Document ID: EPA-HQ-OECA-2010-0413-0003
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals: Performance Evaluation Studies on Wastewater Laboratories
Posted Date: 2010-10-20T04:00Z

[Federal Register: October 20, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 202)]
[Notices]               
[Page 64724-64725]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20oc10-57]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2010-0413; FRL-9216-2; EPA ICR No. 0234.10; OMB Control 
No. 2080-0021]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Performance Evaluation Studies on 
Wastewater Laboratories (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an 
existing approved collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, 
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated 
burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before November 19, 
2010.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OECA-
2010-0413 to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by e-mail to docket.oeca@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Enforcement and 
Compliance Docket, Mailcode 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick Yellin, Office of Compliance, 
Agriculture Division, 2225A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-
564-2970; fax number: 202-564-0085; e-mail address: 
yellin.patrick@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On June 16, 2010 (75 FR 34110), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any 
additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OECA-2010-0413, which is available for online viewing at 
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Enforcement and 
Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public 
Reading Room is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 
202-566-1744, and the telephone number for the Enforcement and 
Compliance Docket is 202-566-1752.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://
www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains 
copyrighted material, confidential business information (CBI), or other 
information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For 
further information about the electronic docket, go to http://
www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Performance Evaluation Studies on Wastewater Laboratories 
(Renewal).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0234.10, OMB Control No. 2080-0021.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2010. 
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor 
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB. 
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 
in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when 
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by 
publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such 
as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The 
display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is 
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: Discharge Monitoring Report-Quality Assurance (DMR-QA) 
participation is mandatory for major and selected minor permit holders 
under the Clean Water Act's National Pollution Discharge Elimination 
System (NPDES), Section 308. The DMR-QA study is designed to evaluate 
the analytic ability of the laboratories that perform chemical, 
microbiological and whole effluent toxicity (WET) analyses required in 
the NPDES permits for reporting results in the Discharge Monitoring 
Reports (DMR). Under DMR-QA, the permit holder is responsible: For 
having their in-house and/or contract laboratories perform proficiency 
test samples and submit results for grading by proficiency testing (PT) 
providers. Graded results are transmitted by either the permittee or PT 
provider to the appropriate Federal or State NPDES regulatory 
authority. Permit holders are responsible for submitting corrective 
action reports to the appropriate regulatory authority.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 6.3 
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 which have subsequently changed; train 
personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information;

[[Page 64725]]

search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; 
and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: NPDES permittees designated by the 
EPA region or State with permitting responsibility and laboratories 
doing chemical/microbiological analysis and whole-effluent toxicity 
testing for these major dischargers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,589.
    Frequency of Response: Annual.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 41,511.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $2,461,426, includes $1,251,910 
annualized capital or O&M costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 5,840 hours in the 
total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of 
Approved ICR Burdens. This decrease reflects EPA's granting a waiver 
for four States to use their laboratory certification program as a 
substitute for the DMR-QA program. This resulted in a reduction in the 
average number of participants from 7,516 to 6,589. The maintenance and 
operational cost has increased by $11,770 due to increased costs for 
obtaining proficiency testing samples.

    Dated: October 13, 2010.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-26455 Filed 10-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P