[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 124 (Thursday, June 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43298-43300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-16240]



[[Page 43298]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Office of Los Alamos Site Operations, National Nuclear Security 
Administration; Notice of Floodplain Involvement for the Proposed 
Future Disposition of Certain Cerro Grande Fire Flood and Sediment 
Retention Structures at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Los Alamos 
Site Operations, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of floodplain involvement.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security 
Administration (NNSA), Office of Los Alamos Site Operations proposes to 
demolish the above ground portions of two structures built to retain or 
divert flood waters at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and retain 
five others intact with continuing maintenance, which could include 
periodic sediment removal actions; these structures were constructed in 
the wake of the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000 as emergency actions to 
address post fire danger to LANL facilities from floods and sediment 
movement. All of these structures are located in floodplains; one 
structure that is being proposed for remaining intact, the Los Alamos 
Canyon gabion weir, is associated with an area that might develop into 
a wetland. In accordance with 10 CFR part 1022, DOE has prepared a 
floodplain/wetland 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 are due to the address below no later than July 12, 
2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to: Elizabeth Withers, 
Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los 
Alamos Area Office, 528 35th Street, Los Alamos, NM 87544, or submit 
them to the Mail Room at the above address between the hours of 8 a.m. 
and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Written comments may also be sent 
electronically to: [email protected] or by facsimile to (505) 667-
9998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Agogino, Department of Energy, 
National Nuclear Security Administration, Albuquerque Field Office, 
Pennsylvania and H Street, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM 
87116. Telephone (505) 845-6100, facsimile (505) 284-7107.
    For Further Information on General DOE Floodplain Environmental 
Review Requirements, contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of 
NEPA Policy and Compliance, EH-42, Department of Energy, 100 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC 20585-0119. Telephone (202) 
586-4600 or (800) 472-2756, facsimile (202) 586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NNSA constructed several permanent flood and 
sediment retention structures within various canyons across LANL during 
the four months immediately following the devastating Cerro Grande Fire 
that occurred in mid-2000. These structures and their locations are as 
follows:
     A substantial concrete flood retention structure and a 
steel flood diversion wall were built within Pajarito Canyon;
     A low-head rock gabion weir together with a sediment 
detention basin were built in Los Alamos Canyon;
     Four concrete road reinforcement areas were built along 
State Road 501 and Anchor Ranch Road at their crossings of Two-Mile, 
Pajarito and Water Canyons; and
     Reinforcements were made to the Los Alamos Canyon 
Reservoir near the head of Los Alamos Canyon [note: the Reservoir is 
located on property administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
Forest Service, Santa Fe National Forest and is not subject to DOE's 
current proposal].
    These structures, along with other various actions and activities 
taken to extinguish the fire and as recovery actions in the wake of the 
fire were subject to the emergency provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); a Special Environmental Analysis (DOE/
SEA-03) was prepared to analyze the impacts of the actions taken by 
NNSA rather than normal NEPA documents. However, the ultimate 
disposition of these permanent structures was not identified and 
analyzed in the Special Environmental Analysis issued in September 
2000. The disposition of the seven permanent structures located within 
the boundaries of LANL is the subject of a separate NEPA Environmental 
Assessment (EA). NNSA's proposed disposition action for these seven 
structures is to partially breach the above ground portions of the 
flood retention structure in Pajarito Canyon, remove the above ground 
portions of the steel flood diversion wall in Pajarito Canyon, and 
retain the remaining five structures intact and continue to routinely 
maintain these structures into the foreseeable future (which is defined 
for the purposes of this proposal as being the next ten years). Routine 
maintenance of these structures may include accumulated sediment 
removal. Other alternatives considered are the No Action Alternative 
(consisting of the retention of all the structures intact with on-going 
continuation of routine maintenance) and the Disassembly of All 
Structures Alternative (consisting of the demolition of all above 
ground portions of all the subject structures).
    In accordance with DOE regulations for compliance with floodplain 
and wetlands environmental review requirements (10 CFR part 1022), NNSA 
has also prepared a floodplain/wetland assessment for this action, 
which is part of the NEPA draft EA. The draft EA (containing the 
floodplain/wetland assessment) is available by contacting Elizabeth 
Withers at the previously identified addresses, phone and facsimile 
numbers. The draft EA (containing the floodplain/wetland assessment) is 
also available for review at the DOE Reading Room at the Los Alamos 
Outreach Center, 1619 Central Avenue, Los Alamos, NM 878544; and the 
DOE Reading Room at the Zimmerman Library, University of New Mexico, 
Albuquerque, NM 87131. The NNSA will publish a floodplain statement of 
findings for this project in the Federal Register no sooner than July 
12, 2002.

    Issued in Los Alamos, NM, on June 20, 2002.
E. Dennis Martinez,
Acting Director, U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security 
Administration, Office of Los Alamos Site Operations.
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[FR Doc. 02-16240 Filed 6-26-02; 8:45 am]
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