[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 154 (Thursday, August 8, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41420-41421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20175]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[CO-070-5101-CO12]
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and Notice of Scoping Meetings, on a Proposed Replacement Raw
Water Pipeline in Mesa County, Colorado
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and Notice of Scoping Meetings, on a proposed Replacement Raw
Water Pipeline in Western Colorado.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102 (2) (C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Grand Junction Resource Area office,
Grand Junction District, will be directing the preparation of a NEPA
document. The NEPA document will be an EIS. The document will be
prepared by a third party contractor, and will address impacts of the
Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement project proposed by the Ute Water
Conservancy District (Ute Water). The project is a raw water conveyance
system proposed on private and public lands in Mesa County, Colorado to
replace a deteriorated and under sized pipeline currently approved
under BLM ROW grant C 081282.
DATES: Written comments will be accepted until 4:00 PM, MST, on
September 23, 1996. A public scoping meeting/workshop will be held from
3:00-7:00 PM on August 28, 1996, at the Two Rivers Convention Center,
159 Main Street, Grand Junction, Colorado.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Grand Junction Area Manager,
Bureau of Land Management, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506, ATTN:
Plateau Creek Pipeline Replacement Project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Stevens, (970) 244-3009.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing Plateau Creek Pipeline is an
essential part of the Ute Water system which provides water to more
than 55,000 Grand Valley residents. The Ute Water service area includes
most of the Grand Valley area surrounding the City of Grand Junction,
Colorado, and extends from east of the Town of Palisade to within 5
miles of the Colorado-Utah stateline. Ute Water is a political
subdivision of the State of
[[Page 41421]]
Colorado formed under the Water Conservancy Act of 1937, and is
considered to be a quasi-municipal entity. In order for Ute Water to
meet its commitment of providing a reliable, cost effective, high
quality water source, replacement of the pipeline is necessary.
Water is conveyed via a 24-inch-diameter pipeline approximately 14
miles along Plateau Creek Canyon and adjacent to Interstate Highway 70
to Ute Water's treatment plant located on Rapid Creek, near the Town of
Palisade. As of 1994, the pipeline was no longer able to provide an
adequate flow rate to meet the peak day customer demands. The pipeline
is presently subject to frequent breaks due to deteriorated pipe
condition, and is unreliable due to its location within geologic
hazards and stream erosion areas. The Bureau of Land Management and Ute
Water had performed scoping to : (1) identify interested stakeholders
and agencies, (2) define key issues, and (3) identify initial project
alternatives for preparation of an Environmental Assessment. The
initial filing of the Notice of Intent was on March 14, 1995. On the
basis of subsequent information and comments provided to the BLM it was
determined that issues and concerns would best be analyzed in an EIS.
During the initial scoping, 16 alternatives were developed. These
include seven alternatives along the Plateau Creek corridor, three
different alternatives involving use of water from nearby utilities, a
Colorado River pump station alternative, two alternatives for supplying
water from the Kannah Creek watershed, two alternatives for supplying
water from the Whitewater Creek watershed, and a No Action alternative.
Groundwater alternatives and conservation actions will be addressed in
the EIS. Four of the initially considered alternatives, selected on the
basis of screening criteria described in Section 404(b) of the Clean
Water Act, are proposed for evaluation in the EIS. These are:
Alternative A--Replacement of the pipeline on an alignment parallel
to Plateau Creek such that impacts to all resources are minimized.
Alternative B--Replacement of the pipeline parallel to Plateau
Creek entirely within the existing state highway 65 and 330 rights-of-
way.
Alternative C--Replacement of the pipeline in either alignment A or
B with a smaller pipeline. This alternative includes provisions for
construction of a booster station at the mouth of Plateau Canyon to be
built at a future date to meet long-term demands.
Alternative D--A ``no federal action'' alternative. Major issues
identified during the scoping include: (1) wetlands and riparian areas,
(2) threatened and endangered species, (3) Prime and Unique Farmlands,
(4) water depletion issues, and (5) impacts to State highway 65.
Preliminary review by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and
Wildlife Service (FWS), and Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) indicates
that the anticipated impacts within the project area may be entirely
mitigable, and may be limited to temporary disturbance.
The tentative project schedule is:
Begin Public Comment Period--August 1996
Complete Draft EIS--March 1997
Record of Decision--June 1997
Complete Final Design--April 1998
Begin Construction--June 1998
The BLM's scoping process will include: (1) Identification of
additional issues to be addressed; (2) Identification of additional
viable alternatives, (3) Notification of interested groups, individuals
and agencies so that additional information concerning these issues can
be obtained, and (4) Review of the information obtained to date.
The scoping process will be initiated by publication of this NOI in
the Federal Register and issuance of a news release announcing the
start of the process; letters of invitation to participate in the
scoping process, and distribution of a scoping document describing the
proposed action, alternatives and significant issues being considered
is available upon request.
Mark T. Morse,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 96-20175 Filed 8-07-96; 8:45 am]
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