[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