[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 75 (Monday, April 20, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19489-19490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-10223]
[[Page 19489]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5998-6]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the
Clear Lake Basin 2000 Project, Lake County, CA
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a draft environmental assessment
and hold a scoping meeting to examine the proposed construction and
operation of wetlands supplied by wastewater effluent from Lake
County's Northwest Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant at Lakeport,
California.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, EPA
has identified a need to prepare a draft environmental assessment and
therefore issues this document.
Background
The Lake County Sanitation District (LACOSAN) has initiated a
series of actions to improve the wastewater collection, treatment, and
disposal facilities that it operates in the Clear Lake Basin of Lake
County. These sets of actions are known collectively as Clear Lake
Basin 2000, and include: water conservation/demand measures;
improvements to existing wastewater collection and treatment systems;
and improvements and modifications to effluent disposal methods. The
overall objective is elimination of wastewater stresses to the Clear
Lake watershed, and where possible, use of recycled wastewater for
purposes of watershed restoration. The proposed action covered by this
notice of intent includes two sub-projects of the Clear Lake Basin 2000
program initiative. The two projects are: (1) Lyons Creek wetlands and
flow control facility; and (2) Nice-Burns Valley wetlands and pipeline.
Each of these is more specifically described as follows:
1. Lyons Creek Wetlands & Flow Control Facility
This proposed component includes six wetland sites totaling 90
acres, and a flow control facility (FCF) required for supplying
wastewater effluent to the wetlands. The activity is located in the
Lyons Creek sub-watershed of the Clear Lake watershed. The wetlands
will be constructed by creating levees in existing dry channels, and
grading and shaping to create inter-mixed areas of deep water and
shallow marsh habitat. A mix of open water/emergent marsh will be
established to provide preferred habitat for a broad variety of
wetland-dependent birds and mammals. Treated effluent will be stored
and conveyed to the wetlands via the FCF and distribution pipelines,
respectively, and introduced to the wetland cells through buried pipes
into deep water and inlet zones. During effluent application periods
(primarily the summer months) these wetlands will be hydraulically
loaded at rates that are balanced by the on-site losses of water
through evaporation and transpiration by wetland vegetation. There will
be no surface releases of treated effluent, consistent with the
requirements of the State of California Regional Water Quality Control
Board. During wet periods, effluent application will cease and
stormwater flows will be allowed to accumulate in the wetland cells,
providing flood detention and water quality improvement prior to
release to downstream waters. The FCF is required to store effluent
during the winter periods when high effluent flows are experienced, and
effluent use by the wetlands is not possible. The FCF will have a
capacity of approximately 2,300 acre-feet. Current storage at LACOSAN's
Northwest Treatment Plant is insufficient to store effluent during
extreme wet winters. The FCF will also provide a means to provide
continuous summer flows to the wetlands, when water use demands are
highest and effluent flows may be insufficient to sustain plant and
aquatic life.
2. Nice-Burns Valley Wetlands & Pipeline
This proposed component includes 10 wetland sites totaling 176
acres, and a pipeline required for supplying wastewater effluent to the
wetlands. The activity is located in a corridor that roughly parallels
the northern shore of Clear Lake. The wetland sites are located along
the corridor, beginning on the west near the community of Nice, and
ending on the east in the Burns Valley sub-watershed. The pipeline will
begin at LACOSAN's Northwest Treatment Plant, where effluent will be
available, and will terminate at LACOSAN's Southeast Treatment Plant,
which is located in the Burns Valley sub-watershed. As with the Lyons
Creek component, the wetlands will be constructed by creating levees in
existing dry channels, and grading and shaping to create inter-mixed
areas of deep water and shallow marsh habitat. A mix of open water/
emergent marsh will be established to provide preferred habitat for a
broad variety of wetland-dependent birds and mammals. Treated effluent
will be conveyed to the wetlands in the pipeline, and introduced to the
wetland cells through buried pipes into deep water and inlet zones.
