[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 173 (Friday, September 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54910-54911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21717]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[A10-1523-2000-229-00-0-1, 3205000]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Public Scoping Meetings for the White Mountain Apache Tribe Rural Water
System Project, Arizona
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent and public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation, the lead Federal agency, and the
Bureau of Indian Affairs and White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT),
cooperating
[[Page 54911]]
agencies, are intending to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the proposed WMAT Rural Water System. Pursuant to the WMAT
Water Rights Quantification Act (Title III of the Claims Resolution Act
of 2010), the United States Congress authorized and directed
Reclamation to plan, design, and construct the WMAT Rural Water System
to divert, store, and distribute water from the North Fork of the White
River for the use and benefit of the WMAT. The proposed action would
fulfill the Bureau of Reclamation's statutory mandate under the WMAT
Water Rights Quantification Act. The Rural Water System would also
serve the purpose of providing a long-term, dependable, and sustainable
water supply for residents and businesses on the Fort Apache Indian
Reservation.
DATES: Submit written comments on the scope of the EIS on or before
October 28, 2013. Two scoping meetings will be held to solicit public
input on the scope of the environmental document, alternatives,
concerns, and issues to be addressed in the EIS.
The scoping meetings dates are:
1. Friday, September 20, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Cibecue, AZ.
2. Saturday, September 21, 2013, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Whiteriver,
AZ.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Mr. John McGlothlen, Phoenix Area
Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 6150 West Thunderbird Road, Glendale,
Arizona, 85306-4001; or email [email protected].
The public scoping meetings will be held at:
1. Cibecue Complex--Feeding Center, 10 West 3rd North Cromwell
Road, Cibecue, AZ.
2. Whiteriver--Whiteriver Unified School District Office Training
Room II, 963 South Chief Avenue, Whiteriver, AZ.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John McGlothlen, 623-773-6256;
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation will prepare the EIS.
Background
The WMAT Water Rights Quantification Agreement was confirmed by the
United States Congress in the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (Pub. L.
111-291, Title III, 124 STAT 3064, 3073 [2010]). This Act authorized
and directed the Bureau of Reclamation to construct the WMAT Rural
Water System to divert, store, and distribute water from the North Fork
of the White River to the WMAT. Section 304(c) of the Act designated
Reclamation as the lead Federal agency with respect to ensuring
compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations
associated with implementation of the WMAT Rural Water System.
The proposed action would include construction and operation of the
WMAT Rural Water System, including a dam and storage reservoir on the
North Fork of the White River, water treatment facilities, and a
distribution system (i.e., pipelines, pumping stations and water tanks)
that would provide water to communities located on the Fort Apache
Indian Reservation, including Whiteriver, Fort Apache, Canyon Day,
Cedar Creek, Carrizo, and Cibecue. The construction of the Miner Flat
Dam, a roller compacted concrete dam, would create a new reservoir
called the Miner Flat Reservoir. Water from the Miner Flat Reservoir
would be released to the North Fork of the White River, diverted from
the stream channel upstream from the community of Whiteriver, and
subsequently treated and conveyed via pipeline to Fort Apache Indian
Reservation communities. Storage on the North Fork of the White River
at Miner Flat Dam could provide multipurpose benefits, including
domestic and commercial water supply, recreation, hydropower potential,
limited flood control, irrigation, improved in-stream flows for
riparian and aquatic habitat, and improved stream temperatures for
production of trout at the Alchesay National Fish Hatchery.
The WMAT would become the titled owner and operator of the
completed water system after the Bureau of Reclamation completes
construction, operates the new facilities for a period of three years,
and provides technical assistance to WMAT on the operation and
maintenance of the system. The proposed action would fulfill
Reclamation's statutory mandate under the Act to plan, design,
construct, operate and maintain the WMAT Rural Water System until the
date on which title is transferred to the WMAT. For the WMAT, the
purpose of the proposed action is to provide multi-purpose water uses,
including a secure, safe and dependable, good-quality, fresh water
supply for its communities and tribal members.
Indian Trust Assets issues that are expected to be addressed in the
EIS include water rights, trust lands, and resources associated with
the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The WMAT has full beneficial title,
with legal title held by the United States, to 1.66 million acres of
trust land within the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The WMAT has
retained all property rights related to its trust land, including the
right to use water that underlies, borders and traverses it.
Special Assistance for Public Scoping Meetings
If special assistance is required at the scoping meetings, please
contact Ms. Jessie Haragara at 623-773-6251, or email at
[email protected]. Please notify Ms. Haragara at least two weeks in
advance of the meeting to enable the Bureau of Reclamation to secure
the needed services. If a request cannot be honored, the requestor will
be notified.
Public Disclosure
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in our 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: August 29, 2013.
Terrance J. Fulp,
Regional Director, Lower Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-21717 Filed 9-5-13; 8:45 am]
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