[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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