[Federal Register: March 20, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 53)]
[Notices]
[Page 11920-11921]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20mr09-35]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Regional Watershed Supply Project in Wyoming and Colorado
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is preparing an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the direct, indirect,
and cumulative effects of a proposed water supply project in Wyoming
and Colorado, referred to as the Regional Watershed Supply Project
(RWSP). Construction of the proposed RWSP is expected to require a
Clean Water Act Section 404 permit. The Project is proposed by Million
Conservation Resource Group (MCRG), which is a private water
development group. The RWSP proposes to provide approximately 250,000
acre-feet per year of new annual firm yield to meet a portion of the
projected water supply needs of southeastern Wyoming and the Front
Range of Colorado on a perpetual basis through 2030 and beyond. The
water would be obtained from the Green River Basin as part of the
unused portion of water allocated to the States of Wyoming and Colorado
under the Upper Colorado River Compact. The RWSP would be a non-Federal
project constructed, owned, and operated by MCRG.
DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting dates.
ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for meeting addresses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments regarding the
proposed action and EIS should be addressed to Ms. Rena Brand, Project
Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Denver Regulatory Office, 9307
S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128-6901; (303) 979-4120;
mcrg.eis@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE will be conducting public scoping
meetings at six locations to describe the Project, preliminary
alternatives, the NEPA compliance process, and to solicit input on the
issues and alternatives to be evaluated and other related matters.
Written comments for scoping will be accepted until May 19, 2009. The
COE has prepared a scoping announcement to familiarize agencies, the
public and interested organizations regarding the proposed RWSP and
potential environmental issues that may be involved. Copies of the
scoping announcement will be made available at the public scoping
meetings or can be requested by mail.
Scoping meetings will be held on:
1. April 14, 2009, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Green River High School, 1615
Hitching Post Drive, Green River, WY.
2. April 15, 2009, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Uintah High School, 1880 West
500 North, Vernal, UT.
3. April 16, 2009, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Laramie High School, 1257 North
11th Street, Laramie, WY.
4. April 20, 2009, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Fossil Ridge High School, 5400
Ziegler Road, Fort Collins, CO.
5. April 21, 2009, 6:30 to 9 p.m. West High School, 951 Elati
Street, Denver, CO.
6. April 22, 2009, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Risley Middle School, 625 N.
Monument Ave., Pueblo, CO.
The proponent of the project, MCRG, proposes the following
configuration of the RWSP: Two water withdrawal facilities, one on the
east side of Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Wyoming and the other on the
east bank of the Green River in Wyoming approximately 200 feet
downstream of the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge; one water
treatment storage reservoir located near the Green River intake system;
water pipeline system (approximately 560 miles in length and a diameter
of 72 to 120 inches) from the two withdrawal points to southeastern
Wyoming and the Front Range of Colorado (Wyoming-Colorado State Line to
Pueblo); one regulating reservoir located along the western end of the
pipeline system; approximately sixteen natural gas-powered pump
stations located along the pipeline route; temporary (construction
phase) and permanent (operation and maintenance phase) access roads;
three water storage/flow-regulation reservoirs (Lake Hattie in Wyoming
[available volume of approximately 40,000 acre feet]; proposed Cactus
Hill Reservoir near Fort Collins, CO [185,000 acre-foot capacity]; and
the proposed T-Cross Reservoir to be constructed near Pueblo, CO
[25,000 acre-foot capacity]); outlet structures at each reservoir
consisting of water treatment facilities; on-site transformers and
overhead power lines from local electrical grids for the water
withdrawal and storage reservoir facilities; and water delivery systems
from the storage reservoirs to water users.
The potential water users for the proposed project would include
agriculture, municipalities, and industries in southeastern Wyoming and
the Front Range of Colorado. In Wyoming, approximately 25,000 acre-feet
of water would be delivered annually to users in the Platte River
Basin. The remaining 225,000 acre-feet of water would be delivered
annually to the South Platte River and Arkansas River basins in
Colorado.
The EIS will be prepared according to the COE's procedures for
implementing the NEPA of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4232(2)(c), and
consistent with the COE's policy to facilitate public understanding and
review of agency proposals. As part of the EIS process, a full range of
reasonable alternatives, including the Proposed Action and No Action,
will be evaluated. Additional alternatives defined at this time by the
applicant include four alternative withdrawal points that would involve
withdrawal only from the Green River (two separate points) or Flaming
Gorge Reservoir (two separate points). A different pipeline segment
would connect each alternative withdrawal point to the mainstem
pipeline route. Alternative storage reservoirs in the Front Range of
Colorado also may be considered for the Project.
The COE has invited the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of
Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be
cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS. Other Federal and
State agencies will participate in the EIS review process to ensure
[[Page 11921]]
compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
Timothy T. Carey,
Chief, Denver Regulatory Office.
[FR Doc. E9-6170 Filed 3-19-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P