[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62813-62815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-25514]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Alternatives for Meeting Water Needs in the Red River Valley, ND

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: On December 15, 2000, the 106th Congress passed the Dakota 
Water Resources Act of 2000, which was signed into law on December 21, 
2000 (Public Law 106-554). Among other things, the Dakota Water 
Resources Act of 2000 (DWRA) states that, ``the Secretary of the 
Interior shall conduct a comprehensive study of the water quality and 
quantity needs of the Red River Valley in North Dakota and possible 
options for meeting those needs'' (Section 8(b)(1)). In addition, the 
DWRA states that, ``pursuant to an agreement between the Secretary and 
State of North Dakota as authorized under section 19g) * * * the 
Secretary and the State of North Dakota shall jointly prepare and 
complete a draft environmental impact statement concerning all feasible 
options to meet the comprehensive water quality and quantity needs of 
the Red River Valley and the options for meeting those needs'' (Section 
8(c)(2)(A)).
    Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) 
and the State of North Dakota (ND) will jointly prepare this 
environmental impact statement (EIS). The State of North Dakota (ND) 
has designated the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (GDCD) to 
serve as the State lead in preparation of the EIS for the Red River 
Valley Water Supply Project. Reclamation, acting under the authority of 
the Secretary of the Interior, is the lead Federal agency. Cooperating 
agencies will be identified at a later date.
    Reclamation and the GDCD will use the NEPA compliance process to 
ensure that the public has opportunities to review and comment on long-
term water supply and management alternatives for the Red River Valley 
Water Supply Project. Public comments are invited and encouraged 
regarding both the scope of environmental and socioeconomic issues and 
alternative that should be evaluated in the EIS.
    Reclamation and the GDCD have scheduled six public scoping meetings 
in which Federal, State, local and tribal government agencies, non-
governmental organizations, the public, and the international community 
are invited to participate in the open exchange of information and to 
submit comments on the proposed scope of the EIS. Each meeting will be 
preceded by a 2-hour open house during which Reclamation staff, GDCD 
staff, and other study participants will provide information and answer 
questions.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the locations, dates, 
and times of the scoping meetings.
    Written comments on the scope of the issues and alternatives to be 
evaluated in the EIS will be accepted and should be postmarked or e-
mailed no later than December 16, 2002, to be most effective.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Bureau of 
Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office, P.O. Box 1017, Bismarck ND 58502.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Signe Snortland, Red River Valley 
Water Supply Project EIS, Bureau of Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office, 
P.O. Box 1017, Bismarck ND 58502; Telephone: (701) 250-4242 extension 
3619; or FAX to (701) 250-4326. You may submit e-mail [email protected] or access the Red River Valley Water Supply Project web 
site at http://www.usbr.gov/gp/dkao/rrvwsp.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1944, the U.S. Congress passed the Flood 
Control Act (the Missouri-Basin Pick Sloan Act), which authorized the 
construction of dams on the Missouri River and its tributaries. The 
Garrison Diversion Unit (GDU) was authorized in 1965, and construction 
began in 1967. The project was designed to divert Missouri River water 
to central and eastern ND for irrigation; fish and wildlife 
enhancement; municipal, rural, and industrial (MR&I) water supply; and 
recreation development. Most of the currently authorized principal 
supply works have been completed, except for about a 20-mile reach 
between the end of the Mccluskey Canal and beginning of the New 
Rockford Canal.
    The project was reformulated in 1986 to reduce the emphasis on 
irrigation and increase the emphasis on meeting the MR&I water needs 
throughout ND. The 1986 Reformulation Act authorized a Sheyenne River 
water supply and release feature and water treatment plant capable of 
delivering 100 cubic feet per second of water to eastern ND.

[[Page 62814]]

    The authorization for the GDU was amended again in December 2000 by 
DWRA. The DWRA requires that an EIS and feasibility-level study be 
prepared to aid decision-making on a preferred alternative for meeting 
water needs in the Red River Valley in North Dakota.
    Development of a reliable water supply for the Red River Valley has 
been a subject of great interest to local residents, along with 
government agencies and entities concerned with water management and 
development. Although rivers in eastern ND such as the Red and Sheyenne 
rivers are prone to flooding and excessive runoff, they also experience 
low flow and drought conditions such as those that occurred in the 
1930's and 1980's.
    In 1994, Reclamation initiated an appraisal-level (preliminary) 
assessment of MR&I water needs in the Red River Valley as an outcome of 
the ND Water Management Collaborative Process. That study was completed 
in two phases. The first phase was further subdivided into parts A & B. 
Phase IA compared the existing and projected future MR&I water needs in 
the Red River Valley with the surface water flows and groundwater 
resources available to meet those needs. That report, completed in 
April 1998, concluded that significant shortages could occur during 
droughts if no action is taken.
    The Phase IB report provided an evaluation of seasonal instream 
flow needs for water quality and maintenance of aquatic life in the 
Sheyenne and Red rivers. That report was finalized in August 1999.
    The Phase II report presented a range of preliminary alternatives 
to meet the shortages identified in the Phase IA report. These 
alternatives included both in-basin and out-of-basin water supplies 
along with water conservation and a variety of management and 
operational techniques.

Purpose of and Need for the Federal Action

    The Red River Valley Water Supply Project EIS will evaluate 
alternative ways to meet the comprehensive ``water quality and quantity 
needs of the Red River Valley in North Dakota'' [DWRA Section 8(b)(1)]. 
The needs are defined as municipal, rural, and industrial supplies; 
water quality; aquatic environment; recreation; and water conservation 
measures [Section 8(b)(2)].

