[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 237 (Friday, December 10, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 77000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31039]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach Reliability Project, Santa
Barbara County, CA
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR).
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau of
Reclamation (Reclamation), the Federal lead agency, and the Cachuma
Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB), the State lead agency, have
prepared a Final EIS/EIR for the South Coast Conduit/Upper Reach
Reliability Project (SCC/URRP). The SCC/URRP involves installation of a
second water pipeline for improving water supply reliability to Cachuma
Project (CP) and State Water Project (SWP) customers on the South Coast
of Santa Barbara County.
A Notice of Availability of the joint Draft EIS/EIR was published
in the Federal Register on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 (73 FR 49218).
The written comment period on the Draft EIS/EIR ended October 3, 2008.
The Final EIS/EIR contains responses to all comments received and
reflects comments and any additional information received during the
review period.
DATES: Reclamation will not make a decision on the proposed action
until at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS/EIR. After the
30-day waiting period, Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision
(ROD). The ROD will state the action that will be implemented and will
discuss all factors leading to the decision.
ADDRESSES: A compact disc or a copy of the Final EIS/EIR may be
requested from Ms. Rain Healer, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 `N' Street,
Fresno, CA 93721-1831, by calling 559-487-5196, TTY 800-735-2929, or
via e-mail at [email protected], or from Ms. Kate Rees, Cachuma
Operation and Maintenance Board, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa
Barbara, CA 93105-2017, by calling 805-687-4011, or at board.org">krees@cachuma-board.org. The Final document is also available on the following Web
sites: http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=3368 or www.cachuma-board.org.
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where copies of
the Final EIS/EIR are available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rain Healer, Bureau of
Reclamation, or Ms. Kate Rees, COMB, at the phone numbers or e-mail
addresses above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing SCC/Upper Reach pipeline
provides approximately 80 percent of the water supply for communities
along the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. Reclamation owns the SCC
facilities and COMB manages the facilities under a Transfer of
Operations and Maintenance Contract with Reclamation. The SCC operates
at capacity for extended periods of time, and during peak demands it is
not able to provide the water needed. No redundant supply or pipeline
exists to convey CVP or SWP water to the South Coast if the Upper Reach
of the SCC is out of service due to scheduled and/or unexpected
repairs. The proposed project would increase the operational
flexibility, reliability, and conveyance capacity of the SCC between
the South Portal of Tecolote Tunnel and the Corona Del Mar Water
Treatment Plant to accommodate peak demand levels and to allow
maintenance of one pipeline while the other is operational. The total
amount of water delivered per year, however, would not increase.
The Final EIS/EIR considered the direct, indirect, and cumulative
effects on the physical, natural, and human environment that may result
from the construction and operation of the SCC/Upper Reach second
pipeline. The Final EIS/EIR addressed potentially significant
environmental issues and recommends adequate and feasible mitigation
measures to reduce or eliminate significant environmental impacts,
where possible. Three alternative pipeline alignments as well as no
project and no action alternatives were addressed.
A public meeting was held on September 10, 2008, in Santa Barbara,
CA.
Copies of the Final EIS/EIR are available for public review at the
following locations:
Bureau of Reclamation, South-Central California Area
Office, 1243 `N' Street, Fresno, CA 93721-1831.
Santa Barbara Central Public Library, 40 East Anapamu
Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Goleta Public Library, 500 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta,
CA 93117.
COMB office, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA
93105-2017.
Before including your name, address, phone number, e-mail 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.
Dated: July 13, 2010.
Pablo R. Arroyave,
Deputy Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2010-31039 Filed 12-9-10; 8:45 am]
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