[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 133 (Friday, July 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 41323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17520]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Rueter-Hess Reservoir, Parker, CO

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 
(Corps) regulations for NEPA implementation (33 CFR part 230 and 325, 
Appendices B and C), the Corps has issued a Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) to disclose environmental impacts from constructing 
and operating the proposed Rueter-Hess Reservoir near the town of 
Parker, in Douglas County, CO. The project proponent is the Parker 
Water and Sanitation District (District). The basic purpose of the 
proposed action is to provide a safe, adequate and sustainable 
municipal water supply to the District, which is capable of meeting 
peak demands within the District's currently zoned boundary for the 
next 50 years. The construction of the proposed project would result in 
direct impacts to 6.7 acres of wetlands and 5 miles of other waters of 
the United States, and would require a section 404 permit.

DATES: Written comments on the FEIS will be accepted for a period of 30 
days following Federal Register publication of the Notice of 
Availability by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 
anticipated date of EPA Federal Register publication is July 11, 2003. 
Comments should be submitted to Rodney Schwartz, Corps--Omaha District 
(see contact information below).

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS will be available for review at the 
following locations:
    1. Parker Library, 10851 South Crossroad Drive, Parker, CO 80134.
    2. Parker Water and Sanitation District, 19801 East Mainstreet, 
Parker, CO 80138.
    3. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Denver Regulatory Office, 9307 
South Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128.
    Copies can also be obtained from the Corps' third-party contractor, 
URS Corporation, attention: Paula Daukas, 8181 East Tufts Avenue, 
Denver, CO 80237; 303-740-3896; Fax 303-694-3946, [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rodney Schwartz, Senior Project 
Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District-Regulatory 
Branch, Rm. 151, 12565 West Center Road, Omaha, NE., 68144-3869, Phone: 
402-221-4143, Fax: 402-221-4939, [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the FEIS is to provide 
decision makers and the public with information pertaining to the 
proposed action, and to disclose environmental impacts and identify 
mitigation measures to reduce impacts. The FEIS analyzes the Parker 
Water and Sanitation District's proposal to construct and operate 
Rueter-Hess Reservoir and the associated water delivery system. The 
proposed reservoir would be located in Douglas County, CO approximately 
12 miles southeast of Denver and 3 miles southwest of the town of 
Parker. The reservoir would be located on Newlin Gulch with a diversion 
structure along Cherry Creek. The project would include a 16,200 acre-
foot (AF) reservoir inundating 470 acres, a 5,300-foot long and 135-
foot high dam, two pipelines, a water treatment plant and booster pump 
station, a diversion structure along Cherry Creek with a pump station, 
and 16 Denver Basin extraction wellfields.
    The proposed water supply system would rely upon renewable sources 
of water, including the capability of capturing, storing, and reusing 
seasonal high flows in nearby Cherry Creek, and Advanced Wastewater 
Treatment (AWT) return flows currently discharged into Cherry Creek. 
The water from the reservoir would be used primarily to help satisfy 
the District's peak seasonal demands, thereby reducing the loading on 
nonrenewable Denver Basin aquifer groundwater and maximizing use of 
renewable water resources. The reservoir is needed by the District to 
provide operational flexibility to ensure a long-term, reliable water 
supply. In addition to the proposed action, the FEIS analyzes two 
alternatives: (1) the Reduced Capacity Reservoir (11,200 AF), and (2) 
the No Action.
    The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was published in 
February 2002. A combined public hearing on the DEIS and section 404 
permit application was held on March 12, 2002 in Parker, CO. The 
comments and responses are included in the FEIS.

Rodney J. Schwartz,
Senior Project Manager, Regulatory Branch.
[FR Doc. 03-17520 Filed 7-10-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-62-P