[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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