[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 131 (Friday, July 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33274-33276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16043]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Project, Equus Beds 
Division, Wichita Project, KS

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental impact statement 
(Draft EIS).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has completed the Equus 
Beds Aquifer Recharge and Recovery Project Draft EIS. It is now 
available for public review and comment. The Draft EIS describes the 
development and environmental effects of two alternatives: (1) A no 
action alternative; and (2) an action alternative that meets the 
project purpose and need.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service are cooperating agencies providing assistance in the 
preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the 
guidance of NEPA.

DATES: A 60-day public comment period begins with the publication of 
this notice. Written comments on the Draft EIS are due by September 11, 
2009 and should be submitted to Reclamation listed in the ADDRESSES 
section.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the Draft EIS should be sent to the attention of 
Charles F. Webster, Bureau of Reclamation, 5924 NW. 2nd Street, Suite 
200, Oklahoma City, OK 73127-6514. Comments may also be submitted in 
writing by facsimile or e-mail. Send facsimiles to the attention of 
Charles F. Webster at 405-470-4807. Send e-mail to [email protected] 
with Equus Beds Draft EIS Comment as the subject line.
    Copies of the Draft EIS and related documents are available online 
from Reclamation's Web site at http://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/quarterly.cfm. Paper copies of the Draft EIS may be obtained by calling 
Charles F. Webster at 405-470-4831. Refer to the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for locations of libraries and offices where copies 
of the Draft EIS are available for review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles F. Webster at 405-470-4831 or 
[email protected]. Mail requests should be addressed to the Bureau of 
Reclamation at the address indicated in the ADDRESSES section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Locations where the Draft EIS may be reviewed:
     Halstead Public Library, 264 Main, Halstead, Kansas 67056;
     Hutchinson Public Library, 901 North Main, Hutchinson, KS 
67501;
     Newton Public Library, 720 North Oak, Newton, KS 67114;
     Valley Center Public Library, 321 West First Street, 
Valley Center, KS 67147;
     Wichita Public Library, 223 South Main, Wichita, KS 67202;

[[Page 33275]]

