[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18137-18138]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10090]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5462-S]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Revision of the Information Collection Request for the 
National Pretreatment Program

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this notice announces that EPA is planning to submit the 
following proposed and/or continuing Information Collection Request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Information 
Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (40 CFR Part 
403), OMB Control Number 2040-009, EPA ICR Number 0002.08 (expires 
October 31, 1999). Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and 
approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the 
proposed information collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 24, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may obtain a copy of this ICR without 
charge by contacting John Hopkins, Office of Wastewater Management 
(4203), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-9527.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Hopkins at (202) 260-9527; 
facsimile (202) 260-1460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
those subject to the regulations under 40 CFR Part 403, including 
private industries, State, local and Federal governments.
    Title: Revision of the Information Collection Request for the 
National Pretreatment Program (40 CFR Part 403). OMB Control Number 
2040-009. Expiration date October 31, 1999.
    Abstract: This Information Collection Request (ICR) calculates the 
burden and costs associated with managing the National Pretreatment 
Program mandated by Sections 402(a) and (b) and 307(b) of the Clean 
Water Act. This ICR is a renewal of the Revision of the Information 
Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (OMB Control 
No. 2040-0009, ICR No. 0002.07).
    Management of the pretreatment program is the responsibility of the 
Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) in the Office of Water (OW), 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Clean Water Act requires EPA 
to develop national pretreatment standards to control discharges from 
Industrial Users (IUs) into sewage systems, or Publicly Owned Treatment 
Works (POTWs). These standards limit the level of certain pollutants in 
IU wastewaters. EPA administers the pretreatment program through the 
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. 
Under the NPDES permit program, EPA may approve State or individual 
POTW implementation of the pretreatment standards at their respective 
levels. OWM uses the data collected under the pretreatment program to 
monitor and enforce compliance with the regulations, as well as to 
authorize program administration at the State or local (POTW) level. 
The

[[Page 18138]]

data collected from IUs includes the mass, frequency, and content of 
their discharges, their schedules for installing pretreatment 
equipment, and actual or anticipated discharges of wastes that violate 
pretreatment standards, have the potential to cause problems at the 
POTW, or are considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and 
Recovery Act (RCRA). States and POTWs applying for approval of 
pretreatment programs submit data concerning their legal, procedural, 
and administrative bases for establishing such programs. This 
information may include surveys of IUs, local limits for pollutant 
concentration, and schedules for completion of major project 
requirements. IUs and POTWs submit written reports. These data may then 
be entered into the NPDES databases by the approved State or EPA.
    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 EPA would like to solicit comments 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; and
    (iv) 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 responses.
    Burden Statement: The information collection will involve an 
estimated 33,526 respondents at an annual cost of $91,332,981 to those 
respondents. The total annual cost to both respondents and government 
(excluding Federal government) is estimated at $95,859,696. The annual 
number of responses will be 203,518 or 6.07 responses per respondent. 
The time required for a response ranges from 15 minutes to 400 hours, 
with an average response time of 6.600 hours. An estimated 33,526 
respondents are required to keep records at an average annual burden of 
6.853 hours per record keeper. The pretreatment program will entail 
229,741 hours of record keeping and 1,343,215 hours of reporting for a 
total of 1,572,957 burden hours. The pretreatment program will also 
entail 218,168 burden hours for municipal and State governments as 
users of the data.
    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.
    Dated: April 5, 1996.
Michael B. Cook,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 96-10090 Filed 4-23-96; 8:45 am]
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