[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6516-6517]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-3452]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for the New Castle County Water Supply Project in New Castle County, 
Delaware

agency: U.S. 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 previously 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. Based on extensive 
coordination and technical studies, the applicant re-evaluated the 
feasibility of reservoir construction at Churchmans Marsh.
    The applicant decided to resubmit the permit application, siting 
Thompsons Station as the proposed location for reservoir construction. 
The proposed project site is north of Newark, on an unnamed tributary 
to the White Clay Creek near the intersection of Thompson Station and 
Pleasant Hill Roads. The proposed project is a 132 acre, 1.9 billion 
gallon storage facility. Water would be pumped into the proposed 
reservoir from White Clay Creek during periods of high stream flow.
    2. Alternatives that will be addressed by the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement include:
    a. The proposed Thompsons Station reservoir impoundment;
    b. Churchmans Marsh reservoir impoundment;
    c. Artesian Marsh (or Churchmans Marsh South) reservoir 
impoundment;
    d. Water transfer via existing and/or proposed pipelines;
    e. Desalination of brackish surface water; and
    f. No action.
    3. Significant issues to be addressed in the EIS regarding the 
proposed project include:
    a. Biological impacts, including loss of freshwater wetlands;
    b. Fish and wildlife habitat impacts, including threatened and 
endangered species;
    c. Physical impacts, including water quality and hydrology;
    d. Stream and riparian impacts;
    e. Cultural resource impacts;
    f. Mitigation plans;
    g. Disposal of excavated material; and
    h. Water supply alternatives to the proposed action.
    4. The following paragraphs detail the scoping actions that have 
occurred to date:
    a. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District 
sponsored a previous Public Workshop/Scoping meeting on April 11, 1996.
    b. 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. Environmental Protection Agency, the 
National Park Service and the Delaware River Basin Commission.
    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

[[Page 6517]]

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, primarily those related to water 
quality and hazardous waste issues, and the development of responses to 
comments received on those sections of the DEIS.
    5. A Public Workshop/Scoping Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 
March 6, 1997, at the Delmarva Power Company Conference Center 
Auditorium located at 4100 South Wakefield Drive 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. The formal meeting will begin at 7 pm.
    6. It is estimated that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
will be made available to the public in the Fall of 1997.
Richard A. Hassel,
Assistant Chief, Regulatory Branch, Corps of Engineers-Philadelphia 
District.
[FR Doc. 97-3452 Filed 2-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-GR-M