Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Willingness To Pay Survey for Santa Cruz River Management Options in Southern Arizona (New), 59017 [2013-23351]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 25, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 59017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23351]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0282; FRL--9536-8]


Information Collection Request Submitted to OMB for Review and 
Approval; Comment Request; Willingness To Pay Survey for Santa Cruz 
River Management Options in Southern Arizona (New)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Willingness To Pay Survey for 
Santa Cruz River Management Options in Southern Arizona (New)'' (EPA 
ICR No. 2484.01, OMB Control No. 2080-NEW) to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This is a request for 
approval of a new collection. Public comments were previously requested 
via the Federal Register (78 FR 26773) on May 8, 2013 during a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its 
estimated burden and cost to the public. 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 October 25, 
2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
ORD-2013-0282, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to ord.docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email to 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew A. Weber, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 200 SW. 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333; telephone 
number: (541) 754-4315; fax number: (541) 754-4799; email address: 
weber.matthew@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: The USEPA Office of Research and Development is 
investigating public values for scenarios of change for perennial 
reaches of the effluent-dominated Santa Cruz River, Arizona. These 
values will be estimated via a willingness to pay mail survey 
instrument. There are two effluent-dominated perennial reaches 
considered in the survey. A ``South'' reach starts at an outfall in Rio 
Rico, AZ, and flows northward through Tumac[aacute]cori National 
Historical Park. A ``North'' reach is fed by two outfalls in northwest 
Tucson, Arizona, flows northwest through Marana, AZ. For each of the 
South and North reaches, two different scenarios of change are 
considered. The first is a reduction in flow length, and associated 
decreases in cottonwood-willow riparian forest, a rare forest type in 
the region. The second is an increase in water quality to allow full 
contact recreation, such as submersion, at normal flow levels. The 
baseline flow length and forest acreages, as well as the acreages of 
forest that would be associated with reduced flow lengths, are derived 
from natural science information and modeling. For the survey, a choice 
experiment framework is used with statistically designed alternative 
choices. Options to maintain flow length and forest, or increase 
effluent water quality, are posed as increases in a yearly household 
tax. Each choice question allows a zero cost ``opt out'' option. The 
choice experiment is designed to allow isolation of the public value of 
each marginal change for each reach. A few additional questions to 
further understand respondent choice motivations, as well as their 
river-related recreation behavior, are also included. Several pages of 
background introduce the issue to respondents. A small number of 
sociodemographic questions are included to gauge how well the sample 
respondents represent the target population. Samples of the two major 
metropolitan areas in southern Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, will 
receive the survey. The primary reason for the survey is public value 
research. The Santa Cruz River is a case study of a waterway highly 
impacted by human modifications. However it still represents 
potentially valuable ecological commodities such as rare riparian 
habitat and recreational opportunities for the regional population. The 
survey results may also be informative to local decision-makers 
considering Santa Cruz River management options. Water scarcity in the 
region raises periodic debates on the best uses of effluent. All survey 
responses will be kept confidential.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: The target respondents for this 
survey are representatives 18 yrs or older of households in the two 
most populated urban areas of Arizona, the Phoenix metro area, and the 
Tucson metro area.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 500 households.
    Frequency of response: One-time response.
    Total estimated burden: 250 hours.
    Total estimated cost: $5,275, which includes no operations and 
maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: This is a new ICR, thus there is no 
currently approved burden.

Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-23351 Filed 9-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P