Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0404-0066
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Request for the National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies-Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) Screener Questionnaire
Posted Date: 2017-12-29T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 249 (Friday, December 29, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61756-61757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28104]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0404; FRL-9972-71-OEI]

Submission to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 
Information Collection Request for the National Study of Nutrient 
Removal and Secondary Technologies: Publicly Owned Treatment Works 
(POTW) Screener Questionnaire

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), this 
document announces that an Information Collection Request (ICR) for a 
voluntary survey--Information Collection Request for the National Study 
of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies: Publicly Owned 
Treatment Works (POTW) Screener Questionnaire, EPA ICR No. 2553.01, OMB 
Control No. 2040 NEW--has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new 
collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of 
the information collection and its estimated burden and cost. 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.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before January 29, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2016-0404 to (1) 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, and (2) OMB by mail to: 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20503.

[[Page 61757]]

    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2016-
0404. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in 
the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or email. For additional information about EPA's 
public docket, visit the EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Paul Shriner, Engineering and 
Analysis Division (4303T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-
1076; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2016-0404, which is available at 
https://www.regulations.gov, or for in-person viewing at the EPA Docket 
Center, William J. Clinton West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. 
to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The 
telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the 
telephone number for the Water Docket is (202) 566-2426.
    Use https://www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, 
obtain a copy of the collection of information supporting statement, 
including the screener survey, and to access those documents in the 
public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, 
select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified in this 
document.
    Abstract: Nutrient pollution (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus) 
presents a growing threat to public health and local economies--
contributing to toxic harmful algal blooms, contamination of drinking 
water sources, and costly impacts on recreation, tourism and fisheries. 
The EPA is collaborating with states to make greater progress in 
reducing nutrient loadings discharged into the nation's waters from all 
sources. With this goal in mind, EPA's Office of Water is planning to 
collect data to evaluate the nutrient removals and related technology 
performance of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) with conventional 
secondary treatment. Currently, there are no comprehensive, nationwide 
data on nutrient discharges and removals at POTWs. This study will 
attempt to obtain nationwide data on nutrient removal to help set more 
realistic and achievable nutrient reduction targets than may be the 
case absent such data; help POTWs understand the range of opportunities 
to optimize nutrient removals based on data from their peers, and; 
encourage improved nutrient removal POTW performance with less expense. 
This study will not only be useful to POTWs, but will also be useful to 
all stakeholders involved in managing nutrients at the watershed level.
    The full study is designed with multiple phases over the course of 
four to five years, allowing for interactions with stakeholders and 
experts in each phase. The first phase of the study is a screener 
questionnaire, which is the focus of this ICR. The goal of this first 
phase is to identify and characterize the full population of POTWs in 
the U.S. that discharge to a water of the U.S. This information will be 
used to help establish a baseline of nutrient performance at the 
national level for all POTWs. The second phase of the study will 
collect data from a subset of POTWs designed for secondary treatment, 
yet accomplishing significant nutrient removals. The study will 
document the capability of different types of POTWs to reduce nutrient 
discharges by implementing changes to operations and maintenance, but 
without retrofitting to biological nutrient removal (BNR), making 
chemical additions, or committing to extensive capital investments.
    EPA is limiting the information requested by this census to that 
which is necessary to create a complete population of POTWs and to 
identify basic information about that population. Questions include 
those necessary to identify and stratify the universe of POTWs and, 
within that population, the secondary treatment POTWs not designed 
specifically to remove nitrogen and phosphorus.
    Respondents/affected entities: Approximately 17,000 POTWs that meet 
the definition under 40 CFR 403.3(q), as well as up to 100 state and/or 
small municipal association contacts and 47 state and/or territory 
requests for POTW population data.
    Estimated total number of respondents: 13,600 POTWs, 40 POTWs for 
site visits, 100 state or small municipal association contacts, and 47 
states/territories for POTW population data.
    Frequency of response: One-time data collection.
    Estimated total respondent burden hours: 46,925.
    Estimated total respondent costs: $1,606,960. This estimate 
reflects unit costs for labor.
    Change in the estimates: This is a new collection and thus 
represents a one-time increase to the Agency's overall burden.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2017-28104 Filed 12-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P