Bureau of Indian Affairs - Water Request Information Collection Renewal

Detected March 15th, 2026

Summary

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has issued a notice requesting public comment on the proposed renewal of an existing information collection related to water requests. This collection is necessary for billing, fee waiver eligibility, and land designation for irrigation projects.

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What changed

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is seeking public comment on the proposed renewal of an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The collection, identified by OMB Control Number 1076-0141, is essential for the BIA to properly bill users for irrigation services, determine eligibility for fee waivers, and designate irrigable land. The agency is specifically soliciting feedback on the necessity and utility of the information, the accuracy of burden estimates, and potential methods to enhance clarity and minimize reporting burdens.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments by March 23, 2026, via the Regulations.gov portal or by mail. The BIA is particularly interested in comments regarding the practical utility of the data, the accuracy of their burden estimates, and suggestions for improving the collection process, including electronic submission methods. While comments are a matter of public record, individuals can request that their personal identifying information be withheld.

What to do next

Review the proposed renewal of information collection OMB Control Number 1076-0141.
Submit comments regarding the necessity, utility, accuracy, and clarity of the information collection by March 23, 2026.
Consider methods to minimize reporting burden, including electronic submission options.

Source document (simplified)

Content

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA, we) is proposing to renew an information
collection without change.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before March 23, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

To submit comments, please visit https://www.regulations.gov/docket/BIA-2022-0005/document or use the search field on https://www.regulations.gov to find the “BIA-2022-0005” docket. Please follow the instructions on Regulations.gov for submitting a comment; and reference the “OMB Control Number 1076-0141” within your comment submission. You may also mail
comments to Indian Affairs, RACA, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Suite 229, Albuquerque, NM 87104.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steven Mullen, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs,
U.S. Department of the Interior, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Suite 229, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104; comments@bia.gov; (202) 208-5403. 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. You may also view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/Forward?SearchTarget=PRA&textfield=1076-0141.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide the general public
and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, 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.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies
to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. We are especially interested in public comment
addressing the following:

(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether or not the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used;

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

(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through
the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of response.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including
your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Abstract: The BIA owns, operates, and maintains irrigation projects that provide a service to the end user. To properly bill for the
services provided, the BIA must collect customer information to identify the individual responsible for repaying the government
the costs of delivering the service; determine eligibility for waiver of fees; and determine designation of irrigable lands
as assessable or non-assessable. Additional information necessary for providing the service is the location of the service
delivery, and the number of serviced acres. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) requires that certain information
be collected from individuals and businesses doing business with the government. This information includes the taxpayer identification
number for possible future use to recover delinquent debt. To implement the DCIA requirement to collect customer information,
the BIA has included a section concerning the collection of information in its regulations governing its irrigation projects
(25 CFR 171).

Title of Collection: Water Request.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0141.

Form Number: BIA-DWP-Irr-101; BIA-DWP-Irr-102; BIA-DWP-Irr-103; BIA-DWP-Irr-104; BIA-DWP-Irr-105; BIA-DWP-Irr-106.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 13,438.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 35,941.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 0.2 to 6 hours.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 17,981.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: $0.

Authority

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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501).

Steven Mullen, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs. [FR Doc. 2026-01181 Filed 1-21-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4337-15-P