Proposed Alternatives

    As required by Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) implementing 
regulations (40 CFR 1502.2[e]), a full range of reasonable alternatives 
will be evaluated in the EIS. These alternatives will include No Action 
and development of in-basin and out-of-basin water sources. The EIS 
will evaluate potential environmental impacts of specific alternatives 
together with engineering and socioeconomic considerations. A preferred 
alternative has not been identified at this time.
    Eight preliminary alternatives, including No Action, were described 
in the Phase II Needs Assessment. These alternatives were:
    [sbull] No Action. This alternative represents the reasonably 
foreseeable future condition if a Red River Valley Water Supply Project 
is not constructed.
    [sbull] Construction of a new water supply reservoir on the 
Sheyenne River near Kindred.
    [sbull] Raising the height of Baldhill Dam on the Sheyenne River 
near Valley City to increase water storage.
    [sbull] Development of groundwater resources including purchase of 
existing rights, new well fields, desalinization, and aquifer storage 
and recovery.
    [sbull] Importation of Missouri River water via a pipeline from 
Bismarck to Fargo.
    [sbull] Importation of Missouri River water via a pipeline from 
Lake Oahe south of Bismarck to the vicinity of Wahpeton.
    [sbull] Importation of Missouri River water to the upper Sheyenne 
River utilizing existing GDU principal supply works.
    [sbull] Importation of Missouri River water via a system of closed 
pipelines from the GDU principal supply works to cities, industries, 
and rural water systems.
    [sbull] Other potential water sources including Minnesota sub-
basins and Devils Lake may be evaluated in detail in the EIS. Comments 
or suggestions on these alternatives or suggestions of other 
alternatives that should be considered are welcome.

Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues

    The following issues have been tentatively identified for analysis 
in the EIS. This list is preliminary and is intended to facilitate 
public comment on the scope of this EIS. It is not intended to be all-
inclusive nor does it imply any predetermination of potential impacts. 
Reclamation and the GDCD invite comments on this list:
    [sbull] Impacts on streams and lakes, groundwater, floodplains, 
wetlands, and on water uses and quality.
    [sbull] Impacts on aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals and 
their habitats including species that are federally or State-listed as 
threatened or endangered, proposed, candidate, or of special concern 
and/or critical habitat.
    [sbull] Potential impacts from the transfer of biota, including 
parasites and pathogens, between the Missouri River basin and the 
Hudson Bay basin.
    [sbull] Potential impacts to Canadian waters due to transfer of 
harmful iota or changes in water quality or quantity.
    [sbull] Potential cumulative environmental impacts to the Missouri 
River from past, present, and foreseeable future withdrawals.
    [sbull] Potential cumulative environmental impacts to the Sheyenne 
and Red rivers, including effects of the proposed Devils Lake outlet as 
well as other reasonably foreseeable discharges or withdrawals.
    [sbull] Impacts on cultural resources such as historic, 
archaeological, architectural, or traditional properties.
    [sbull] Socioeconomic impacts on affected communities related to 
long-term water supply and management.
    [sbull] Environmental justice, particularly whether or not water 
management activities have a disproportionately high and adverse effect 
on minority and low-income populations.
    [sbull] Compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local 
statutes and regulations and with international agreements and required 
Federal and State environmental permits, consultations, and 
notifications.
    [sbull] Compliance with all applicable Executive Orders.

Timing

    Reclamation and the GDCD plan to issue the draft EIS by December 
2005. Reclamation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will 
separately publish notices of availability of the draft EIS in the 
Federal Register. Reclamation and GDCD will publicize the availability 
of the draft EIS in other media and will provide opportunities for 
Federal, State, local and tribal government agencies, non-governmental 
organizations, the general public, and the international community to 
participate in additional information forums and to submit comments.

Locations, Dates and Times of Scoping Meetings

[sbull] Monday, October 28, 2002, 7 p.m., Fargo, North Dakota, Fargo 
Civic Auditorium, 207 4th Street North, lower level, Room A
[sbull] Tuesday, October 29, 2002, 7 p.m., Valley City, North Dakota, 
AmericInn Hotel, 330 Wintershow Road
[sbull] Wednesday, October 30, 2002, 7 p.m., Grand Forks, North Dakota, 
Grand Forks City Council Chambers, 225 North 4th Street, third floor
[sbull] Wednesday, November 6, 2002, 7 p.m., Pembina, North Dakota, 
Pembina State Museum, Exit 215 off of Interstate 29, 805 Highway 59
[sbull] Thursday, November 7, 2002, 7 p.m., Wahpeton, North Dakota, 
Wahpeton

[[Page 62815]]

City Hall, 1900 4th Street North, Community Room
[sbull] Friday, November 8, 2002, 1:00 p.m., Bismarck, North Dakota, 
Doublewood Hotel, Interstate 94 and Exit 159

    Issues raised at the scoping meetings will be documented in the 
Scope of Statement (SOS) for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project 
EIS. The objectives of this report are to summarize the essence of the 
comments in a clear and concise manner and to accurately portray the 
scope of the EIS. The SOS will be distributed to public libraries near 
the meeting locations, posted on Reclamation's Red River Valley Water 
Supply Project EIS web page, and mailed upon request.

Public Disclosure Statement

    Comments received in response to this notice will become part of 
the administrative record for this project and are subject to public 
inspection. 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. 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. 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.

    Dated: September 12, 2002.
Maryanne C. Bach,
Regional Director, Great Plains Region.
[FR Doc. 02-25514 Filed 10-7-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-M