[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63387-63388]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25288]
[[Page 63387]]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) for the Arroyo Seco Ecosystem
Restoration Study, Los Angeles County, CA
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District (Corps)
in coordination with the non-Federal sponsor, Los Angeles County
Department of Public Works (LACDPW), intends to prepare an Integrated
Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental
Impact Report for the Arroyo Seco Environmental Restoration Study. The
purpose of the study is to evaluate opportunities for the restoration
of a natural channel, aquatic and riparian habitat as well as
associated upland habitat creek dynamics, restoration of sustainable
aquatic habitat, and revitalization of riverine and associated upland
habitat and constituent species, while maintaining the cultural and
aesthetic quality of the Arroyo Seco.
The Arroyo Seco (``dry wash'') heads in the San Gabriel Mountains
north of downtown Los Angeles and flows south through the cities of
Pasadena, South Pasadena, and Los Angeles before reaching its
confluence with the Los Angeles River. The study area is an
approximately eleven (11) -mile reach of the Arroyo Seco channel in Los
Angeles County, CA. The flood control channel is maintained by the Los
Angeles County Department of Public Works. The study area extends from
the Angeles National Forest border through the unincorporated area of
Altadena, and cities of La Ca[ntilde]ada-Flintridge, Pasadena, South
Pasadena, and Los Angeles to approximately 0.5 miles from the
confluence with the Los Angeles River.
DATES: Provide comments by November 24, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to: Deborah Lamb, Ecosystem Planning
Section, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, 915
Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017-3401.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on dates,
times and locations for scoping meetings, please contact Deborah Lamb
(see ADDRESSES), or at (213) 452-3798 or email at:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authority. The proposed study is authorized by Senate Resolution
approved on June 25, 1969, which reads as follows:
Resolved by the Committee on Public Works of the United States
Senate, that the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, created
under Section 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902,
be, and is hereby requested to review the report of the Chief of
Engineers on the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers and Ballona
Creek, California, published as House Document Numbered 838,
Seventy-sixth Congress, and other pertinent reports, with a view to
determining whether any modifications contained herein are advisable
at the present time, in the resources in the Los Angeles County
Drainage Area.
2. Background Information. The Arroyo Seco watershed has
historically played a significant role in the ecology of the Los
Angeles Basin because of its diverse habitat features and as a major
tributary to the Los Angeles River. The Arroyo Seco once provided a
corridor for wildlife to pass from the lower watershed to the upper
watershed in the San Gabriel Mountains. During the last 150 years the
lower and middle watershed have been extensively developed and
urbanized. The Arroyo Seco is crossed and bounded by multiple-lane
freeways including the Arroyo Seco Parkway (historic Route 66). Despite
urbanization, the watershed still reflects the rich history of the Arts
and Crafts movement that was an integral part of the Arroyo Seco
watershed. From the Angeles National Forest at the top of the watershed
down to the Lummis Home and Heritage Square in the lower Arroyo Seco,
the natural beauty of the Arroyo Seco was both inspiration and part of
an international arts movement.
3. Alternatives. The EIS will address the No Action Alternative and
an array of alternatives that meet the purpose and need of the project.
Alternatives may include measures that remove channel invert concrete,
replace existing channel walls, restore vegetation, create stream
sinuosity through relocation, creation of fish habitat, and recreation
features.
4. Issues To Be Addressed. The Integrated Feasibility Study/Draft
EIS/EIR will address environmental issues concerning the alternatives
proposed. Issues will be identified based on public input during the
scoping process and during the preparation of the Integrated
Feasibility Study/Draft EIS/EIR. Issues initially identified as
potentially significant without implementation of mitigation measures
include, but are not limited to; water quality, air quality,
socioeconomics and environmental justice, land use, recreation, visual
and aesthetic resources, traffic and transportation, historical and
cultural resources, vegetation and wildlife, and special status species
impacts during project construction.
5. Public Involvement.
a. A public scoping meeting will be held on the 29th of October
2014 at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works located at
900 S. Fremont Ave., Alhambra, CA 91803 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The
purpose of the public scoping meeting will be to present information to
the public regarding the array of alternatives proposed that may be
evaluated in the draft EIS/EIR, receive public comments, and solicit
input regarding environmental issues of concern to the public. The
public scoping meeting place, date, and time will be advertised in
advance in local newspapers and meeting announcement letters will be
sent to interested parties. In addition, the Corps will coordinate with
applicable regulatory and resource agencies including but not limited
to: the State Historic Preservation Officer, US Fish and Wildlife
Service, Regional Water Quality Review Board, US Environmental
Protection Agency, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works,
the City of Pasadena, the City of South Pasadena, City of La Canada-
Flintridge, the City of Altadena, the City of Los Angeles, and other
local agencies.
b. Participation of affected Federal, state and local resource
agencies, Native American groups and concerned interest groups/
individuals is encouraged in the scoping process. Public participation
will be especially important in defining the scope of analysis in the
Integrated Feasibility Study/Draft EIS/EIR, identifying significant
environmental issues and providing useful information from published
and unpublished data, personal knowledge of relevant issues, and
recommending mitigation measures associated with the proposed action.
c. Those interested in providing information or data relevant to
the environmental or social impacts that should be included or
considered in the environmental analysis can furnish this information
by writing to the points of contact indicated above or by attending the
public scoping meeting. A mailing list will also be established so
pertinent data may be distributed to interested parties.
d. Questions or comments regarding the Integrated Arroyo Seco
[[Page 63388]]
Environmental Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR), including requests to be placed
on the mailing list, may be submitted by mail to Ms. Deborah Lamb, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, CESPL-PD-RL, 915
Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017-3401; or by email to
[email protected].
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-25288 Filed 10-22-14; 8:45 am]
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