Agency Information Collection Activities; USGS Water Use Data and Research Program Announcement; Water Use Data and Research Program Feasibility Study, 69654-69656 [2023-22293]

Agencies

• Geological Survey
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 193 (Friday, October 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69654-69656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22293]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX23DK00GUH0300; OMB Control Number 1028-011]


Agency Information Collection Activities; USGS Water Use Data and 
Research Program Announcement; Water Use Data and Research Program 
Feasibility Study

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to revise an information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a 
copy of your comments on this information collection request (ICR) by 
mail, to

[[Page 69655]]

USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley 
Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1028-
0118 Water Use Data and Research Program Feasibility Study in the 
subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Erik A. Smith by email at [email protected], or 
by telephone at 512-927-3584. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States. You may also view the ICR at 
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA of 1995 and 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1), we provide the general public and other federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our 
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting 
burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection 
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice (88 FR 20902) with a 60-day public 
comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information 
was published on April 7, 2023. No comments were received.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following 
issues:
    (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the 
USGS;
    (2) Will this information be processed and used in a timely manner;
    (3) Is the estimate of burden accurate;
    (4) How might the USGS enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and
    (5) How might the USGS minimize the burden of this collection on 
the respondents, including through the use of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personally identifiable information 
(PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While 
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The USGS is authorized under SECURE Water Act section 
9508 to assist State and Territory water-resource agencies with 
improving their water-use data collection activities. The USGS has 
implemented the Water Use Data and Research program (WUDR) to work with 
State and Territory water agencies to gather and analyze their data and 
to assist this effort via cooperative agreements. WUDR will work to 
improve the collection and reporting of water-use categories by State 
and Territory agencies, including categories of water use that were 
previously discontinued due to limited resources. This collection will 
be used in reports to Congress on water resources in the Nation. 
Program authorization is $1,500,000 per year.
    Cooperative agreements will be announced and awarded as part of an 
annual competitive process that will be guided by a technical committee 
of USGS employees and stakeholder-group representatives. WUDR funds 
will be coordinated through a single agency in each State or Territory.
    As part of the ongoing efforts to improve the collection and 
sharing of water-use data, a nationwide data-sharing feasibility study 
of State and Territory agencies that provide water-use information to 
the USGS will also be conducted. This study will investigate the water-
use data availability and identify barriers that may prevent State and 
Territory agencies from sharing water-use data, especially site-
specific water-use data. Example feasibility-study questions include: 
(1) whether water use location data (latitude, longitude, etc.) is 
available to the public, and if so, the format of availability to the 
public (website, publication, accessible paper files, etc.); (2) 
ability/willingness to share the water-use data with other agencies, 
such as the USGS, and any restrictions on sharing data (such as 
location and/or water quantity); (3) if information on quantities of 
water used, such as withdrawals, wastewater return, and sales/
deliveries between users, is available to the public, and if so, the 
restrictions on water-quantity data such as categories of use or time 
intervals.
    Collaboration and coordination with USGS personnel will be required 
as part of the WUDR program. Data must be stored electronically and 
made available in machine-readable formats that can be incorporated 
into USGS databases. Additionally, methods used for data collection 
(estimated values, coefficients, etc.) and a description of data 
quality assurance and control must be provided to the USGS.
    Title of Collection: USGS Water Use Data and Research Program.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0118.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State and Territory water-resource 
agencies that collect water-use data.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: WUDR estimates that 
30 respondents (States and/or Territories) will read the program 
announcement, 12 respondents will prepare and submit applications, 10 
respondents (States and/or Territories) will submit semi-annual (two 
reports per year) progress reports and a final technical report, and 90 
respondents (States and/or Territories) will respond to the water use 
data sharing feasibility study.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 30 respondents reading 
the program announcement; 12 applications; 20 progress reports, 10 
final technical reports, 90 respondents to water use data sharing 
feasibility study.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Read Program announcement: 
1 hour; prepare applications: 40 hours; progress reports: 4 hours; 
final technical report: 24 hours; water use data sharing feasibility 
study: 1.5 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 965 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to be eligible to receive funding 
and voluntary to respond to water-use data-sharing feasibility study.
    Frequency of Collection: Program Announcements are published 
annually. Proposals are submitted annually by State and Territory 
water-resource agencies wishing to compete for funding offered through 
the annual program announcement. State and Territory water-resource 
agencies that receive a cooperative agreement must submit semi-annual 
progress reports and a final technical report. State and Territory 
water-resource agencies that respond to the water-use data sharing 
feasibility study will only need to respond once to provide potential 
clarification to questions on their study responses.

[[Page 69656]]

    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, nor is a person required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the PRA of 1995.

Cory Angeroth,
Deputy Program Coordinator, USGS Groundwater and Streamflow Information 
Program.
[FR Doc. 2023-22293 Filed 10-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338-11-P