[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 222 (Friday, November 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 69987]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22868]


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INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION; UNITED STATES AND MEXICO


United States Section; Notice of Availability for the Record of 
Decision on the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, 
Clean Water Act Compliance at the South Bay International Wastewater 
Treatment Plant, Located in San Diego County, CA

AGENCY: United States Section, International Boundary and Water 
Commission (USIBWC), United States and Mexico.

ACTION: Notice of Availability for the Record of Decision (ROD).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Final 
Regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500 through 1508); and the USIBWC's 
Operational Procedures for Implementing Section 102 of NEPA, published 
in the Federal Register September 2, 1981, (46 FR 44083); the USIBWC 
hereby gives notice that the Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Clean Water Act Compliance 
at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in 
San Diego County, California is available. The ROD was signed and made 
available via the USIBWC website on September 30, 2005. A Notice of 
Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(SEIS) dated July 14, 2005, provided a thirty (30)-day comment period. 
The Notice was published in the Federal Register on July 22, 2005 (70 
FR 42379).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gilbert Anaya, Environmental 
Management Division; United States Section, International Boundary and 
Water Commission; 4171 N. Mesa, C-100; El Paso, Texas 79902. Telephone: 
(915) 832-4702, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action

    The United States Section, International Boundary and Water 
Commission (USIBWC) has prepared the Record of Decision on the Final 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Clean Water Act 
Compliance at the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant 
(Final SEIS). The South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant 
(SBIWTP) is an existing international wastewater treatment plant 
located in San Diego County at the United States-Mexico border. The 
SBIWTP and its associated facilities capture and treat to the advanced 
primary level an average of 25 million gallons per day (mgd) of raw 
sewage originating from the Tijuana region of Mexico and discharge the 
treated effluent approximately 3.5 miles offshore into the Pacific 
Ocean through the South Bay Ocean Outfall (SBOO). The SBIWTP and its 
system of canyon collectors prevent millions of gallons of dry weather 
flows of raw sewage from flowing daily into the United States from 
Mexico and polluting the Tijuana River, the Tijuana River Valley and 
Estuary, and south San Diego beaches.
    The Final SEIS analyzed existing and new alternatives that would 
enable the USIBWC to bring the SBIWTP into compliance with the Clean 
Water Act (CWA) and with the SBIWTP's National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (NPDES) permit either by providing secondary 
treatment at the SBIWTP; or by having another entity, either private or 
public, provide secondary treatment of the SBIWTP's effluent in Mexico; 
or by achieving CWA compliance by some other means. The Final SEIS also 
evaluated new information on the current discharges of advanced primary 
effluent from the SBIWTP through the SBOO, as well as potential interim 
actions that would allow continued operations of the SBIWTP until the 
SBIWTP achieves CWA compliance. The Record of Decision was prepared in 
compliance with 40 CFR 1505.2 to document the USIBWC's decision on the 
project. The decision is based on the Final SEIS development process 
(40 CFR part 1502) and public involvement (40 CFR part 1500).
    On July 22, 2005, USIBWC made the Final SEIS available for public 
review and comment. A Notice of Availability of the Final SEIS was 
published in the Federal Register by the USIBWC on July 22, 2005 (70 FR 
42379), and by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
on July 29, 2005 (70 FR 43867). USIBWC invited written comments on the 
Final SEIS to be submitted on or before August 24, 2005. USIBWC 
received one comment letter on the Final SEIS. The comments on the 
Draft and Final SEIS along with USIBWC responses are discussed in 
Sections VI and VII of the Record of Decision, respectively.

Availability

    Single hard copies of the Record of Decision may be obtained by 
request at the above address. Electronic copies may also be obtained 
from the USIBWC Home Page at http://www.ibwc.state.gov.

    Dated: November 7, 2005.
Susan Daniel,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 05-22868 Filed 11-17-05; 8:45 am]
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