[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58237-58239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19960]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Bureau of Reclamation Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
Clean Water Coalition Systems Conveyance and Operations Program; Lake 
Mead National Recreation Area; Clark County, NV; Notice of Availability

    Summary: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the corresponding Council of 
Environmental Quality implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-08), 
the National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation, as lead agencies 
for the Department of the Interior, announce the availability of the 
Clean Water Coalition Systems Conveyance and Operations Program (SCOP) 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Consistent with applicable laws 
and National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation regulations and 
policies, the Draft SCOP EIS describes and analyzes four alternatives 
including the no action alternative.
    The Draft SCOP Environmental Impact Statement evaluates the 
potential environmental impacts associated with three action (pipeline) 
alternatives, as well as a No-Action (no pipeline) Alternative. The 
three action alternatives include an Effluent Interceptor (EI) and Lake 
Conveyance System (LCS) that would collect and convey the highly 
treated effluent from the three treatment facilities to the Las Vegas 
Wash at a point upstream of Lake Las Vegas or to Lake Mead. The action 
alternatives would allow for flexible management of the highly treated 
effluent. A controlled amount of effluent would continue to be 
discharged to the Las Vegas Wash at each facility or at the EI 
Terminus. The discharge amount, velocity, and direction from the LCS 
diffuser would also be flexibly operated depending on the conditions of 
Lake Mead.

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    The Draft SCOP EIS evaluates effects of the alternatives on both 
visitor experience and park resources including: surface water 
hydrology, groundwater, water quality, biological resources/endangered 
species, cultural resources, recreation, land use, air quality, noise, 
socioeconomics, and other appropriate resource issues identified during 
the public scoping phase. An impairment analysis was also conducted for 
the portion of the proposed actions located on land administered by the 
National Park Service (NPS).
    Purpose and Need For Federal Action: The purpose of implementing 
the proposal is to put into operation a treatment and conveyance system 
that will allow for flexible management of wastewater flow in the Las 
Vegas Valley, while maintaining water quality standards. Clark County, 
Nevada is one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S., and it is 
projected that the population in the area will be approximately 
3,130,000 by 2035. The quantity of effluent treated and discharged in 
the Las Vegas Valley will increase as the population of the Valley 
increases. The treatment and conveyance facilities must accommodate the 
additional flows while continuing to meet current or future water 
quality standards for the Las Vegas Wash, Las Vegas Bay, and Lake Mead.
    The Clean Water Coalition proposes to build and implement a system 
that provides maximum flexibility for management of treated effluent 
to:
     Meet current and future water quality standards for known 
pollutants, and as yet unknown standards for additional contaminants 
that may be regulated in the future;
     Protect and enhance the Lake Mead National Recreation Area 
(LMNRA) by continuing to meet beneficial uses and recreational and 
resource values of the LMNRA, while more than doubling the treated 
effluent flows discharged to Lake Mead;
     Recognize Lake Mead's likely lowering water levels, which 
are important because the amount of mixing and dilution available in 
the inner Las Vegas Bay are also decreasing as the Lake level 
decreases; and
     Avoid possible impacts to source-water quality at the 
Southern Nevada Water System intake structures.
    Alternatives To Be Considered: The alternatives in the Draft SCOP 
EIS include expansions of the three treatment plants and the continued 
discharge of current and projected effluent flows to the Las Vegas 
Wash, with the use of conventional treatment processes to meet water 
quality standards (no action alternative); and construction and 
operation of a pipeline that would transport highly treated effluent 
from the three treatment facilities to a receiving area underwater 
within the Colorado River system (three action alternatives).
    In addition to the No Action Alternative, the NPS and Bureau of 
Reclamation (BOR) have analyzed the potential impacts of three action 
alternatives: the Boulder Islands North Alternative, the Boulder 
Islands South Alternative, and the Las Vegas Bay Alternative. Under the 
No Action Alternative, the Clean Water Coalition would not construct 
pipelines to transport effluent from the treatment facilities. The 
three treatment agencies (City of Las Vegas, City of Henderson, and 
Clark County Water Reclamation District) would expand their facilities 
to handle the increasing quantities of wastewater through 2050. 
Current, conventional treatment processes and plant optimization would 
be used to meet the requirements set by the Nevada Division of 
Environmental Protection through the National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System permitting program. Facility expansions and 
modifications would occur on lands currently owned by the City of Las 
Vegas, Clark County, and City of Henderson.
    Under the Boulder Islands North Alternative and the Boulder Islands 
South Alternative, the three treatment agencies would expand their 
facilities to handle the increasing quantities of wastewater through 
2050, and current, conventional treatment processes and plant 
optimization would be used to meet water quality requirements. A 
pipeline would be constructed to convey highly treated effluent from 
the three treatment facilities to an alternate discharge location in 
the vicinity of the Boulder Islands in Lake Mead. The majority of the 
Boulder Islands North LCS and the Boulder Islands South LCS would be 
installed in a tunnel through the River Mountains.
    Under the Las Vegas Bay Alternative, the three treatment agencies 
would expand their facilities to handle the increasing quantities of 
wastewater through 2050, and current, conventional treatment processes 
and plant optimization would be used to meet water quality 
requirements. A pipeline would be constructed to convey highly treated 
effluent from the three treatment facilities to an alternate discharge 
location in the Las Vegas Bay in Lake Mead.
    Public Review and Comment: The Draft SCOP EIS will be available for 
public review for 60 days following the publication in the Federal 
Register of the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of the filing 
of this document (immediately upon confirmation of this date it will be 
announced on the LMNRA Web site and via local and regional press 
media). The NPS and BOR will hold public meetings to obtain oral 
comments during a two-week period in October 2005, as follows:
     October 17, Henderson Convention Center, 200 S. Water 
Street, Henderson, NV from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
     October 18, West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead 
Blvd., Las Vegas, NV from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
     October 19, West Flamingo Senior Center, 6255 W. Flamingo 
Road, Las Vegas, NV from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
     October 20, Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, 
Las Vegas, NV from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
     October 24, Powerhouse Visitors Conference Center, 120 W. 
Route 66, Kingman, AZ from 6-8 p.m.
     October 25, Tempe Mission Palms Hotel, 60 E. 5th Street, 
Tempe, AZ from 6-8 p.m.
     October 26, Hilton Suites, 10 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 
from 6-8 p.m.
     October 27, Radisson in Mission Valley, 1433 Camino Del 
Rio South, San Diego, CA from 6-8 p.m.
     October 28, Hyatt Regency Conference Center, 285 N. Palm 
Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA from 6-8 p.m.
    All written comments on the Draft SCOP EIS must be postmarked or 
transmitted not later than 60 days after the EPA's notice of the filing 
published in the Federal Register; upon confirmation of this date it 
will be announced on the LMNRA Web site and via local and regional 
press media. Comments are to be addressed to the SCOP EIS Project 
Manager, PBS&J and may be sent either electronically to 
[email protected], via facsimile at (702) 990-7262, or by 
mail to 2270 Corporate Circle, Suite 100, Henderson, NV 89074.
    Please note that names and addresses of people who comment become 
part of the public record. If individuals commenting request that their 
name or/and address be withheld from public disclosure, it will be 
honored to the extent allowable by law. Such requests must be stated 
prominently in the beginning of the comments. There also may be 
circumstances wherein the NPS will withhold from the record a 
respondent's identity, as allowable by law. As always: the NPS will 
make available to public inspection all submissions from organizations 
or businesses and from persons identifying

