[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 51 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 13017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5326]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Record of Decision 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.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army announces the execution of a Record 
of Decision (ROD) to grant an easement to the City of El Paso, El Paso 
Water Utilities (EPWU), for 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, referred to as concentrate, resulting from the 
desalination process. The ROD was signed on March 7, 2005, pursuant to 
the completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) dated 
December 2004.

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the ROD, contact John F. Barrera (915) 
568-3908 or write to: Fort Bliss Directorate of the Environment, ATTN: 
IMSW-BLS-Z, Building 624, Pleasanton Road, Fort Bliss, TX 79916-6812.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The desalination plant is needed to provide 
an additional reliable source of potable water for the City of El Paso 
and Fort Bliss. Currently, both EPWU and Fort Bliss pump fresh 
groundwater from the Hueco Bolson Aquifer. Ongoing withdrawals of fresh 
groundwater from the bolson exceed the aquifer's recharge rate. Pumping 
of fresh groundwater by EPWU, the Army, Ciudad Juarez, and others has 
resulted in declining groundwater levels in the bolson. Brackish 
groundwater is intruding into the aquifer's freshwater area and has the 
potential to affect existing water wells on Fort Bliss and in other 
areas of El Paso. The desalination plant will treat brackish (salty) 
water from the Hueco Bolson Aquifer to provide potable water for use by 
the city and Fort Bliss.
    The FEIS addressed the potential environmental effects of the 
proposed project and analyzed seven alternatives in detail; six action 
alternatives and the No Action Alternative. The six action alternatives 
comprised alternative combinations of three candidate sites for the 
desalination plant itself--Sites 1, 2, and 3--and two alternatives for 
disposing of the concentrate, deep-well injection and evaporation 
ponds. The Army has decided to grant an easement to EPWU to implement 
Alternative 3, consisting of desalination plant Site 3, an undeveloped 
site near Montana Avenue east of El Paso International Airport, and 
disposal of the concentrate through deep-well injection at a location 
in the northeast corner of the South Training Areas of Fort Bliss near 
the Texas-New Mexico border.
    In reaching this decision, the Army considered its own needs for a 
reliable source of potable water, compatibility with its training 
mission, and the environmental consequences associated with each 
alternative. The Army decided not to select the No Action Alternative 
because it fails to address the issues of declining freshwater supplies 
and impending brackish groundwater intrusion on Fort Bliss wells. Among 
the action alternatives, the Army selected deep-well injection as the 
preferred concentrate disposal method because it is the preferred 
method of EPWU and, with the protection provided by the Texas 
Commission on Environmental Quality permitting process, appears to have 
less potential for adverse environmental impacts than the evaporation 
ponds. The three desalination plant sites do not differ materially in 
their compatibility with the Army's mission or their environmental 
effects; therefore, the Army selected Site 3 because it is EPWU's 
preferred site due to its proximity to roads and utilities, as well as 
to EPWU's water distribution system.
    All practicable means of avoiding or minimizing environmental harm 
have been adopted through site selection and mitigation measures. The 
desalination plant site does not contain sensitive cultural or 
biological resources, and a desalination plant is compatible with near-
by land uses. Mitigation measures to be implemented by EPWU to further 
reduce the potential for adverse environmental impact include the 
following:
    1. Using dust suppression measures during ground disturbance to 
prevent erosion and wind-blown dust.
    2. Installing pressure monitors in the concentrate pipeline to 
detect leaks or catastrophic failures and developing an emergency 
action plan to minimize the release of concentrate during an accident 
or equipment failure.
    3. Designing the access road to the desalination plant site to 
minimize impact to traffic flow on Montana Avenue.
    4. Establishing a procedure for EPWU to coordinate access to the 
injection wells and concentrate pipelines with Fort Bliss to ensure 
required maintenance can be performed with minimal interference with 
the Army's mission at Fort Bliss.
    These mitigation measures will be included as conditions of the 
easement to be granted by the Army to EPWU.

Hugh M. Exton, Jr.,
Director, SWRO, Installation Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 05-5326 Filed 3-16-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M