[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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