[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 7 (Monday, January 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1698-1699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-441]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a 
Proposed Water Treatment Residuals Management Process for the 
Washington Aqueduct, Washington, DC

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Washington Aqueduct seeks to plan and create a water 
treatment residuals management process that will comply with the 
standards established in National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 
System (NPDES) Permit DC0000019 and will allow for continued safe, 
reliable, and cost effective production of drinking water. Washington 
Aqueduct generates residual solids, a byproduct of producing drinking 
water, and currently periodically discharges this material to the 
Potomac River. The residuals consist of river sediment and solid 
materials generated by adding coagulant as part of the drinking water 
treatment process. NPDES Permit DC0000019 includes effluent standards 
for the discharge of the water treatment residuals that cannot be 
achieved by the current Washington Aqueduct residual management 
process.
    This notice advises the public that pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) 
of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 
Washington Aqueduct, which operates the Dalecarlia and McMillan Water 
Treatment Plants, will prepare a combined Feasibility Study/Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement. The combined studies will identify, 
analyze, and evaluate alternatives for reducing or eliminating the 
discharge of water treatment residuals from the Dalecarlia Water 
Treatment Plant and Georgetown Reservoir to the Potomac River in order 
to comply with NPDES Permit DC0000019, effective April 15, 2003, and a 
Federal Facility Compliance Agreement, signed June 12, 2003. In 
addition, Washington Aqueduct will consider alternate methods of 
managing the Potomac River sediment that accumulates in the Dalecarlia 
Reservoir.

DATES: A public scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 
2004 between 7 and 9 p.m. at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church and Day 
School, 4700 Whitehaven Parkway, NW., Washington, DC 20007-1586. 
Directions are available at http://washingtonaqueduct.nab.usace.army.mil.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) can be addressed 
to: Michael C. Peterson, (202) 764-0025, [email protected], Environmental Engineer, Washington Aqueduct Division, 
Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 5900 MacArthur 
Boulevard, Washington, DC 20016.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    Washington Aqueduct operates the Dalecarlia and McMillan Water 
Treatment Plants in Washington, DC, which provide potable water to over 
one million persons in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. 
Raw water diverted from the Potomac River is collected in the 
Dalecarlia Reservoir, where river sediment settles naturally. The 
sediment periodically dredged from the Dalecarlia Reservoir is not 
returned to the Potomac River.
    Raw water flows from the Dalecarlia Reservoir to the Dalecarlia 
Water Treatment Plant and also via the Georgetown Reservoir to the 
McMillan Water Treatment Plant. Aluminum sulfate, the chemical used for 
coagulation, is added from the Dalecarlia Plant to the raw water for 
both the Dalecarlia and McMillan Water Treatment Plants. Chemically 
included sedimentation takes place in four basins at the Dalecarlia 
Water Treatment Plant and two basins at the Georgetown Reservoir. The 
Dalecarlia facility employs 36 rapid dual media filters and the 
McMillan facility is equipped with 12 rapid dual media filters. Except 
for the filter backwash water at the McMillan Water Treatment Plant, 
which is recycled to the McMillan Reservoir, and the filter backwash 
water at the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, which is recycled to the 
Dalecarlia Reservoir, all sedimentation residuals are currently 
returned to the Potomac River.

2. Regulatory Mandate

    In the recently issued NPDES permit, the Environmental Protection 
Agency has significantly reduced the allowable concentration of 
residuals that Washington Aqueduct can discharge to the Potomac. This 
change in the permit requires Washington Aqueduct to evaluate alternate 
methods of residuals collection, processing, conveyance, and disposal. 
Washington Aqueduct and Environmental Protection Agency Region III 
entered into a Federal Facility

[[Page 1699]]

Compliance Agreement to allow Washington Aqueduct to continue to 
produce drinking water while developing and implementing a new 
residuals management process. The Federal Facilities Compliance 
Agreement contains deadlines for various compliance milestones 
including the following NEPA documents (deadline in parentheses):
    [sbull] Description of Proposed Actions and Alternatives submitted 
to Environmental Protection Agency Region III (May 28, 2004)
    [sbull] Draft Environmental Impact Statement submitted to 
Environmental Protection Agency Region III (December 20, 2004)
    [sbull] Final Record of Decision submitted to Environmental 
Protection Agency Region III (June 3, 2005)

3. Objectives of Proposed Action

    The objectives of the proposed residuals management process are as 
follows, not necessarily in order of precedence (measurement indicators 
in parentheses):
    [sbull] To allow Washington Aqueduct to achieve complete compliance 
with NPDES Permit DC00000019 and all other federal and local 
regulations.
    [sbull] To design a process that will not impact current or future 
production of safe drinking water reliably for the Washington Aqueduct 
customers. (Peak design flow of drinking water)
    [sbull] To reduce, if possible, the quantity of solids generated by 
the water treatment process through optimized coagulation or other 
means. (Mass or volume of solids generated)
    [sbull] To minimize, if possible, impacts on various local or 
regional stakeholders and minimize impacts on the environment. 
(Traffic, noise, pollutants, etc.)
    [sbull] To design a process that is cost-effective in design, 
implementation, and operation. (Capital, operations, and maintenance 
expenses)

4. Alternatives

    Various alternatives will be considered that include, but are not 
limited to, different methods of collection, processing, conveyance, 
and disposal of the residuals as well as the no action alternative. 
Processing will be evaluated at both onsite and offsite facilities. 
Conveyance and disposal options are anticipated to include discharging 
to the sewer, barging to a remote processing or disposal site, trucking 
to a remote disposal site, pumping to a remote processing facility, and 
dewatering onsite and disposing in a dedicated monofill.
    The alternatives evaluated in the DEIS will be analyzed in depth in 
areas to include, but not limited to, predicted changes to air quality, 
aquatic resources, terrestrial and wetland resources, cultural 
resources, traffic, solid and toxic waste, and infrastructure as well 
as any environmental justice concerns. Cumulative, secondary, indirect 
and other associated impacts will be evaluated.

5. Scoping Process

    The participation of all affected and interested federal, state, 
and local agencies, environmental and neighborhood groups, Indian 
tribes, and individuals is welcome and encouraged. Anyone wishing to 
contribute ideas or information may submit a comment to the contact 
above during the 30 day scoping period that immediately follows the 
publication of this notice. Alternatively, comments will be collected 
online at http://washingtonaqueduct.nab.ussace.army.mil. Comments and 
other information can also be presented at the public scoping meeting 
(see DATES).

6. Availability of the DEIS

    The Washington Aqueduct anticipates the DEIS will be made available 
to the public in October 2004.

    Dated: January 5, 2004.
Thomas P. Jacobus,
Chief, Washington Aqueduct.
[FR Doc. 04-441 Filed 1-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-41-M