[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48947-48948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18911]



[[Page 48947]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Systems Conveyance and Operations Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Systems Conveyance and Operations Program.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Council on Environmental Quality's 
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA, the 
Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region (Reclamation) and the 
National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 
propose to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Reclamation 
and the NPS are preparing the EIS as joint-lead Federal agencies to 
evaluate the potential impacts associated with the construction, 
operation, and maintenance of the Systems Conveyance and Operations 
Program (SCOP), which may include process improvements, supplemental 
treatment facilities, and/or a transmission facility to convey treated 
effluent directly into and under the surface of the Colorado River 
system within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
    Current effluent discharge is causing erosion problems to wetlands 
within the Las Vegas Wash, especially within the Clark County Wetlands 
Park where wetland restoration is underway. The SCOP is intended to 
maintain the integrity and quality of the treated effluent as it 
increases through time and is conveyed into Lake Mead. The project will 
also reduce erosion within Las Vegas Wash and the Clark County Wetlands 
Park aiding in their restoration.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments concerning the EIS's scope, the 
issues to cover, the alternatives to consider, and other resource 
concerns. Your comments may be submitted by mail or hand delivered to 
Mr. James Green, Regional Environmental Officer, Bureau of Reclamation, 
Lower Colorado Region, LC-2530, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City, NV 89006-
1470; or Mr. William K. Dickinson, Superintendent, National Park 
Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Way, Boulder 
City, NV 89005. Comments will be accepted for 45 days after publication 
of this notice and will conclude on September 1, 2002.
    Written comments received by Reclamation and the NPS become part of 
the public record associated with this action. Accordingly, Reclamation 
and the NPS make these comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may 
request that we withhold their name and address from public disclosure, 
which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be 
circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's identity from 
public disclosure, as 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 letter. We will make all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals themselves as representatives or 
officials of organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety. 
Anonymous comments will not be considered.
    Hearing impaired, visually impaired, and/or mobility impaired 
persons planning to attend these meeting may arrange for necessary 
accommodations by contacting Ms. Carrie Stewart at telephone (702) 939-
6101, extension 222 or faxogram (702) 939-6108, no later than two weeks 
prior to the meeting date.

DATES: Reclamation, the NPS, and the Clean Water Coalition will conduct 
public meetings in open house format to involve the public in issue 
identification and the alternative development processes. Oral and 
written comments will be accepted at the public scoping meetings to be 
held at the following locations:
    August 12, 2002, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Henderson Convention Center, 200 
S. Water St., Henderson, Nevada.
    August 13, 2002, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Winchester Community Center, 3130 
S. McLeod Dr., Las Vegas, Nevada.
    August 14, 2002, 6:30-8:30 p.m., West Flamingo Senior Center, 6255 
W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas Nevada.
    August 15, 2002, 6:30-8:30 p.m., West Sahara Library, 9600 W. 
Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada.
    August 19, 2002, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Tempe Mission Palms Resort, 60 E. 
5 St., Tempe, Arizona.
    August 20, 2002, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Black Canyon Conference Center, 
9440 N. 25th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona.
    August 22, 2002, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Regency Room, Radisson in 
Mission Valley, 1433 Camino del Rio So., San Diego, California.
    August 23, 2002, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Hyatt Regency Conference 
Center, 285 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Mr. James Green, Bureau of 
Reclamation; or Mr. William K. Dickinson, National Park Service at the 
addresses provided above under ADDRESSES.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project proponent of the SCOP is the 
Clean Water Coalition, which is comprised of the City of Las Vegas, 
City of Henderson, and the Clark County Sanitation District, Las Vegas, 
Nevada. Construction activities and infrastructure associated with the 
SCOP would be located on private land, City of Las Vegas land, City of 
Henderson land, Clark County land, Reclamation lands in the area of the 
Las Vegas Wash, and lands administered by the NPS.
    Currently, about 150 million gallons of treated effluent are 
discharged daily into the Las Vegas Wash, which then flows into Lake 
Mead. By 2030 it is estimated that this amount will increase to about 
300 million gallons per day. The treated effluent meets Environmental 
Protection Agency and Nevada Department of Environmental Protection 
quality and quantity standards and will do so into the future. Before 
this treated effluent reaches Lake Mead, perchlorate and other 
contaminants in the Las Vegas shallow aquifer, and other non-point 
source contaminants, discharge into the Las Vegas Wash and mix with the 
treated effluent.
    The EIS will address a range of alternatives, which include the no-
action alternative and a number of action alternatives. The action 
alternatives will have a common physical element, which is an 84-inch 
to 114-inch diameter buried pipeline referred to as the Effluent 
Interceptor. It would have a capacity of about 300 million gallons per 
day of treated effluent derived from the three treatment facilities, 
and would end at a point located upstream of Lake Las Vegas. The action 
alternatives would diverge at the terminus of the Effluent Interceptor. 
The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated 
with the Effluent Interceptor and the various alternatives including: 
no action (there will be no change to the current treatment processes 
and discharge locations); process improvements at the three treatment 
facilities; construction and operation of supplemental treatment 
facilities; and, construction and operation of a pipeline

[[Page 48948]]

that would transport highly-treated effluent from the three treatment 
facilities to one or more receiving areas underwater within the 
Colorado River system. An impairment analysis will be conducted for the 
portion of the project that will be located on NPS-administered land. 
The EIS will evaluate the alternatives to determine their effects on a 
number of resource issues including but not limited to the following: 
water quality, surface water hydrology, groundwater, biological 
resources/endangered species, cultural resources, recreation, land use, 
air quality, noise, socioeconomics, and other appropriate resource 
issues identified during the scoping process.

    Dated: July 1, 2002.
Lorri Gray,
Assistant Regional Director, Lower Colorado Region.
[FR Doc. 02-18911 Filed 7-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P