[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50174-50175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-18518]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Leasing of 
Lands at Fort Bliss, Texas for the Proposed Siting, Construction, and 
Operation by the City of El Paso of a Brackish Water Desalination Plant 
and Support Facilities

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army announces the availability of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) evaluating the potential 
environmental impacts that could result from granting an easement to 
the City of El Paso, El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU), to use land in the 
South Training Areas of Fort Bliss for construction and operation of a 
desalination plant and support facilities, including wells, pipelines, 
and disposal sites for the residual brine resulting from the 
desalination process. The purpose of the proposed plant is to treat 
brackish (salty) water pumped from the Hueco Bolson Aquifer to provide 
an additional reliable source of potable water for use by the City of 
El Paso and Fort Bliss. Pumping of fresh water by EPWU, Fort Bliss, 
Ciudad Juarez, and others has resulted in declining groundwater levels 
in the aquifer. In addition, brackish water is intruding into the 
aquifer's freshwater layer and has the potential to affect water wells 
on Fort Bliss and in other areas of El Paso.
    A sizable volume of brackish water exists adjacent to the 
freshwater zone of the Hueco Bolson Aquifer. Desalination of the 
brackish water offers a way to extend the life of the freshwater 
aquifer as a source of potable water that is to the mutual benefit of 
Fort Bliss and the City of El Paso. The proposed desalination plant 
would reduce withdrawals of fresh water from the aquifer, extending its 
useful life and intercepting the flow of brackish water to wells that 
are operated by Fort Bliss. Both Fort Bliss and the City of El Paso 
have considered constructing desalination facilities to tap into this 
potential water source. The Army and EPWU believe that building a 
single desalination plant to provide potable water for both the 
installation and the city would be more efficient and cost effective 
than constructing separate desalination plants.

DATES: The public comment period for the DEIS will end September 27, 
2004. A public hearing will be held in El Paso, TX, for the purpose of 
receiving comments on this DEIS. Additional details about the hearing 
will follow in

[[Page 50175]]

the media, or can be obtained by contacting the Fort Bliss Public 
Affairs Office at (915) 568-4505. Public comments received on the DEIS 
will be addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 
and considered by the Army in its Record of Decision.

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the DEIS, contact John F. Barrera (915) 
568-3908 or write to: Fort Bliss Directorate of the Environment, ATTN: 
AZC-DOE-C, Building 624, Pleasanton Road, Fort Bliss, TX 79916-6812. 
Written comments on the DEIS should be submitted to the same address or 
can be e-mailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact John F. Barrera, (915) 568-3908.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed desalination plant would treat 
brackish water drawn from the Hueco Bolson Aquifer using a technology 
called reverse osmosis (RO). RO uses semipermeable membranes to remove 
dissolved solids (primarily salts) from brackish water, producing fresh 
water. Water for the desalination process would be drawn from existing 
EPWU wells on the east side of El Paso International Airport and from 
proposed new wells to be installed on Fort Bliss land north of Biggs 
Army Airfield. The plant is being designed to produce approximately 
27.5 million gallons per day (MGD) of drinking water and 3.0 MGD of a 
brine called concentrate. To implement the proposed desalination 
project, EPWU is applying for an easement for land in the South 
Training Areas of Fort Bliss for a desalination plant site, 16 new 
water wells, concentrate disposal sites, and various connecting 
pipelines.
    The DEIS considers seven alternatives, six action alternatives and 
the No Action Alternative. The six action alternatives include various 
combinations of three potential sites for the proposed desalination 
plant and two methods of disposal of the concentrate. The three 
alternative desalination plant sites are located in Training Area 1B of 
the South Training Areas of Fort Bliss, adjacent to El Paso 
International Airport, north of Montana Avenue, and west of Loop 375. 
The two concentrate disposal methods under consideration include (1) 
injecting the concentrate underground into a confined zone where it 
would be isolated from potable water sources, or (2) piping the 
concentrate to evaporation ponds, where the liquid would evaporate 
leaving a solid salt residue that would be trucked to a landfill for 
final disposal.
    Under the No Action Alternative, the Army would not provide land on 
Fort Bliss for construction and operation of the proposed desalination 
plant. None of the proposed facilities would be constructed on Army 
land at Fort Bliss. This alternative could, however, include one or 
more of the following actions without Army action or participation: 
construction and operation of a desalination plant on non-Army land, 
increase in water conservation measures, development of other water 
sources in the El Paso region, and/or importation of water from sources 
outside El Paso. Without the proposed desalination project, EPWU would 
continue to pump from the freshwater layer of the Hueco Bolson Aquifer 
until it no longer met drinking water standards.
    The Army has not yet selected a preferred alternative, which will 
be identified in the FEIS.
    The DEIS analyzes the environmental consequences each alternative 
could have on geology and soils; water resources; utilities and 
services; hazardous materials, hazardous waste, and safety; air 
quality; biological resources; land use and aesthetics; transportation; 
cultural resources; and socioeconomics and environmental justice.
    Copies of the DEIS are available for review at the following 
libraries in El Paso, TX: El Paso Public Library, 501 N. Oregon Street; 
Richard Burges Branch Library, 9600 Dyer; Irving Schwartz Branch 
Library, 1865 Dean Martin; and Westside Branch Library, 125 Belvidere. 
The document can also be reviewed at http://www.bliss.army.mil.

Hugh M. Exton, Jr.,
Director, SWRO, Installation Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 04-18518 Filed 8-12-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M