[Federal Register: January 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 7)]
[Notices]
[Page 1698-1699]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12ja04-44]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a
Proposed Water Treatment Residuals Management Process for the
Washington Aqueduct, Washington, DC
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Washington Aqueduct seeks to plan and create a water
treatment residuals management process that will comply with the
standards established in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) Permit DC0000019 and will allow for continued safe,
reliable, and cost effective production of drinking water. Washington
Aqueduct generates residual solids, a byproduct of producing drinking
water, and currently periodically discharges this material to the
Potomac River. The residuals consist of river sediment and solid
materials generated by adding coagulant as part of the drinking water
treatment process. NPDES Permit DC0000019 includes effluent standards
for the discharge of the water treatment residuals that cannot be
achieved by the current Washington Aqueduct residual management
process.
This notice advises the public that pursuant to Section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended,
Washington Aqueduct, which operates the Dalecarlia and McMillan Water
Treatment Plants, will prepare a combined Feasibility Study/Draft
Environmental Impact Statement. The combined studies will identify,
analyze, and evaluate alternatives for reducing or eliminating the
discharge of water treatment residuals from the Dalecarlia Water
Treatment Plant and Georgetown Reservoir to the Potomac River in order
to comply with NPDES Permit DC0000019, effective April 15, 2003, and a
Federal Facility Compliance Agreement, signed June 12, 2003. In
addition, Washington Aqueduct will consider alternate methods of
managing the Potomac River sediment that accumulates in the Dalecarlia
Reservoir.
DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 28,
2004 between 7 and 9 p.m. at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church and Day
School, 4700 Whitehaven Parkway, NW., Washington, DC 20007-1586.
Directions are available at http://washingtonaqueduct.
nab.usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) can be addressed
to: Michael C. Peterson, (202) 764-0025, michael.c.peterson@usace
.army.mil, Environmental Engineer, Washington Aqueduct Division,
Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 5900 MacArthur
Boulevard, Washington, DC 20016.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
Washington Aqueduct operates the Dalecarlia and McMillan Water
Treatment Plants in Washington, DC, which provide potable water to over
one million persons in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia.
Raw water diverted from the Potomac River is collected in the
Dalecarlia Reservoir, where river sediment settles naturally. The
sediment periodically dredged from the Dalecarlia Reservoir is not
returned to the Potomac River.
Raw water flows from the Dalecarlia Reservoir to the Dalecarlia
Water Treatment Plant and also via the Georgetown Reservoir to the
McMillan Water Treatment Plant. Aluminum sulfate, the chemical used for
coagulation, is added from the Dalecarlia Plant to the raw water for
both the Dalecarlia and McMillan Water Treatment Plants. Chemically
included sedimentation takes place in four basins at the Dalecarlia
Water Treatment Plant and two basins at the Georgetown Reservoir. The
Dalecarlia facility employs 36 rapid dual media filters and the
McMillan facility is equipped with 12 rapid dual media filters. Except
for the filter backwash water at the McMillan Water Treatment Plant,
which is recycled to the McMillan Reservoir, and the filter backwash
water at the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, which is recycled to the
Dalecarlia Reservoir, all sedimentation residuals are currently
returned to the Potomac River.
2. Regulatory Mandate
In the recently issued NPDES permit, the Environmental Protection
Agency has significantly reduced the allowable concentration of
residuals that Washington Aqueduct can discharge to the Potomac. This
change in the permit requires Washington Aqueduct to evaluate alternate
methods of residuals collection, processing, conveyance, and disposal.
Washington Aqueduct and Environmental Protection Agency Region III
entered into a Federal Facility
[[Page 1699]]
Compliance Agreement to allow Washington Aqueduct to continue to
produce drinking water while developing and implementing a new
residuals management process. The Federal Facilities Compliance
Agreement contains deadlines for various compliance milestones
including the following NEPA documents (deadline in parentheses):
[sbull] Description of Proposed Actions and Alternatives submitted
to Environmental Protection Agency Region III (May 28, 2004)
[sbull] Draft Environmental Impact Statement submitted to
Environmental Protection Agency Region III (December 20, 2004)
[sbull] Final Record of Decision submitted to Environmental
Protection Agency Region III (June 3, 2005)
3. Objectives of Proposed Action
The objectives of the proposed residuals management process are as
follows, not necessarily in order of precedence (measurement indicators
in parentheses):
[sbull] To allow Washington Aqueduct to achieve complete compliance
with NPDES Permit DC00000019 and all other federal and local
regulations.
[sbull] To design a process that will not impact current or future
production of safe drinking water reliably for the Washington Aqueduct
customers. (Peak design flow of drinking water)
[sbull] To reduce, if possible, the quantity of solids generated by
the water treatment process through optimized coagulation or other
means. (Mass or volume of solids generated)
[sbull] To minimize, if possible, impacts on various local or
regional stakeholders and minimize impacts on the environment.
(Traffic, noise, pollutants, etc.)
[sbull] To design a process that is cost-effective in design,
implementation, and operation. (Capital, operations, and maintenance
expenses)
4. Alternatives
Various alternatives will be considered that include, but are not
limited to, different methods of collection, processing, conveyance,
and disposal of the residuals as well as the no action alternative.
Processing will be evaluated at both onsite and offsite facilities.
Conveyance and disposal options are anticipated to include discharging
to the sewer, barging to a remote processing or disposal site, trucking
to a remote disposal site, pumping to a remote processing facility, and
dewatering onsite and disposing in a dedicated monofill.
The alternatives evaluated in the DEIS will be analyzed in depth in
areas to include, but not limited to, predicted changes to air quality,
aquatic resources, terrestrial and wetland resources, cultural
resources, traffic, solid and toxic waste, and infrastructure as well
as any environmental justice concerns. Cumulative, secondary, indirect
and other associated impacts will be evaluated.
5. Scoping Process
The participation of all affected and interested federal, state,
and local agencies, environmental and neighborhood groups, Indian
tribes, and individuals is welcome and encouraged. Anyone wishing to
contribute ideas or information may submit a comment to the contact
above during the 30 day scoping period that immediately follows the
publication of this notice. Alternatively, comments will be collected
online at http://washingtonaqueduct. nab.ussace.army.mil. Comments and
other information can also be presented at the public scoping meeting
(see DATES).
6. Availability of the DEIS
The Washington Aqueduct anticipates the DEIS will be made available
to the public in October 2004.
Dated: January 5, 2004.
Thomas P. Jacobus,
Chief, Washington Aqueduct.
[FR Doc. 04-441 Filed 1-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-41-M