[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 64 (Monday, April 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16433-16434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8286]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Floodplain Involvement for the Constructed Wetlands 
Treatment of the A-01 Outfall Effluent at the Savannah River Site 
(SRS), Aiken, South Carolina

AGENCY: Savannah River Operations Office, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of floodplain involvement.

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SUMMARY: The process water effluent from the A-01 outfall located on 
SRS has consistently not met proposed South Carolina Department of 
Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits which will become effective on 
October 1, 1999. DOE needs to reduce the copper and chronic toxicity 
levels in this effluent to ensure compliance when these proposed 
outfall limits go into effect. Based on extensive existing research in 
the use of wetlands to treat wastewater, DOE proposes to build and 
operate an artificial wetland facility to treat the effluent to meet 
the new discharge limits. This proposed treatment facility would be 
constructed within the 100-year floodplain of Tims Branch drainage 
corridor. In accordance with 10 CFR 1022, DOE will prepare a floodplain 
assessment and will perform this proposed action in a manner so as to 
avoid or minimize potential harm to or within the affected floodplain.

DATES: Comments on the proposed action are due on or before April 20, 
1999.

ADDRESSES: For further information, including a site map and/or copy of 
the floodplain assessment, or to submit comments regarding this notice, 
contact Andrew R. Grainger, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
Compliance Officer, Savannah River Operations Office, Building 742-A, 
Room 183, Aiken, South Carolina 29808. The fax/phone number is (800) 
881-7292. The e-mail address is [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON GENERAL FLOODPLAIN/WETLANDS ENVIRONMENTAL 
REVIEW REQUIREMENTS, CONTACT: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office 
of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U. S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Telephone (202) 586-
4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1996, SCDHEC issued a new NPDES permit 
for SRS. This permit, which will go into effect no later than October 
1, 1999, established new limits for copper, lead, mercury, and chronic 
toxicity. Subsequent to SCDHEC issuing the new permit, samples taken at 
the relocated A-01 outfall have shown that the effluent consistently 
does not meet the new outfall limits for both copper and chronic 
toxicity. DOE needs to implement actions to reduce these concentrations 
prior to that time when the new outfall limits are scheduled to go into 
effect. Extensive research has indicated that an artificial wetland can 
be used to treat these constituents and reduce the concentrations below 
the new permit limits before the effluent reaches the NPDES compliance 
sampling point. Based on this, DOE proposes to build and operate 
artificial wetlands to treat the effluent to meet the new discharge 
limits.
    The proposed action entails the following: (1) Relocating the 
compliance point from the current location to a new site approximately 
0.92 kilometers (0.57 miles) below the present outfall (already 
approved by SCDHEC), and (2) creating a flow management basin and an 
artificial wetland facility within the drainage channel of Tims Branch 
into which the A-01 outfall effluent is currently being discharged. 
These activities would necessitate temporary heavy equipment access and

[[Page 16434]]

construction of the new facility within this drainage corridor.
    In accordance with DOE regulations for compliance with floodplain 
and wetland environmental review requirements (10 CFR part 1022), DOE 
will prepare a floodplain assessment for this proposed DOE action. The 
overall proposed action was previously evaluated under the NEPA 
process, with an environmental assessment (EA) (DOE/EA-1246) with a 
Floodplain Statement of Findings and a finding of no significant impact 
(FONSI) being issued in October of 1998. However, in an effort to 
reduce the total project cost, the proposed location for the flow 
management basin and artificial wetland facility was relocated from 
that site described in the EA to the new area within the A-01 outfall 
discharge channel. This facility relocation enabled the elimination of 
the entire piped collection system, thereby eliminating the cost and 
environmental impacts associated with that portion of the previous 
scope of the proposed action. A biological evaluation and wetlands 
determination of the new project location have not identified either 
any potential impacts to protected species or the presence of any 
jurisdictional wetlands. Based on the floodplain assessment to be 
conducted on the revised project scope, a floodplain statement of 
findings will be included in any revised FONSI that is issued pursuant 
to this proposed action or may be issued separately.

    Issued in Aiken, SC, on March 17, 1999.
Lowell E. Tripp,
Director, Engineering and Analysis Division, Savannah River Operations 
Office.
[FR Doc. 99-8286 Filed 4-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P