[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 106 (Monday, June 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33049-33051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13062]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Green
River/Tusher Diversion Dam Rehabilitation Project, Emery/Grand County,
UT
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4370d, as implemented by the
Council of Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508)
and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regulations that
implement NEPA at 7 CFR part 650, the NRCS Utah State Office announces
its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Green River/Tusher Diversion Dam Rehabilitation project.
The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding
the intent to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the nature of
the proposed action and possible alternatives, and to invite public
participation in the EIS process (including providing comments on the
scope of the draft EIS, to announce that a public scoping meeting will
be conducted, and to identify cooperating agency contacts). The EIS
process will evaluate alternatives recommended for detailed study as a
result of previous planning-level studies completed by NRCS and any
additional (new) alternatives identified during scoping.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the draft EIS, including the
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, types of
issues that should be addressed, associated research that should be
considered, and the methodologies to be used in impact evaluations
should be sent to NRCS starting on May 29, 2013 and ending on or before
June 28, 2013 (5:00 p.m. MDT), to the address listed in the ADDRESSES
section below. Comments submitted after June 28, 2013 will be
considered to the extent practicable by the project team.
Two scoping meetings to present the project and develop the scope
of the EIS will be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, via Tele-
briefings. Participants should call (800) 346-7359 (entry code 840561)
at least fifteen minutes prior to the meeting and an operator will
connect you to the Tele-briefing. The first Tele-briefing will start at
2:00 p.m. (MDT) with a formal presentation and
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last until 2:45 p.m. An informal question and answer period will be
held from 2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The second Tele-briefing will start at
6:00 p.m. (MDT) with a formal presentation and last until 6:45 p.m. An
informal question and answer period will be held from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00
p.m. Presentation materials will be available on the project Web site
(http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/index.html) for participants
to download prior to the meeting.
Any individual who requires special assistance to participate in a
scoping meeting, such as hard copy documentation of the meeting or
other assistance, should contact Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC,
(208) 342-4214 or llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com by Friday, May 24, 2013
to allow sufficient time for documents to be mailed or special
arrangements to be made.
Scoping meeting presentation materials will be available on the
NRCS Utah Emergency Watershed Protection Web site (http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/index.html) prior to the meeting.
Electronic copies of the scoping materials may also be obtained from
Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC, (208) 342-4214 or
llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com. Representatives of Native American tribal
governments and of federal, State, regional and local agencies that may
have an interest in any aspect of the project will be invited to be
cooperating agencies, as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: Formal scoping comments may be submitted via mail, email,
fax, or oral telephone comment to:
Contact: Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC,
Mail: 1401 Shoreline Dr., Boise, Idaho 83702
Email: llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com
Fax: (208) 342-4216
Telephone: (208) 342-4214.
Details of the public scoping meeting are given above under DATES.
Comments should be submitted by close-of-business (5:00 p.m. MDT) June
28, 2013. Respondents should provide contact information if you wish to
be included on the EIS mailing list. Please note that any respondent's
entire scoping comment, including their personal contact information,
may be made publicly available at any time during the EIS process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bronson Smart, State Conservation
Engineer, Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 125 South State Street,
Room 4010, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138-1100, or via email at
[email protected]. Information may also be obtained from Mr.
Greg Allington, McMillen, LLC, 1401 Shoreline Dr., Boise, Idaho 83702,
or via email at llc.com">greenriver@mcmillen-llc.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background--The NRCS and Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
(UDAF) are analyzing alternatives to rehabilitate the Green River/
Tusher Diversion Dam due to damage from the late 2010 and early 2011
flood events. The dam was constructed in the early 1900's and has been
modified over the years to maintain the structure. During the 2010/2011
flood events, flows in the Green River caused severe damage to the
diversion structure compromising its structural integrity. If the dam
fails, water delivery to two irrigation canals, a historic irrigation
water wheel delivery system, and one hydropower plant would be
eliminated.
The rehabilitation of the diversion dam would be funded through the
NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program (CFR, Title 7:
Agriculture, Part 624--Emergency Watershed Protection) via technical
assistance and partial construction funding. A National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) Programmatic EIS was prepared by NRCS for the overall
EWP program in 2004; however, the rehabilitation of this diversion dam
does not fit within the analysis parameters of the Programmatic EIS.
Therefore, additional NEPA analysis is required for this project.
