[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31330]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 21, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers

 

Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for the Proposed Southern Pacific Milling Company Sisquoc River Mining 
Plan in the Sisquoc River in Santa Barbara County, CA

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action is to mine construction-grade aggregate 
deposits from a 1.5-mile stretch of the Sisquoc River, a water of the 
United States. The California Division of Mines and Geology has 
determined that the most significant concentration of construction-
grade aggregate in the region occurs in the Sisquoc/Santa Maria River 
basin. This deposit contains material that is important to two 
countries for construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of public 
and private facilities. The proposed action is intended to help satisfy 
the long-term demand for commercially-usable aggregate material in the 
region.
    Because the action will require a permit under Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act (as amended) and adverse individual culminative impacts 
to the aquatic ecosystem may result, the Corps has determined that the 
proposed action warrants an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.
    A Joint Review Panel (JRP) consisting of the primary permitting 
agencies for the project has been formed to coordinate multi-agency 
review. The JRP includes representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, California Division of Mines and Geology, and Country of 
Santa Barbara. The County of Santa Barbara will serve as the lead 
agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The 
environmental document will therefore be circulated as a joint 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR).

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, 2151 
Alessandro Drive, Suite 255, Ventura, California 93001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Michael Jewell, (805) 641-0301.

DATE: Scoping comment period will expire January 20, 1995.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Proposed Action

    Southern Pacific Milling Company (SPMilling), has applied to the 
Corps of Engineers for a Section 404 individual permit to remove sand 
and gravel material from a 1.5-mile stretch of the Sisquoc River over 
the course of the next 20 years. The proposed mining plan has been 
designed to interface with the proposed Coast Rock Products Mining and 
Reclamation Plan on the Sisquoc and Santa Maria Rivers (see Federal 
Register 59 FR 2361).
    In 1989, the California Division of Mines and Geology found that 
the largest concentration of construction-grade material in Santa 
Barbara and San Louis Obispo Counties (the service area) extends along 
the Sisquoc/Santa Maria river system from a narrow canyon in the 
Sisquoc Ranch to the ancient flood plain underlying the City of Santa 
Maria. Because much of this material is no longer accessible due to 
surface improvements or established land use, the most viable long-term 
sources have been identified to occur within and adjacent the Sisquoc 
and Santa Maria Rivers. The overall purpose of the proposed action is 
to mine high-quality, construction-grade aggregate (MRZ-2 classified) 
deposits within the service area for utilization of the resource for 
approximately 20 years and reclaim mined lands in accordance with the 
requirements of the California State Surface Mining and Reclamation Act 
(SMART).
    The EIS/EIR for this proposal will be combined with the Coast Rock 
Products IS/EIR (currently in development) in one document. Since the 
SPMilling project site is situated between the upstream and downstream 
Coast Rock Products sites, it was determined that a combined document 
for both proposals would be appropriate and valuable in evaluating 
individual and cumulative impacts of these major operations on the 
river system.

2. Alternatives

    At least the following alternatives will be considered: (1) No 
action; (2) applicant's preferred project; (3) off-site (outside the 
100-year floodplain) mining; (4) mining in the river (within the 100-
year floodplain) but not within Section 404 jurisdiction; (5) a 
reduced-scale project; and (6) alternative landuse/reclamation 
scenarios.

3. Scoping Process

    a. Federal, state and local agencies and other interested private 
citizens and organizations are encouraged to send their written 
comments to Mr. Michael Jewell at the address provided in this notice. 
This scoping comment period will expire 30 days from the date of this 
notice.
    b. Significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) include hydrology/hydraulics, 
biological resources, water quality, cultural resources, air quality, 
transportation, groundwater recharge, noise, aesthetics, and 
socioeconomics.
    c. Coordination will be undertaken with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California 
Department of Fish and Game, State Historic Preservation Office, and 
California Regional Water Quality Control Board.
    d. The project will also be reviewed under the California 
Environmental Quality Act. A draft EIS/EIR will be published which will 
discuss both NEPA and CEQA issues.

4. Scoping Meeting

    A scoping meeting has not been scheduled for the SPMilling 
proposal. A scoping meeting was held in January 1994 to identify 
potential issues relative to the Coast Rock Mining and Reclamation 
Plan. The same or similar issues will be germane to the proposal 
discussed herein.

5. DEIS Schedule

    The current schedule estimates that the combined DEIS will be 
available for public review and comment in February 1995.
Kenneth L. Denton,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 94-31330 Filed 12-20-94; 8:45 am]
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