[Federal Register: August 24, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 164)]
[Notices]
[Page 48622-48623]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24au07-41]
[[Page 48622]]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement for the Carryover Storage and San
Vicente Dam Raise Project, San Diego County, CA
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the San Diego County
Water Authority (Water Authority), as Co-Lead Agencies, have prepared a
Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/
EIS) for the Carryover Storage and San Vicente Dam Raise Project (CSP).
The overall purpose of the CSP is to substantially increase the
reliability and flexibility of the regional water supply by providing
the Water Authority with facilities to accumulate and store
approximately 100,000 acre feet (AF) of water by the year 2011. During
dry weather periods, increased regional demand for water may exceed
local supplies resulting in potential water shortages. Water would be
accumulated, when it is available, from a variety of sources and, once
stored, would provide a reliable reserve against shortages when supply
sources are limited. This type of operation is well suited for
improving storage reliability during droughts. The EIR/EIS assesses the
environmental effects of the CSP at San Vicente Reservoir (Proposed
Action) and the proposed alternatives.
DATES: Comments concerning this Draft EIR/EIS should be submitted by
October 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Mr. Robert R. Smith, Regulatory
Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rancho Bernardo Branch
Office, ATTN: File Number 200601015-RRS, 16885 West Bernardo Drive,
Suite 300A, San Diego, CA 92127; and to Ms. Kelley Gage, Senior Water
Resources Specialist, San Diego County Water Authority, 4677 Overland
Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert R. Smith, Regulatory
Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rancho Bernardo Branch
Office, at (858) 674-6784; or Ms. Kelley Gage, Senior Water Resources
Specialist, San Diego County Water Authority, at (858) 522-6763.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authorization: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles
District, Regulatory Branch is considering an application from the
Water Authority for a Department of the Army permit under Section 404
of the Clean Water Act to construct the Proposed Action. The primary
Federal concern is the discharge of fill materials (including permanent
inundation) within Federal jurisdictional areas and waters of the
United States, and potential impacts on the human environment from such
activities. The Corps' decision will be to either issue or deny a
Department of the Army permit for the Proposed Action.
The EIR/EIS has been prepared as a joint document in accordance
with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and State CEQA
Guidelines (CCR Title 14, 15082(a), 15103, and 15375); the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations (40 CFR Part 1500 et seq.); the Corps
Procedures for Implementing NEPA (33 CFR Part 230); and with other
appropriate federal laws and regulations, policies, and procedures of
the Corps for compliance with those regulations.
2. Background: In August 1996, the Water Authority approved the
Emergency Storage Project (ESP) to provide local water storage to meet
emergency needs within the Water Authority's service area. The approved
ESP includes the following major components: A new dam, pipeline, and
pump station at Olivenhain (complete); the Lake Hodges Pump Station and
pipeline (under construction); the San Vicente Pipeline (under
construction); and the San Vicente Pump Station/Surge Control Facility
(in design). The ESP also includes expansion of the existing San
Vicente Reservoir by raising the existing San Vicente Dam by 54 feet,
providing approximately 52,100 AF of emergency water storage capacity.
The ESP was evaluated in an EIR/EIS for which the Water Authority
was Lead Agency under CEQA and the Corps was Lead Agency under NEPA.
The Water Authority Board of Directors certified the Final EIR/EIS on
August 15, 1996. The Corps issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the
EIR/EIS on August 4, 1997, and an Individual Permit under Section 404
of the Clean Water Act (Permit No. 95-2009200-DZ) on August 18, 1997.
The Water Authority completed a Regional Water Facilities Master
Plan (Master Plan) in December 2002. The Master Plan contains an
evaluation of the facilities and resources the Water Authority will
need to fulfill its mission of providing a safe and reliable supply of
water to its member agencies through the year 2030. The Master Plan
identified an immediate need for additional carryover storage for the
region, and identified an additional expansion of San Vicente Reservoir
to include 100,000 AF of carryover storage as a component of each
alternative. The Water Authority was the Lead Agency under CEQA for the
Master Plan Program EIR, which was certified by the Water Authority
Board on November 20, 2003.
3. Proposed Action: The Water Authority will be raising San Vicente
Dam by 54 feet to provide approximately 52,100 AF of emergency water
storage capacity in San Vicente Reservoir as part of the ESP. The
Proposed Action involves an additional dam raise of 63 feet to provide
approximately 100,000 AF of carryover storage capacity in the reservoir
as part of the CSP. Because it would not be feasible or practicable to
construct two separate raises of the dam due to issues such as cost,
safety of the raised dam structure, and construction logistics, the two
increases would be combined and constructed at the same time. Under
both the ESP and CSP dam raises, the existing 220-foot high concrete
gravity dam would be raised by as much as 117 feet using roller
compacted concrete, expanding the usable reservoir volume by up to
152,100 AF to provide both ESP and CSP storage.
