[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 57 (Friday, March 22, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11813-11814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6927]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for Churchmans Marsh Reservoir/New Castle County Water Supply Project 
in New Castle County, Delaware

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Philadelphia District, DOD; 
Cooperating Agency: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Region III.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action evaluates the need for and the alternative 
methods of providing additional water supply capacity to meet present 
and projected water demands in northern New Castle County, Delaware.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action and DEIS can be answered by Ms. 
Mary Marshall, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- Environmental Resources 
Branch (CENAP-PL-E), Wanamaker Building, 100 Penn Square East, 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-3390; phone: 215-656-6561, fax: 215-
656-6543.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Proposed project: The applicant, the Water Resources Agency for 
New Castle County has applied for a Department of the Army Permit to 
construct a 2 billion gallon, 250 acre off-stream reservoir in a 
freshwater tidal wetland, Churchmans Marsh. The proposed project site 
is located approximately 5 miles southwest of Wilmington and 7 miles 
east of Newark. It is bounded to the south by I-95, to the north by the 
White Clay Creek and to the east by the Christina River. Reservoir 
construction includes diking the perimeter of the site and excavating 
approximately nine million cubic yards of material to a depth of 
approximately -20 feet mean sea level. An intake weir will be 
constructed on the upstream side of the dike to allow flows to enter 
from the White Clay Creek.
    2. Alternatives that will be addressed by the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement include:
    a. The proposed project--Churchmans Marsh reservoir impoundment;
    b. Reservoir impoundment on Artesian Marsh (Churchmans South) site;
    c. Reservoir impoundments on tributaries to White Clay Creek and 
Red Clay Creek;
    d. Water transfer via existing and/or proposed pipelines;
    e. Aquifer recharge;
    f. Desalination of brackish surface water;
    g. Indirect waste water reuse; and
    h. No action.
    3. The following paragraphs detail the scoping actions that have 
occurred to date:
    a. The applicant has taken a number of steps to solicit input from 
the public including the development of a citizens advisory group. 
Numerous public information meetings have been held to discuss the 
status of the project and obtain public comments. In addition, numerous 
pre-application and pre-scoping meetings have been held with agency 
participation from the Delaware Department of natural Resources and 
Environmental Control, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S.

[[Page 11814]]
Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service and the 
Delaware River Basin Commission.
    b. Significant issues to be addressed in the EIS regarding the 
proposed project include:
    1. Loss of 250 acres of tidal freshwater wetlands within 
impoundment area;
    2. Impact of project construction and operation on water quality 
and flood storage capacity;
    3. Fish and wildlife habitat impacts, including endangered species;
    4. The effect of nearby hazardous waste sites and Interstate 95 on 
water quality;
    5. Disposal of excavated materials;
    6. Mitigation plans; and
    7. Water supply alternatives to the proposed action.
    c. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District and the 
U.S. Environmental protection Agency, Region III have executed a 
Cooperating Agency Agreement for the development of this EIS. The U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, through this agreement, has committed 
to play an active role in the scoping process, the performance of 
appropriate field investigations, the development of portions of the 
Draft and Final EIS's, primarily those related to water quality and 
hazardous waste issues, and the development of responses to comments 
received on those sections of the DEIS.
    4. A Public Workshop/Scoping Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 
April 11, 1996, in the Clayton Hall Conference Center on the University 
of Delaware's North Campus in Newark, Delaware. The conference center 
will open at 6 pm for informal viewing of project displays and 
documents and discussions with appropriate agency representatives. This 
formal meeting will begin at 7 pm.
    5. It is estimated that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
will be made available to the public in the Spring of 1997.
Frank J. Cianfrani,
Chief, Regulatory Branch, Corps of Engineers-Philadelphia District.
[FR Doc. 96-6927 Filed 3-21-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-GR-M