[[Page 58239]]

themselves as representatives or officials of organizations and 
businesses; and, anonymous comments may not be considered.
    Copies of the Draft SCOP EIS may be obtained by contacting SCOP EIS 
Project Manager, PBS&J, 2270 Corporate Circle, Suite 100, Henderson, NV 
89074 (or e-mailing to [email protected] or telephone (702) 
263-7275 extension 3014). The document will also be posted on the 
Internet at http://www.cleanwatercoalition.com, as well as made 
available at public libraries in the following locations:
    Nevada--Boulder City Library, Las Vegas Public Library, Searchlight 
Library, Community College of Southern Nevada, Sahara West Library, 
Mesquite Library, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, James I. Gibson 
Library, Clark County Library, James R. Dickinson Library, Moapa Valley 
Library, Green Valley Library, Sunrise Public Library, Laughlin 
Library.
    Arizona--Burton Barr Central Library, Tempe Public Library, 
University of Arizona Library, Meadview Community Library, Mohave 
County Library.
    Utah--Washington County Library.
    California--Environmental Services Library in San Diego, Palm 
Springs Public Library.
    For further information about the public meetings or for obtaining 
copies of the document, please contact the SCOP EIS Project Manager, 
PBS&J, 2270 Corporate Circle, Suite 100, Henderson, NV 89074; e-mail 
[email protected]; or call (702) 263-7275 extension 3014. For 
additional information regarding the alternatives to be considered or 
other matters pertaining to the conservation planning and environmental 
impact analysis process, please contact: Mr. Michael Boyles, National 
Park Service, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Way, 
Boulder City, NV 89005, telephone (702) 293-8978; or Mr. Anthony Vigil 
(LC-2621), Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City Nevada 
89006-1470, telephone (702) 293-8674.
    Decision: After public review of the Draft SCOP EIS, the National 
Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation will carefully assess and 
consider all written comments and information obtained at the public 
meetings. A Final SCOP EIS will be prepared, which at this time is 
anticipated to be completed during summer 2006. Subsequent to release 
of the Final SCOP EIS and following a 30-days ``no action'' waiting 
period a Record of Decision will be prepared.

    Dated: September 22, 2005.
Robert W. Johnson,
Regional Director, Lower Colorado Region, Bureau of Reclamation.

    Dated: September 22, 2005.
Jonathan B. Jarvis,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 05-19960 Filed 10-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P