[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 43 (Monday, March 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11226-11227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3102]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Northwest Area Water Supply Project, North Dakota

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is commencing work 
under the National Environmental Policy Act on an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for the Northwest Area Water Supply Project (NAWS 
Project), a Federal reclamation project, located in North Dakota. This 
NOI is being published to describe the proposed action, the purpose of 
and need for that proposal, the scope of the EIS, and to solicit public 
comments during a formal scoping period.
    Reclamation is initiating a formal scoping period of 60 days 
following publication of this NOI. Reclamation invites all interested 
parties to submit written comments or suggestions related to the 
significant issues, potential impacts and reasonable alternatives to 
the proposed action during the scoping period. Reclamation will provide 
a separate project information document that outlines EIS actions, 
timelines, and public involvement opportunities to all interested 
parties. The project information document will contain details related 
to this action that will assist the interested public in providing 
comments during the scoping period.

DATES: Individuals who want to receive the additional project 
information document should contact Reclamation's Project Manager 
within 15 days following publication of this NOI.
    Written comments or e-mails on the NOI should be received by May 5, 
2006. Comments received after that date will be considered to the 
extent practical.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Bureau of 
Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office, P.O. Box 1017, Bismarck, ND 58502.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alicia Waters, Northwest Area Water 
Supply Project EIS, Bureau of Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office, P.O. 
Box 1017, Bismarck, ND 58502; Telephone: (701) 250-4242 extension 3621; 
or Fax to (701) 250-4326. You may submit e-mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Garrison Diversion Unit's Municipal, Rural and Industrial Water 
Supply (MR&I) program was authorized by the U.S. Congress on May 12, 
1986, through the Garrison Diversion Unit Reformulation Act of 1986. 
This act authorized the appropriation of $200 million of Federal funds 
for the planning and construction of water supply facilities throughout 
North Dakota. The NAWS project, initiated in November 1987, is being 
developed as a result of this authorization.
    The NAWS project is designed as a bulk water distribution system 
that will service local communities and rural water systems in 10 
counties in northwestern North Dakota including the community of Minot. 
The NAWS Project is an interbasin transfer of water from Lake 
Sakakawea, in the Missouri River basin in North Dakota, to Minot, North 
Dakota, in the Hudson Bay basin. Reclamation completed an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 
project in 2001. Construction on the project began in April 2002. In 
October 2002, the Province of Manitoba filed a legal challenge in U.S. 
District Court in Washington, DC to compel the Department of the 
Interior to complete an EIS on the project. A Court Order dated 
February 3, 2005, remanded the case to Reclamation for completion of 
additional environmental analysis.
    During the pendancy of the litigation filed by Manitoba, 
construction continued on the project. Construction of the raw water 
core pipeline for NAWS began in April 2002. Approximately 30 miles of 
this pipeline have been completed to date. Contract 2-1D provides for 
installation of 14.9 miles of pipe, cathodic protection, and 
appurtenances. The date allowed for completion of this contract is 
October 21, 2006, and once this contract is finished, the raw water 
core pipeline of the NAWS system will be complete. Work on the 
distribution system, water treatment facilities, and other features of 
the project has not yet commenced.

Purpose of the Proposed Action

    The purpose of the NAWS Project is to provide a reliable source of 
high

[[Page 11227]]

quality treated water from Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir on the Missouri 
River in North Dakota to northwestern North Dakota for MR&I uses. The 
purpose of the proposed action is to deliver treated water to affected 
communities from the Missouri River using methods and measures that 
minimize the risk of non-native biota transfer.

Need for the Proposed Action

    The NAWS Project is needed: (1) To provide high quality treated 
water because northwestern North Dakota has experienced water supply 
problems for many years; (2) to replace poor quality groundwater 
sources presently used for MR&I purposes; and (3) because there are 
insufficient surface water supplies from both a quality and quantity 
standpoint. The proposed action that is the subject of this DEIS is 
needed for the following reasons: (1) to provide a reliable source of 
high quality treated water from the Missouri River in North Dakota to 
northwestern North Dakota for MR&I uses; and (2) to minimize the 
possibility for transfer of non-native biota from the Missouri River 
drainage into the Hudson Bay drainage in the NAWS Project area.

The Proposed Action

    Reclamation proposes to complete construction of the remaining NAWS 
Project features and facilities to deliver water to municipal, rural 
and industrial water users in the service area while minimizing the 
risk of transfer of non-native biota. Such project features and 
facilities include (but are not limited to): (1) Construction and 
operation of suitable water treatment plant(s) located at specified 
points and using appropriate treatment methods to minimize the 
possibility of transferring non-native biota from the Missouri River 
drainage into the Hudson Bay drainage and (2) construction methods and 
operational measures to minimize the risk of non-native biota transfer 
that may occur as a result of the project water conveyance and delivery 
pipelines.

Scope of the Proposed Action

    The geographic scope of the DEIS includes areas and resources 
within the United States affected by water diversion and delivery for 
NAWS Project purposes. This includes, but is not necessarily limited 
to: (1) The sites of all NAWS Project features and facilities; (2) 
lands that receive NAWS Project MR&I water supplies; and (3) the 
potential depletion affects on the Missouri River affected by water 
diversion for the NAWS Project.

Summary

    Reclamation is engaging in this planning and EIS effort to address 
the relevant issues related to completion and operation of the NAWS 
Project. We are seeking input from the public on the development of 
reasonable alternatives to the proposed action and analysis of their 
environmental effects that will be described in the EIS.

Public Disclosure

    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public 
disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There 
also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's 
identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at 
the beginning of your comment letter. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

    Dated: February 7, 2006.
Michael J. Ryan,
Regional Director, Great Plains Region, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. E6-3102 Filed 3-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P