[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 161 (Friday, August 20, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51640-51641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-19117]


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

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District's Northern Integrated 
Supply Project

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

ACTION: 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------N
otice of intent.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the direct, indirect, 
and cumulative effects of a proposed water supply project, the Northern 
Integrated Supply Project. Construction of the proposed Project is 
expected to result in temporary and permanent impacts to jurisdictional 
waters of the United States, thereby requiring a Clean Water Act 
section 404 permit. The Project is a collaborative regional water 
supply project between 15 water providers (Participants) and the 
Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District acting by and through the 
Northern Integrated Supply Project Water Activity Enterprise 
(District). The Project will provide approximately 37,000 acre-feet of 
new reliable water supply, which will meet a portion of the 
Participants' estimated 2025 additional water supply needs. The 
Northern Integrated Supply Project would be a non-Federal project 
constructed, owned, and operated by the District.

DATES: Scoping meetings will be held on:
    1. September 20, 3004, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Eaton, CO.
    2. September 21, 2004, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Fort Collins, CO.
    3. September 22, 2004, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Fort Collins, CO.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting locations are:
    1. September 20, 2004, at the Eaton Country Club, 37661 Weld County 
Road 39, Eaton, CO.
    2. September 21, 2004, at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, 
Columbine Room, 417 West Magnolia Street, Fort Collins, CO.
    3. September 22, 2004, at the American Legion Post 4, 2124 Country 
Road 54 G, Fort Collins, CO.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments regarding the 
proposed action and EIS should be addressed to Mr. Chandler Peter, 
Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2232 Dell Range Blvd., 
Suite 210, Cheyenne, WY 82009; (307) 772-2300; 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE will be conducting public scoping 
meetings at three locations (See DATES and ADDRESSES) to describe the 
Project, preliminary alternatives, the NEPA compliance process, and to 
solicit input on the issues and alternatives to be evaluated and other 
related matters. Written comments for scoping will be accepted until 
October 25, 2004. The COE has prepared a scoping announcement to 
familiarize agencies, the public and interested organizations with the 
proposed Project and potential environmental issues that may be 
involved. The scoping announcement includes a list of the Participants' 
water supply requests for the Project. Copies of the scoping 
announcement will be available at the public scoping meetings or can be 
requested by mail.
    The Participants are a group of growing towns and rural domestic 
water districts located in Larimer, Weld, and Boulder Counties, 
Colorado. The Participants are: Berthoud, Central Weld County Water 
District, East Larimer

[[Page 51641]]

County Water District, Eaton, Erie, Evans, Fort Collins Loveland Water 
District, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Lafayette, Left Hand Water 
District, Little Thompson Water District, North Weld County Water 
District, Northern Colorado Water Association, and Windsor.
    The District and Participants have identified a preferred 
configuration of the Project as part of their Phase II Alternatives 
Evaluation efforts. The proposed Project would occur in Larimer and 
Weld Counties in Colorado. It would include a proposed Glade Reservoir 
with a capacity of approximately 177,000 acre-feet. Associated with 
Glade Reservoir are a forebay, pump station, and canal upgrade to 
convey water diverted from the Cache la Poudre River to the proposed 
reservoir. A pipeline connecting the proposed Glade Reservoir to the 
existing Horsetooth Reservoir is proposed. Glade Reservoir would 
innundate a section of U.S. Highway 287 and require the relocation of 
about 7 miles of the highway. Additionally, Glade Reservoir would 
innundate a section of the North Poudre Supply Canal and a portion of 
the canal would need to be rerouted. The proposed Project also would 
include a proposed Galeton Reservoir with a capacity of approximately 
30,000 acre-feet. Associated with Galeton Reservoir are a forebay, pump 
station, and pipeline to deliver South Platte River water to Galeton 
Reservoir. Water exchanges between the Galeton Reservoir and Glade 
Reservoir diversion locations are proposed.
    Most of the Participants predominantly rely on Colorado-Big 
Thompson (C-BT) units to meet their growing water supply needs. The 
Participants recognize that there is a finite amount of C-BT units 
remaining in the market and that a collaborative effort to secure 
additional firm water supplies is preferable to each entity 
independently developing a new water supply. In the future, there could 
be additional Participants and an increased request for water supply to 
be provided by the Project because other water providers are 
considering participating in the Project. The District formed in 1937 
under the Colorado Water Conservancy Act and is responsible for the 
operation of the water features of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project 
and for the coordination of cooperative water supply and management 
projects within the boundaries of the District.
    The EIS will be prepared according to the COE's procedures for 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 4232(2)(c), and consistent with the COE's policy to 
facilitate public understanding and review of agency proposals. As part 
of the EIS process, a full range of reasonable alternatives, including 
the proposed Project and no action, will be evaluated.
    The COE has invited the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Highway Administration, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and 
the Colorado Department of Transportation to be cooperating agencies in 
the formulation of the EIS.

Chandler J. Peter,
Project Manager, Regulatory Branch.
[FR Doc. 04-19117 Filed 8-19-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-62-M