[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17932-17933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6747]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


South Coast Conduit Secondary Pipeline, Santa Barbara County, 
California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR).

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Cachuma 
Operation and Maintenance Board (COMB) are planning to prepare a 
combined EIS/EIR for the proposed construction of a second pipeline 
adjacent to the South Coast Conduit (SCC) between the South Portal of 
the Tecolote Tunnel (SPTT) and the Corona Del Mar Water Treatment Plant 
(CDMWTP) for the purposes of increasing the operational flexibility, 
reliability, and the conveyance capacity of the SCC, accommodating peak 
demand levels, and allowing maintenance of the pipeline.
    The project site is located in Glen Annie Canyon, north of the City 
of Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, California. The project site 
encompasses the area surrounding the existing SCC between the SPTT and 
the CDMWTP.

DATES: Reclamation and COMB will hold a scoping meeting to seek public 
input on topics, issues, and alternatives to be considered in the EIS/
EIR. The scoping meeting will be held on May 17, 2007 from 7 p.m. to 9 
p.m. in Santa Barbara, California.
    Send written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to 
be considered to Mrs. Laura Myers at the below address by close of 
business Friday, June 15, 2007

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the COMB office, 3301 
Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, California.
    Send written comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR to Mrs. Laura 
Myers, Bureau of Reclamation, 1243 N Street, Fresno, California 93721.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Laura Myers, Reclamation, at the 
above address, (559) 487-5179 or Mr. Brett Gray, Cachuma Operations and 
Maintenance Board, 3301 Laurel Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105-
2017; telephone: (805) 687-4011, fax: (805) 569-5825.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The increase in operational flexibility, 
reliability, and capacity are intended to accommodate peak demand 
levels and to allow maintenance of the pipeline. The limitations and 
age of the original equipment, significant system modifications, and 
increased demands constrain the ability of the SCC to function at the 
system's original design capacity. Because of these limitations, COMB 
is forced to rely on water stored in Lauro, Ortega, and Carpinteria 
reservoirs to meet regional water needs. In addition, no redundant 
supply or pipeline exists to convey Cachuma Project water or State 
Water Project (SWP) water to the South Coast if the Tecolote Tunnel or 
the Upper Reach of the SCC is out of service due to scheduled and/or 
unexpected repairs.
    As the Upper Reach of the SCC has the largest demand deficit and is 
located upstream from the sources of demand, the proposed action would 
allow more water flow farther along the pipeline to improve the level 
of service and reliability. The proposed action would also provide COMB 
the ability to perform regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance 
to one pipeline while the second is operational. Operational 
flexibility would increase due to the ability to provide higher flow 
rates to CDMWTP and increased flow rates to facilities downstream of 
the CDMWTP during times of peak demands. The total amount of water 
delivered per year, however, would not increase.
    Potential alternatives include different alignments of the pipeline 
which would still meet the purpose and need, as well as pumping 
structures and or disinfection facilities. A no action alternative 
would include construction of site improvements and operational 
activities that could occur without issuance of Federal permits.
    The EIS/EIR will evaluate the potential impacts of the project on 
Indian Trust Assets (ITAs), which are held in trust by the U.S. 
Government for Indian Tribes or individual Tribal members. Potential 
ITAs include water rights, lands, minerals (i.e., oil, gas, sand), and 
hunting and fishing rights.
    If special assistance is required for these meetings, please 
contact Mrs. Laura Myers at (559) 487-5179. Please notify Mrs. Myers as 
far in advance of the meeting as possible to allow Reclamation to 
secure the needed services. If a request cannot be honored, the 
requester will be notified. A telephone device for the hearing impaired 
(TDD) is available at 916-978-5608.
    Comments received in response to this notice will become part of 
the administrative record and are subject to public inspection. Our 
practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, home 
phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of respondents, available for 
public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their names and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider 
withholding this information, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale 
for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that 
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. 
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of 
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be 
released. We will always make submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of

[[Page 17933]]

organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Dated: April 4, 2007.
Robert Eckart,
Acting Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. E7-6747 Filed 4-9-07; 8:45 am]
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