Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a list of information collection requests under review by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). To request a copy of these requests, call the CDC Reports Clearance Officer at (404) 498-1210 or send an e-mail to omb@cdc.gov. Send written comments to CDC Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-6974. Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

Evaluation of Efficacy of Household Water Filtration/Treatment Devices in Households with Private Wells—New—National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Approximately 42.4 million people in the United States are served by private wells. Unlike community water systems, private wells are not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Under the SDWA, EPA sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for contaminants in drinking water. A 1997 U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report on drinking water concluded that users of private wells may face higher exposure levels to groundwater contaminants than users of community water systems. Increasingly, the public is concerned about drinking water quality, and the public's use of water treatment devices rose from 27% in 1995 to 41% in 2001 (Water Quality Association, 2001 National Consumer Water Quality Survey). Studies evaluating the efficacy of water treatment devices on removal of pathogens and other contaminants have assessed the efficacy of different treatment technologies.

The purpose of the proposed study is to evaluate how water treatment device efficacy is affected by user behaviors such as maintenance and selection of appropriate technologies. Working with public health authorities in Florida, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, NCEH will recruit 600 households to participate in a study to determine whether people using water treatment devices are protected from exposure to contaminants found in their well water. We plan to recruit households that own private wells and use filtration/treatment devices to treat their tap water for cooking and drinking. Study participants will be selected from geographical areas of each state where groundwater is known or suspected to contain contaminants of public health concern. We will administer a questionnaire at each household to obtain information on selection of water treatment type, adherence to suggested maintenance, and reasons for use of treatment device. We will also obtain samples of treated water and untreated well water at each household to analyze for contaminants of public health concern. The estimated annualized burden is 300 hours. There are no costs to respondents.