4. Alternatives: Three alternatives are evaluated in the Draft EIR/
EIS, including the ``No Action'' Alternative; a new dam and 100,000 AF
reservoir in Moosa Canyon near Valley Center in San Diego County,
California (Moosa 100K Alternative); and a reduced raise of San Vicente
Dam providing 50,000 AF of carryover storage capacity in San Vicente
Reservoir, combined with a smaller new dam and 50,000 AF reservoir in
Moosa Canyon (SV 50K/Moosa 50K Alternative).
5. Scoping Process: To initiate the public scoping process for the
EIR/EIS in accordance with CEQA and NEPA guidelines, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the
Federal Register on October 10, 2006 (71 FR 59499), and the San Diego
County Water Authority (Water Authority) circulated a Notice of
Preparation (NOP) through direct mailings and published a legal notice
in the San Diego Union Tribune on October 8, 2006. The 30-day public
review period for the NOI and NOP ended November 9, 2006. In addition,
the Army Corps of Engineers and Water Authority conducted a scoping
meeting prior to preparing the EIR/EIS to aid in determining the
significant
[[Page 48623]]
environmental issues associated with the Proposed Action. The meeting
was held at the San Diego County Water Authority, 4677 Overland Avenue,
San Diego, California, on November 1, 2006. An additional public
meeting (``Community Forum'') was held in the Lakeside community on
December 11, 2006. Although conducted outside the official NOI/NOP
public scoping period, the Lead Agencies have agreed to give the
comments received at the Lakeside Community Forum the same weight as
those received during the NOI/NOP public scoping period, and are
equally addressed in the EIR/EIS.
Two public hearings to receive comments on the Draft EIR/EIS will
be held by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Authority. The
locations and times for the public hearings are as follows:
Lakeside Community Center, 9841 Vine St., Lakeside, CA,
92040 at 6:30 PM on October 8, 2007.
Valley Center High School, Maxine Theater, 31322 Cole
Grade Road, Valley Center, CA 92082, at 6:30 p.m., on October 11, 2007.
These public hearings will be announced in the local news media,
and separate notice will also be sent to all parties on the project
mailing list.
Participation by all interested Federal, State and County resource
agencies, as well as Native American peoples, groups with environmental
interests, and all interested individuals is encouraged. The public
review period will conclude 45 days after publication of this notice.
Individuals and agencies may offer information or data relevant to
the environmental or socioeconomic impacts by attending the above-
referenced public meetings, or by mailing the information to Mr. Robert
R. Smith or to Ms. Kelley Gage at the addresses provided in this notice
prior to October 15, 2007. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the
Water Authority will consider public concerns on the Draft EIR/EIS. A
summary of the public meetings and written comment letters and
responses will be incorporated into the Final EIR/EIS as appropriate.
The Final EIR/EIS will be considered and acted upon by the Water
Authority's Board of Directors at a noticed public hearing. The Corps
will sign the Record of Decision at least 30 days after the Notice of
Availability of the Final EIR/EIS. Comments, suggestions, and requests
to be placed on the mailing list for announcements and for the Draft
Final EIR/EIS, should also be sent to Mr. Smith or Ms. Gage.
6. Availability of the Draft EIR/EIS: The Draft EIR/EIS and
appendices are available for review and downloading from the Water
Authority's Internet Web page at the following address: http://www.sdcwa.org.
Copies of the Draft EIR/EIS and all documents referenced
in the Draft EIR/EIS are available for public review by appointment at
the Water Authority offices at the address provided in this notice.
Please contact Ms. Kelley Gage at the Water Authority at (858) 522-6763
to set up an appointment. Please note that only qualified individuals
will be allowed to review the confidential cultural resources
appendices. Copies of the Draft EIR/EIS and appendices are also
available for public review at the following locations:
(1) Lakeside Public Library, 9839 Vine Street, Lakeside, CA 92040.
(2) Valley Center Public Library, 29200 Cole Grade Road, Valley
Center, CA 92082.
Mark Durham,
Chief, South Coast Branch, Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
[FR Doc. E7-16696 Filed 8-23-07; 8:45 am]
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