public comments. Supporting 
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be 
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket 
can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA 
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit 
https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of 
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; (iv) minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on those who are to respond, including through the use 
of appropriate forms of

[[Page 101009]]

information technology; (v) solicit feedback on alternative suggestions 
for collecting lead service line information to reduce burden and 
obtain best quality information, including potentially using Lead and 
Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) service line inventory information; (vi) 
solicit feedback on whether and what questions to ask Tribal systems 
regarding operation and maintenance needs; and (vii) solicit feedback 
on what questions to ask about potential barriers to accessing DWSRF 
funding. EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal 
Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: The EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water will 
conduct a survey to estimate the capital improvement needs of drinking 
water systems eligible to receive Drinking Water State Revolving Fund 
(DWSRF) funds. The survey is authorized by sections 1452(h) and 
1452(i)(4) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), as amended by 
America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018. The 8th DWINSA will 
survey large drinking water Community Water Systems (CWSs) (serving 
over 100,000 persons) via a census approach and medium CWSs (serving 
between 3,301 and 100,000 persons) through a statistically based 
sample. Information collection will be facilitated by the CWSs' 
respective State Revolving Fund programs. The 8th Drinking Water 
Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) will collect 
information from drinking water systems in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, 
the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories (American Samoa, 
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands). The 8th 
DWINSA will not directly collect data from small CWSs (those serving 
populations of 3,3000 and fewer persons), non-profit non-CWS (NPNCWSs), 
or American Indian or Alaska Native Village drinking water systems, 
except for potential operation and maintenance supplemental questions 
for Tribal systems only. The 8th DWINSA will estimate the capital 
improvement needs for these water systems by cost adjusting the needs 
estimates from the 7th DWINSA to reduce burden on those previous survey 
respondents.
    The survey will collect the 20-year capital improvement needs for 
Community Water Systems through their submission of project information 
and supporting documentation. In addition, the survey will collect 
information and supporting documentation via its supplemental questions 
that address the SDWA section 1452(h)(2) requirement for the DWINSA to 
estimate the national cost to replace lead service lines. The EPA is 
exploring the potential of alternatives for collecting lead service 
line information to reduce burden and obtain best quality information, 
including potentially using LCRR service line inventory information. 
Supplemental questions will also be asked to identify potential 
barriers to accessing DWSRF funding. The EPA is exploring the potential 
of asking a statistical sample of Tribal systems supplemental questions 
on operation and maintenance needs and is seeking feedback on 
considerations for this approach and on potential questions to ask.
    Information will be collected via an EPA-hosted website. 
Information will be retained within the EPA's records for the mandatory 
length of time after survey completion. The capital improvement needs 
results of the DWINSA will be used by the EPA primarily as a basis for 
allotting DWSRF funds among states. In addition, a national assessment 
improves the EPA's ability to gauge long-term (20-year) capital costs 
of SDWA regulations and the provision of safe drinking water to the 
public. The 8th DWINSA is preceded by seven DWINSAs, with the first 
implemented in 1995.
    The effort for the 8th DWINSA will involve 2,164 respondents (2,108 
water systems and 56 states), requiring 30,087 hours at a total cost to 
the respondents of $1,875,387. Supporting Statement A, Section 12, 
Estimating the Respondent Burden Hours & Labor Costs, provides a 
detailed description of the unit burden and costs for this collection. 
Note this burden estimate does not yet include the potential 
supplemental questions for Tribal systems. Although the Agency does not 
anticipate the burden of this addition to be significant compared to 
the total, it will capture the associated burden in the final ICR if 
operation and maintenance supplemental questions are included for 
Tribal systems.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: The respondents for the 8th Drinking 
Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment are CWSs and State 
agencies.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,164 respondents (total).
    Frequency of response: One time.
    Total estimated burden: 15,044 hours (per year). Burden is defined 
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $937,694 (per year), which includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 13,444 hours in 
the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR previously 
approved by OMB. This increase is primarily due to a decreased sample 
size.

Jennifer L. McLain,
Director, Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 2024-29403 Filed 12-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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