[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 218 (Friday, November 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56660-56661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-28244]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for El Rio Antiguo, Rillito River, a Feasibility Study of a Portion of 
the Rillito River in the City of Tucson, Pima County, AZ

AGENCY: Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Los Angeles District of the U.S. Corps of Engineers (the 
Corps) will initiate analyses of foreseeable environmental impacts from 
actions potentially to be implemented on a reach of the Rillito River. 
The Corps will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
accompany the Feasibility Report. Pima County will participate in the 
Feasibility Study.
    The Rillito River flows from east to west along the south face of 
the Catalina Mountains, and is tributary to the Santa Cruz River. The 
study area extends from the confluence of Pantano and Tanque Verde 
Washes, which happens to coincide with Craycroft Road, downstream to 
Campbell Road. About 4.8 river miles lie between those limits. Except 
for a region on the south side approximately one mile long, all 
existing banks have been stabilized with soils cement. The study area 
will extend on the north side to include uplands in a region known 
locally as ``the bend'', and on the south side to encompass lands 
potentially to be acquired along Alvernon Way and at Campbell Road. 
Approximately 925 acres lie within the roughly defined study area, and 
of that about 525 acres would be called uplands. A habitat restoration 
project on the south bank of the Rillito (Continuing Authorities 
Program, section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, 
as amended) has been initiated within the proposed study area. 
Refinements of the study area, both additional inclusions and 
exclusions, can be expected during the course of the Feasibility Study 
as appropriate to the general study objectives.
    The proposed project emphasizes opportunities to restore riparian 
habitat, address matters of surface and groundwater quality, explore 
aquifer recharge along the Rillito, restoration of natural riverbed 
conditions, fashion localized seasonal wetlands (known in the southwest 
by the Spanish noun cienegas) at opportune places in the river bottom, 
and create venues appropriate for recreational educational uses of the 
river. Flood damage reduction on the Rillito itself and washes entering 
it from foothills of the Catalinas will also constitute aspects of the 
Feasibility Study.

ADDRESSES: District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles 
District, ATTN: Dr. John E. Moeur, Regional Planning Section, CESPL-PD-
RP, PO Box 532711, Los Angeles, California 90053-2325.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John E. Moeur, Environmental 
Manager, telephone (213) 452-3874.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Authorization

    The Feasibility Study for El Rio Antiguo has two distinct 
Congressional authorities. The more recent, House Resolution 2425 
(dated 17 May 1994), directs:

* * * the Secretary of the Army * * * to review reports of the Chief 
of Engineers on the State of Arizona * * * in the interest of flood 
damage reduction, environmental protection and restoration, and 
related purposes.

    Congress previously authorized similar endeavors through section 6 
of the Flood Control Act of 1938. The 75th Congress of the United 
States passed what became Public Law 761. This legislation states, in 
part:

* * * the Secretary of War [Secretary of the Army since 1947] is 
hereby authorized and directed to cause preliminary examinations and 
surveys * * * at the following locations: * * * Gila River and 
tributaries, Arizona, * * *

2. Background

    The Rillito River now appears as a broad dry, wash most of the 
year. Summer thunderstorms in its watershed may cause it run modestly, 
or in genuine flood, but it soon reverts to a dry desert wash.
    It environs were much different a century and a half ago. A 
description written in 1910 portrays it before the Civil War as an 
unbroken gallery forest along the Rillito dominated by cottonwoods, 
willows, Arizona ash, Arizona walnut, diverse underbrush species 
adapted to the Sonoran Desert, interspersed with grasslands of sacaton 
and big galleta grass. Beavers dammed the Rillito in many places. Where 
water infiltrated somewhat faster, cienegas formed along the riverbed.
    Diversion of surface waters, and then extraction by pumps of water 
from subsurface strata caused profound regional changes in hydrology 
starting about the turn of the last century. Thereafter, the Rillito 
began to decline.

3. Proposed Action

    No explicit proposed alternative has yet been identified. The 
Feasibility Study to be evaluated by this EIS will evaluate impacts of 
viable alternatives once they have been framed in light of the 
topography, hydrology, biotic communities, and preferences of the local 
sponsor. A No action Alternative will form the basis for comparison for 
these evaluations. The EIS will address at least sixteen diverse kinds 
of resources important to the Sonoran Desert biome: Aesthetics, 
agriculture, air quality, biology, cultural, geology, groundwater 
recharge, hazardous wastes, land use, physical environment, recreation 
and education, safety, socioeconomic, sound and noise, transportation 
and communications, and water quality. The public will be afforded 
ample opportunity to comment on these analyses prior to taking any 
action to implement any alternative that may then be under 
consideration.

4. Scoping Process

    The Corps will conduct a scoping meeting to aid in determining the 
importance of pertinent environmental issues. Participation of all 
interested Federal, State, and County resource agencies, as well as 
Native American peoples, groups with environmental interests, and all 
interested individuals is encouraged. Public involvement will be most 
beneficial and worthwhile in identifying pertinent environmental 
issues, offering useful information such as published or unpublished 
data. direct personal experience or knowledge which inform decision 
making, assistance in defining the scope of plans which ought to be 
considered, and recommending suitable mitigation measures warranted by 
such plans. Those wishing to contribute information, ideas, 
alternatives for actions, and so forth can furnish these contributions 
in writing to the points of contact indicated above, or by attending 
public scoping opportunities.
    The scoping period will conclude 60 days after publication of this 
NOI and concurrent publication in newspapers circulated in the greater 
Tucson area.

5. Public Scoping Meeting

    The Corps and the local sponsor invite all interested parties to a 
public

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scoping meeting to discuss project goals and offer ideas essential to 
developing alternatives to achieve those goals. An initial public 
meeting for the proposed El Rio Antiguo study is scheduled for the 
evening of Tuesday, November 13, 2001. Please gather at 6 PM in the 1st 
Evangelical Free Church, located at 4700 N. Swan Road, in Tucson, 
Arizona. Individuals, organizations, and agencies who wish to offer 
information or data relevant to anticipated project objectives, 
alternatives, impacts, mitigation, or any similar consideration may do 
so by attending the public scoping meeting. If that means for 
communication proves infeasible, then kindly mail the information to 
any of the three addresses noted above.

Luz D. Ortiz,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-28244 Filed 11-8-01; 8:45 am]
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