80 FR 52287 - Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 167 (August 28, 2015)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on Epidemiologic Study of Health Effects Associated With Low Pressure Events in Drinking Water Distribution Systems.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52287-52289]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21346]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60 Day-15-0960: Docket No. CDC-2015-0073]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on Epidemiologic 
Study of Health Effects Associated With Low Pressure Events in Drinking 
Water Distribution Systems.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before October 27, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2015-
0073 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulation.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and

[[Page 52288]]

Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: All public comment should be submitted through the 
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the 
address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact the Information Collection Review Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-
D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-
3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they 
conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires Federal agencies 
to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each 
proposed collection of information, including each new proposed 
collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-
up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services 
to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, 
install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of 
collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to 
train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of 
information, to search data sources, to complete and review the 
collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.

Proposed Project

    Epidemiologic Study of Health Effects Associated With Low Pressure 
Events in Drinking Water Distribution Systems (OMB Control Number 0920-
0960, Expiration 3/31/2016)--Extension--National Center for Emerging 
and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    In the United States (U.S.), drinking water distribution systems 
are designed to deliver safe, pressurized drinking water to our homes, 
hospitals, schools and businesses. However, the water distribution 
infrastructure is 50-100 years old in much of the U.S. and an estimated 
240,000 water main breaks occur each year. Failures in the distribution 
system such as water main breaks, cross-connections, back-flow, and 
pressure fluctuations can result in potential intrusion of microbes and 
other contaminants that can cause health effects, including acute 
gastrointestinal and respiratory illness.
    Approximately 200 million cases of acute gastrointestinal illness 
occur in the U.S. each year, but we lack reliable data to assess how 
many of these cases are associated with drinking water. Further, data 
are even more limited on the human health risks associated with 
exposure to drinking water during and after the occurrence of low 
pressure events (such as water main breaks) in drinking water 
distribution systems. A study conducted in Norway from 2003-2004 found 
that people exposed to low pressure events in the water distribution 
system had a higher risk for gastrointestinal illness. A similar study 
is needed in the United States.
    The purpose of this data collection is to conduct an epidemiologic 
study in the U.S. to assess whether individuals exposed to low pressure 
events in the water distribution system are at an increased risk for 
acute gastrointestinal or respiratory illness. This study would be, to 
our knowledge, the first U.S. study to systematically examine the 
association between low pressure events and acute gastrointestinal and 
respiratory illnesses. Study findings will inform the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), CDC, and other drinking water stakeholders of 
the potential health risks associated with low pressure events in 
drinking water distribution systems and whether additional measures 
(e.g., new standards, additional research, or policy development) are 
needed to reduce the risk for health effects associated with low 
pressure events in the drinking water distribution system.
    We will conduct a cohort study among households that receive water 
from six water utilities across the U.S. The water systems will be 
geographically diverse and will include both chlorinated and 
chloraminated systems. These water utilities will provide information 
about low pressure events that occur during the study period using a 
standardized form (approximately 11 events per utility). Utilities will 
provide address listings of households in areas exposed to the low 
pressure event and comparable households in an unexposed area to CDC 
staff, who will randomly select participants and send them an 
introductory letter and questionnaire. Consenting household respondents 
will be asked about symptoms and duration of any recent 
gastrointestinal or respiratory illness, tap water consumption, and 
other exposures including international travel, daycare attendance or 
employment, animal contacts, and recreational water exposures. Study 
participants may choose between two methods of survey response: A mail-
in paper survey and a web-based survey.
    Participation in this study will be voluntary. No financial 
compensation will be provided to study participants. The study duration 
is anticipated to last 30 months. An estimated 6,750 individuals will 
be contacted and we anticipate 4,050 utility customers (18 years of age 
or older) will consent to participate in this study. The total 
estimated annualized hours associated with this study is expected to be 
548.
    There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

[[Page 52289]]



                                                            Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                             Number of    Average burden
              Type of respondents                               Form name                    Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                                                            respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Households.....................................  Paper-based questionnaire..............           1,215               1           12/60             243
Households.....................................  Web-based questionnaire................             810               1           12/60             162
Utility employees..............................  Household listing......................               6               5               3              90
Utility employees..............................  Water sample collection (grab samples).               6               3          130/60              39
Utility employees..............................  Water sample collection                               6               2           30/60               6
                                                  (ultrafiltration samples).
Utility employees..............................  Low pressure event form................               6               5           15/60               8
                                                                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total......................................  .......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             548
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2015-21346 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P