[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 18 (Friday, January 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 5389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-2113]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[ER-FRL-4719-5]
Joint Water Pollution Control Plant, Upgrade to Full Secondary
Treatment; Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement (DEIS) for the upgrade to full secondary treatment for the
Joint Water Pollution Control Plant located in Carson, California.
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PURPOSE: To fulfill the requirements of Section 102(2)(c) of the
National Environmental Policy Act, EPA has identified the need to
prepare a DEIS and therefore issues this Notice of Intent pursuant to
40 CFR 1501.7.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TO BE PLACED ON THE PROJECT MAILING LIST
CONTACT: Ms. Elizabeth Borowiec, Water Management Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San
Francisco, CA, 94105, Telephone: (415) 744-1948
Summary: Description of proposed action.
Need for Action
In January, 1992, EPA and California Regional Water Quality Control
Board filed suit against the Districts under Section 309 of the Clean
Water Act to comply with full secondary treatment at the JWPCP. A
Consent Decree was negotiated between the Districts, the United States,
the Natural Resources Defence Council, and Heal the Bay to meet this
requirement by December 31, 2002. The Districts have prepared the Joint
Outfall System 2010 Master Facilities Plan which addresses the need to
provide full secondary treatment, as well as the long-term need for
wastewater treatment, reuse, and disposal through the year 2010. In
addition, the Districts have completed a draft program environmental
impact report (EIR) that analyzes the impacts of the 2010 Plan as
required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The draft
EIR was circulated for public review on November 14, 1994. The comment
period for the draft EIR concluded on January 17, 1995. Finally, unlike
most EIRs, the Districts have initiated a consultation and review
process with federal agencies on this draft EIR, which is similar to
the process required under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). This process was launched pursuant to requirements of the State
Water Resources Control Board's State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan
program.
EPA intends to award direct grant funds to the County Sanitation
Districts of Los Angeles County (Districts) provided under the 1995
Appropriations Act (Public Law 103-327). The purpose of the grant is
for the planning, design, and construction of wastewater treatment
facilities to upgrade the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP)
in the City of Carson, California to 400 million gallons per day (mgd)
of secondary treatment capacity.
Alternatives
Alternatives to the proposed action anticipated to be analyzed in
the DEIS consist of:
those alternatives analyzed in the draft program EIR,
which include upgrading the JWPCP to either 400 mgd or 350 mgd of
secondary treatment capacity; and
the No-Action Alternative, where no new facilities would
be funded by EPA to upgrade the level of treatment at the JWPCP.
Scoping
The focus of the DEIS will be on the construction and operation of
the secondary treatment and related solids processing facilities at the
JWPCP. EPA Region IX invites comments on the proposed action and
alternatives to the proposed action. A separate EIS scoping meeting is
not planned at this time because of the extensive scoping process
already undertaken by the Districts during preparation of the draft
EIR. However, public comments will be accepted after the release of the
DEIS. For additional information, contact the person indicated above.
Estimated Date of DEIS Release
Spring of 1995.
Responsible Official: John Wise, Deputy Regional Administrator.
Dated: January 24, 1995.
Richard E. Sanderson,
Director, Office of Federal Activites.
[FR Doc. 95-2113 Filed 1-26-95; 8:45 am]
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