Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Information Collection Request for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Sewage Sludge Monitoring Reports; OMB Control Number 2040-0004, EPA ICR Number 0229.16

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2005. 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 January 24, 2005.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2004-0031, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to ow-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions on this ICR to: Jack Faulk, Industrial Branch, Water Permits Division, Office of Wastewater Management; tel.: (202) 564-0768, fax: (202) 564-6431; or e-mail: faulk.jack@epa.gov. Or see Section I.C of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID number OW-2004-0031, which is available for public viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center 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 Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, 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 above.

Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within 60 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov./edocket.

Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are those covered by an NPDES permit and have monitoring and reporting requirements as a condition of the permit. States responsible for reviewing and following up to these reports are also affected.

Title: Information Collection Request for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and Sewage Sludge Monitoring Reports; OMB Control Number 2040-0004; EPA ICR Number 0229.16.

Abstract: This ICR estimates the current monitoring, recordkeeping and costs associated with submitting and reviewing Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs), sewage sludge monitoring reports, and other monitoring reports under EPA's NPDES program. The NPDES program regulations, codified at 40 CFR parts 122 through 125, require permitted municipal and non-municipal point source discharges to collect, analyze, and submit data on their wastewater discharges. Under these regulations, the permittee is required to collect and analyze wastewater samples or have the analysis performed at an outside laboratory and report the results to the permitting authority (EPA or an authorized NPDES State) using a DMR, a preprinted form used for reporting pollutant discharge information. Sample monitoring, analysis, and reporting frequencies vary by permit, but must be performed at least annually for all permitted discharges except for certain storm discharges. Upon renewal of this ICR, the permitting authority will continue to require NPDES and sewage sludge facilities to report pollutant discharge monitoring data and other monitoring information. The permitting authority will use the data from these forms to assess permittee compliance, modify/add new permit requirements, and revise effluent guidelines. The monitoring data required of NPDES and sewage sludge facilities represents the minimum information necessary to achieve the Agency's goals and satisfy regulatory standards.

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 displayed in 40 CFR part 9.

The EPA would like to solicit comments to:

(1) 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;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Burden Statement: EPA estimates that 79,055 NPDES permittees and 24,346 sludge permittees will perform sample collection, pollutant analysis, reporting and recordkeeping as part of their NPDES permit requirements to collect and report discharge monitoring data to permit authorities. These permittees are expected to provide 598,016 responses to State and Federal NPDES permitting authorities. Nationally, permittees will spend 3,958,146 hours per year to collect samples of their wastewater or sludge, 9,041,965 hours per year to analyze samples collected, 1,202,620 hours per year to record and report the sampling and analysis information on DMRs, and 19,226 hours per year for sludge facilities to maintain records (the recordkeeping burden for the remaining NPDES permittees is reported in the Compliance Assessment ICR, OMB Control No. 2040-0110) for a total of 14,221,957 burden hours annually. Each permittee will spend an average of 138 hours per year (23.8 hours per response) to collect, analyze and report discharge monitoring data. Burden for State permitting authorities to review and follow-up on non-compliance identified in the monitoring reports is estimated to be 150,932 hours.

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.