[Federal Register: January 31, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 21)]
[Notices]               
[Page 5827-5828]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31ja08-51]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Army Corps of Engineers

 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
408 Permission and 404 Permit to Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency 
for the Natomas Levee Improvement Project, Sacramento, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The action being taken is the preparation of an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) for the issuance of both the 408 permission and 
404 permit to SAFCA for their work on the Natomas Levee Improvement 
Project (NLIP). The 408 is permission to alter existing flood control 
structures and the 404 permit is required for the discharge of dredged 
or fill material into the waters of U.S. under the Clean Water Act. The 
NLIP is located in Sacramento and Sutter Counties, California. SAFCA is 
requesting this permission and permit

[[Page 5828]]

in order to complete construction along the Natomas Cross Canal and on 
the landside of the east levee of the Sacramento River.

DATES: A public scoping meeting was held January 9, 2008. Send written 
comments by February 15, 2008 to the address listed under the ADDRESSES 
section.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning this study 
to Ms. Elizabeth Holland, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento 
District, Attn: Planning Division (CESPK-PD-R), 1325 J Street, 
Sacramento, CA 95814. Requests to be placed on the mailing list should 
also be sent to this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and EIS should be addressed to Liz Holland at (916) 557-6763, e-mail 
Elizabeth.g.holland@usace.army.mil or by mail to the address listed 
under the ADDRESSES section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Proposed Action

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing an EIS to analyze the 
impacts of the work proposed by SAFCA from the implementation of the 
NLIP. The NLIP is being constructed by SAFCA to improve flood 
protection to portions of the City and County of Sacramento and Sutter 
County lying within the Natomas Basin.

2. Alternatives

    The EIS will address an array of flood control improvement 
alternatives. Alternatives analyzed during the investigation will 
include a combination of one or more flood protection measures. These 
measures include seepage berms, adjacent setback levees, seepage wells, 
seepage cutoff walls, and relocation of irrigation ditches.

3. Scoping Process

    a. A public scoping meeting was held on January 9, 2008 to present 
information to the public and to receive comments from the public. The 
Corps has initiated a process to involve concerned individuals, and 
local, State, and Federal agencies.
    b. Significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the EIS include 
effects on hydraulic, wetlands and other waters of the U.S., vegetation 
and wildlife resources, special-status species, esthetics, cultural 
resources, recreation, land use, fisheries, water quality, air quality, 
transportation, and socioeconomics; and cumulative effects of related 
projects in the study area.
    c. The Corps is consulting with the State Historic Preservation 
Officer to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act, and the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide a Fish and Wildlife 
Coordination Act Report as an appendix to the EIS.
    d. A 45-day public review period will be provided for individuals 
and agencies to review and comment on the draft EIS. All interested 
parties are encouraged to respond to this notice and provide a current 
address if they wish to be notified of the draft EIS circulation.

4. Availability

    The draft EIS is scheduled to be available for public review and 
comment in early 2008.

    Dated: January 21, 2008.
Thomas Chapman,
COL, EN, Commanding.
[FR Doc. E8-1753 Filed 1-30-08; 8:45 am]

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