     City of Wichita Water and Sewer Department, 455 North Main 
Street, 8th Floor, Wichita, KS 67202;
     Bureau of Reclamation, 5924 NW. 2nd Street, Suite 200, 
Oklahoma City, OK 73127.
    Background: The ``Wichita Project Equus Beds Division Authorization 
Act of 2005'' (Pub. L. 109-299) authorizes the Secretary of the 
Interior to help the City of Wichita, Kansas, complete the Aquifer 
Recharge (Storage), and Recovery component (ASR is the acronym for this 
specific component or project) of Wichita's Integrated Local Water 
Supply Plan (ILWSP). The broader ILWSP was developed in 1993 to provide 
municipal and industrial water to Wichita and surrounding region 
through the year 2050. The ASR component would collect water from the 
Little Arkansas River basin and pipe it into the local Equus Beds 
aquifer for recharge and storage. Water would later be recovered from 
wells in the aquifer and used for the region's needs. The ASR component 
would become the ``Equus Beds Division'' of Reclamation's Wichita 
Project after completion. Operation, maintenance, replacement, and 
liability of the new division would be the responsibility of the City 
of Wichita.
    Public Law 109-299 requires Reclamation to use, to the extent 
possible, the city's plans, designs, and analyses. The Federal funding 
cap would be 25% of total costs, or $30 million (indexed to January 
2003), whichever is less. The full scale ASR component is estimated to 
cost about $500 million and is designed to recharge the Equus Beds 
aquifer with up to 100 million gallons of water per day (MGD).
    Proposed Action: The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes 
to enter into a cost-share agreement with the City of Wichita for the 
Equus Beds aquifer ASR component. The entire ASR component is designed 
as one project consisting of four main phases (I-IV). Details and 
diagrams of the project are provided in the Draft EIS. Phase I is 
complete and has the capacity to divert and recharge up to 10 MGD. 
Phase IIa is currently being developed by the City independent of 
Federal cost-sharing. The proposed cost-share agreement would guide 
Federal expenditures during Phases IIb through IV. These phases of the 
project are the focus of the EIS. Reclamation would not own or operate 
the project at any point during design, construction, implementation, 
or any other process.
    Reclamation would administer financing of Federal funds for the 
proposed action alternative identified as the 100 MGD ASR Plan with 60/
40 Option. This alternative would collect, pre-treat, and recharge the 
Equus Beds aquifer with 100 MGD of water collected from the Little 
Arkansas River basin. The 60/40 Option refers to the 60 percent that 
would come from surface water taken directly from the Little Arkansas 
River and forty percent from induced infiltration (ground) wells 
located along the river bank.
    Four recharge basins and 42 recharge wells connected by pipelines 
would be used to recharge the aquifer. Wells would be constructed 
outside of riparian zones where possible. Water pumped directly from 
the river would occur at two intakes. The first intake is at Halstead 
and was constructed during Phase I. The second intake is near Sedgwick 
and is being constructed as part of Phase IIa. The second intake would 
be modified during Phase IV to bring total ASR component diversion 
capacity to 100 MGD. When available, water would be piped to either the 
Phase I pre-sedimentation plant or to a second, proposed plant. 
Approximately 46 miles of pipeline, 62 miles of fiber optic cable, 
access roads, and other facilities would be built during Phases IIa-IV. 
The total cost of construction for the 100 MGD ASR Plan with 60/40 
Option is currently estimated at about $500 million and includes about 
$115 million spent during Phases I and IIa.
    Purpose and Need for the Action: The first purpose of the ASR 
component is to provide a safe and reliable future source of drinking 
water for Wichita while restoring the Equus Beds water table. Federal 
funding is authorized to help implement the ASR project and defray 
costs that would otherwise be passed on to local customers. 
Approximately 32% of Wichita's water supply comes from the Equus Beds. 
The aquifer also supplies irrigation and livestock water throughout the 
region. There are approximately 1,650 non-domestic water wells 
withdrawing about 157,000 acre-feet (51.2 billion gallons) of water per 
year from the aquifer. Use of the Equus Beds aquifer for both municipal 
and agricultural needs over the last 60 years has exceeded recharge. 
This has resulted in a drop in the water table of 40 feet in some 
places. Approximately 50% of the water used annually goes to 
agriculture, 34% to cities, 15% to industry, and 1% to other users.
    A second purpose is to protect water quality in the aquifer. The 
decline in the Equus Beds aquifer water table has allowed water with 
higher salt content to enter the aquifer. Saltwater encroachment has 
become a problem because as freshwater levels have dropped, saltwater 
has infiltrated from the Arkansas River and other sources. This change 
in gradient between fresh and saltwater allows the movement of poor 
quality water into the aquifer. Continuing saltwater encroachment will 
degrade water quality to the point where the water would require much 
more treatment to make it drinkable. In addition, the use of saline 
water for irrigation would damage crops, reduce soil productivity, and 
increase salt infiltration through soils. The ASR component would help 
maintain a safe gradient between fresh and saltwater sections, 
protecting the aquifer from saltwater encroachment.
    The ASR component is needed because population and resulting water 
demands of Wichita and surrounding areas are projected to increase 
markedly by 2050. Increasing demands and water use could further 
deplete the aquifer. The ASR component would provide a reliable and 
safe source of high quality water for Wichita's future. The project 
would:
     Store surface water underground thereby reducing 
evaporation and other losses.
     Reduce the gradient between fresh and saltwater sections 
within the aquifer to protect water quality.
     Capture surface water for storage during periods of high 
stream flow.
     Protect stored water from short-term, seasonal, annual, 
and long-term climate change.
    Alternatives: The Draft EIS addresses the effects of one action 
alternative and a no action alternative. The alternatives for Federal 
action evaluated in the Draft EIS include:
    (1) Proposed Action--Reclamation would enter into a cost share 
agreement to assist with construction of facilities and infrastructure 
to implement the 100 MGD ASR Plan with 60/40 Option.
    (2) No Action Alternative--Under ``No Action,'' Reclamation would 
not enter into a cost-share agreement for reimbursement to the City for 
project implementation costs.
    Public Disclosure Statement: Before including your name, address, 
telephone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.


[[Page 33276]]


    Dated: June 29, 2009.
Michael J. Ryan,
Regional Director, Great Plains Region.
[FR Doc. E9-16043 Filed 7-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P