[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 238 (Monday, December 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77390-77391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31407]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[INT-DES-00-53]


Keechelus Dam Safety of Dams Modification, Yakima Project, 
Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and notice of public hearings for the 
Keechelus Dam Safety of Dams Modification, Yakima Project, Washington, 
draft environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Reclamation (Reclamation), has prepared a draft environmental impact 
statement (Draft EIS) to examine the

[[Page 77391]]

impacts of alternatives to correct safety deficiencies identified at 
Keechelus Dam. Reclamation proposes to modify the existing dam to 
return full capacity to Keechelus Lake.
    The preferred alternative of modifying the dam would provide for 
the safe operation of Keechelus Dam and also maintain benefits from 
Keechelus Lake that include meeting existing contractual commitments 
for storage space for irrigators within the Yakima Project and 
controlling seasonal downstream flooding.
    The DEIS describes and analyzes the impacts of four alternatives 
that would correct safety deficiencies at Keechelus Dam, as well as the 
No Action Alternative. This Draft EIS assesses the impacts of the 
interim restriction, implemented in November 1998 to protect public 
safety, as the No Action Alternative.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS must be received no later than 
February 9, 2001, at the address listed in ADDRESSES section below.
    On Thursday, January 18, 2001, two public hearings will be held to 
accept oral comments on the Draft EIS in Ellensburg, Washington. Each 
public hearing will be proceeded by an informal open house where 
exhibits can be viewed and discussed with agency managers and staff. 
The first will begin with an informal open house from 12:30 to 2 p.m., 
followed by the formal public hearing from 2 to 4:00 p.m. The second 
will begin with a 5:30 to 7 p.m. informal open house, followed by a 
formal public hearing from 7 to 9 p.m. The facilities are physically 
accessible to people with disabilities.
    Please contact Mr. Kaumheimer (see below) for sign language 
interpretation for the hearing impaired or other auxiliary aids by 
January 10, 2001, so arrangements can be made.

ADDRESSES: The open houses and public hearings will be held at the 
Ellensburg Inn, 1700 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, Washington, telephone 
(509) 925-9801.
    Written comments on the Draft EIS should be submitted to Mr. Dave 
Kaumheimer, UCA-1600, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area 
Office, 1917 Marsh Road, Yakima, WA 98901; or by fax (509) 454-5611.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public 
disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. If you 
wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for locations where copies of 
the DEIS are available for public review and inspection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dave Kaumheimer at (509) 575-5848, 
extension 232. Those wishing to obtain a copy of the Draft EIS in the 
form of a printed document or on compact disk (CD-ROM with reader 
included) or a Summary of the Draft EIS may contact Mr. Kaumheimer.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Keechelus Dam was completed in 1917 as part 
of Reclamation's Yakima Project, storing Yakima River water in central 
Washington for irrigation of part of 443,400 acres of prime farmland 
and for flood control. Recent investigations have shown that the wooden 
railroad trestle, used to deliver earth material and rocks while 
constructing the dam, has deteriorated, forming vertical paths where 
earthen materials within the dam can move, leaving voids in the dam. 
Examination of the seepage problems indicates the material is 
internally unstable and is subject to failure, with an associated 
potential for loss of life and property downstream. Because of the 
deficiencies identified, Keechelus Lake has been operated at a 
restricted pool elevation 7 feet below normal full pool elevation 2,517 
feet since November 1998, with increased monitoring and surveillance at 
the dam.
    The Safety of Dams Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-578) and amendments of 
1984 (Pub. L. 98-404) authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
analyze existing Reclamation dams for changes in the state-of-the-art 
criteria and additional hydrologic and seismic data developed since the 
dams were constructed. For dams where a safety concern exists, the 
Secretary is authorized to modify the structure to ensure its continued 
safety.
    Section 3 of the Safety of Dams Act states that construction 
authorized by the act shall be for dam safety and not for specific 
purposes of providing additional conservation storage capacity or 
developing benefits over and above those provided by the original dams 
and reservoirs.

Review and Inspection of the DEIS

    Copies of the DEIS are available for public review and inspection 
at the following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Room 7455, 18th and C Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office Library, Denver 
Federal Center, Building 67, Room 167, Denver, Colorado 80225.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, 
1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, Idaho 83706-1234.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office, 1917 
Marsh Road, Yakima, Washington 98901.

Libraries

    Carpenter Memorial Library, 302 N Pennsylvania Ave, Cle Elum, WA 
98922; (509) 674-2313.
    Central Washington University Library, 700 E 8th Ave, Ellensburg WA 
98926; (509) 963-1777.
    Ellensburg Public Library, 209 N Ruby, Ellensburg WA 98926; (509) 
962-7250.
    Yakima Valley Regional Library, 102 N 3rd St, Yakima WA 98901; 
(509) 452-8541.
    University of Washington Campus, Suzzallo Library, Government 
Publications Division, Seattle WA 98195; (206) 543-1937

Internet

    The DEIS is also available on the Internet at: http://www.pn.usbr.gov/

Hearing Process Information

    Requests to make oral comments at the public hearings may be made 
at each hearing. Comments will be recorded by a court reporter. 
Speakers will be called in the order of their requests. In the interest 
of available time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to 
five (5) minutes. Longer comments should be summarized at the public 
hearing and submitted in writing either at the public hearing or 
identified as hearing comments and mailed to be received by Mr. 
Kaumheimer no later than February 9, 2001 (the end of the public 
comment period).

    Dated: December 4, 2000.
J. William McDonald,
Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 00-31407 Filed 12-8-00; 8:45 am]
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