The project started out under the analysis of an Environmental
Assessment (EA) during the first scoping period that was opened from
October 30, 2012 to November 30, 2012. A public scoping meeting was
held on November 15, 2012 at Green River City Hall in Green River,
Utah. Through additional consultation with the Utah State Historic
Preservation Office (SHPO) under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, it was determined that the diversion dam may be
eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Any
modifications to the dam may be considered an ``adverse effect'' which
may make it ineligible for listing after rehabilitation. A wide range
of alternatives is being considered for the project as listed in the
Alternatives section below. Some of the impacts to the diversion dam
from these alternatives may be considered ``significant'' to cultural
resources and as a result, NRCS has decided to prepare an EIS for the
project. The EIS will be prepared consistent with Title 390, The
National Emergency Watershed Protection Program Manual.
The Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery
Program) is proposing to fund and install a fish barrier in the west
irrigation and hydropower plant canal to prevent Endangered Species Act
(ESA) listed fish species from entering the canal and/or hydropower
plant. As part of the dam repair, upstream and downstream fish passage
may also be incorporated into the design. These fish protection and
passage components are proposed for inclusion in the Green River
diversion rehabilitation project to help reduce mortality of ESA listed
fish species populations in the Green River.
Scoping Process--NRCS invites all interested individuals and
organizations, public agencies, and Native American Tribes to comment
on the scope of the EIS, including the project's purpose and need,
alternatives proposed to date, new alternatives that should be
considered, specific areas of study that might be needed, and
evaluation methods to be used.
Background information including the project purpose and need and
alternatives developed to date will be available prior to the scoping
meeting on the NRCS Utah EWP Web site (http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EWP/index.html). Electronic and hard copies of supporting
documentation are also available from Mr. Greg Allington, McMillen,
LLC, (208) 342-4214 or llc.com">greg.allington@mcmillen-llc.com.
Once the scope of the EIS is confirmed upon the close of scoping,
NRCS will begin preparation of the draft EIS. A summary of comments
received during the scoping period will be compiled in a scoping report
which will be available on the NRCS Utah EWP Web site.
Project Study Area and Environmental Setting--The proposed project
is located approximately 6.6 miles north of the city of Green River in
Emery/Grand Counties, Utah. The project study area includes land that
is unincorporated on both sides of the Green River. The primary study
area includes the diversion dam where rehabilitation activities would
occur. Secondary study areas include areas required for alternatives of
the project as described in the Alternatives section below such as the
powerhouse raceway, irrigation canal on the east side of the diversion
dam, construction staging areas on both sides of the river, and
potential impacts to the river and riparian area upstream of the
diversion dam.
The environmental setting for the project area is primarily located
in a riverine environment surrounded by a relatively narrow riparian
plant
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community adjacent to the river. Beyond the riparian community are
agricultural fields on the east side of the diversion dam and BLM land
on the west side of the diversion dam that is primarily comprised of
desert shrubs and grasses.
Environmental resources consist of the natural and man-made
environment. Preliminary resource concerns associated with the
rehabilitation of the diversion dam may include both beneficial and
negative impacts to water quality and supply, fish, threatened and
endangered species, cultural, recreation, aesthetics, and public health
and safety.
Alternatives--NRCS is analyzing the following conceptual
alternatives to rehabilitate the diversion dam:
Repair Existing Diversion Dam: Repair the existing
diversion to safely pass flood events.
Replace Existing Diversion Dam: Demolish the existing
diversion dam and install a new dam in the same location.
Replace Diversion Dam Downstream: Demolish the existing
diversion dam and install a new diversion dam downstream.
Replace Diversion Dam Upstream: Demolish the existing
diversion dam and install a new diversion dam upstream.
Diversion Decommissioning: Completely remove the diversion
dam from the river and stabilize the diversion site. The existing water
rights at the dam would be supplemented via pumping out of the river or
other options to provide water to the water rights holders.
Fish Passage Upstream/Downstream: Construct a passage
system(s) on the dam to allow safe upstream and downstream passage of
fish over the diversion dam.
Electric Fish Barrier: Install an electric fish barrier to
prevent fish from swimming into the powerhouse and irrigation canal on
the west side of the diversion dam.
Fish Barrier: Install a fish barrier to prevent fish from
swimming into irrigation canal on the east side of the diversion dam.
Boat Passage Upstream/Downstream: Construct a passage
system(s) on the dam to allow safe downstream passage of boats past the
diversion dam.
NRCS will consider any viable alternatives brought forward during
scoping if it is substantially different from the alternatives
described above. NRCS will also study a No-Action alternative which
would consist of no Federal money used for the rehabilitation of the
diversion dam.
Cooperating Agencies--Federal, state, and local agencies that may
be interested in or affected by the project may request or be requested
by NRCS to become a cooperating agency in the development of the EIS.
Signed this 24th day of May, 2013, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
David C Brown,
Utah State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-13062 Filed 5-31-13; 8:45 am]
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