During effluent application periods (primarily the summer months) the
wetlands will be hydraulically loaded at rates that are balanced by the
on-site losses of water through evaporation and transpiration by
wetland vegetation. Any water not utilized by the wetlands will be
returned to the effluent pipeline for reuse at another site. In this
way there will be no surface releases of treated effluent, consistent
with the requirements of the State of California Regional Water Quality
Control Board. During wet periods, effluent application will cease and
stormwater flows will be allowed to accumulate in the wetland cells,
providing flood detention and water quality improvement prior to
release to downstream waters. The effluent pipeline, and two pump
stations, are required to convey the stored effluent from LACOSAN's
Northwest Treatment Plant to the wetland sites, and to receive
operational transfers from the wetlands for reuse at another wetland
site. The pipeline will be 16 inches in diameter, and will begin at a
pump station located at the Northwest Treatment Plant. From the
Northwest Treatment Plant, the pipeline will extend approximately 19
miles along the north shore of Clear Lake to an intermediate booster
pump station located near the Clearlake Oaks effluent disposal ponds.
From the booster pump station, the pipeline will extend south and east
approximately two miles through public and private rights-of-way, and
terminate at LACOSAN's Southeast Treatment Plant. Allowable pipe
materials will include both ductile iron and PVC. It will be installed
at depths appropriate for the adjacent buried utilities and traffic
conditions (typically 3 to 4 feet of cover). The pump stations will
consist of multiple vertical turbine or horizontal split-case pumps
with automatic controls to stop the flow in the event of an emergency.
Pump controls and electrical equipment will be located in a building to
protect them from the elements and reduce noise impacts. Depending upon
final design, surge tanks or other surge facilities will be located
adjacent to the pump stations. Pump operating conditions and control
data will be transmitted to LACOSAN's computer system for monitoring
and automatic/operator control of the pumps.
All of the proposed actions covered by this notice of intent,
except the wetlands proposed for the Nice-Burns Valley corridor, have
been evaluated in an environmental impact report (EIR)
[[Page 19490]]
prepared and certified by LACOSAN in 1997 pursuant to the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A portion of the effluent pipeline
alignment between Clearlake Oaks and LACOSAN's Southeast Regional
Wastewater Treatment Plant has also been evaluated in a previous CEQA
document prepared by the Clearlake Oaks County Water District in 1997.
The environmental assessment covered by this notice will incorporate
information and findings from both previous environmental documents
where relevant and appropriate.
ALTERNATIVES
The alternatives to be evaluated in the environmental assessment
include:
1. The proposed action as described above. The proposed action is
based on two previous alternatives analyses: (a) Alternative effluent
disposal methods examined in LACOSAN's previous EIR for improvements to
the Northwest Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant; and (b) an
evaluation of alternative wetland sites in the Lyons Creek and Nice-
Burns Valley project areas prepared by LACOSAN in 1998 during project
planning.
2. Construction and operation of the FCF and effluent pipeline
without the establishment of associated wetlands.
3. No action.
Scoping Process
The scope consists of a range of proposed actions and their
potential impact on the surrounding community to be considered in the
environmental assessment. It is the intent that there shall be an early
and open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed
and for identifying the significant environmental issues related to the
proposed action. Although scoping meetings are not required for
environmental assessments, EPA and LACOSAN will hold a public scoping
meeting on Friday, May 29, 1998, at 1:00 PM in the Lake County Board of
Supervisors Chambers, Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes Street,
Lakeport, CA. At this meeting the public will be invited to present
issues and concerns they would like to see addressed in the
environmental assessment.
Proposed Date of release
The draft environmental assessment is scheduled for release in
October 1998.
Responsible Official
Felicia Marcus, Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Region 9.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Dellinger, Resources Manager/
Project Manager, Lake County Sanitation District, 230A Main Street,
Lakeport, CA 95453, telephone 707/263-2273, e-mail mark_
[email protected]; or Kristin Gullatt, U.S. EPA, Region 9, 75 Hawthorne
Street, Mail Code WTR-10, San Francisco, CA 94105, telephone 415/744-
1937, e-mail Gullatt.K[email protected].
Mike Schulz,
Acting Director, Region 9, Water Division.
[FR Doc. 98-10223 Filed 4-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P