[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 127 (Friday, July 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38500-38501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16135]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Proposed Folsom South of U.S. Highway 50 Specific Plan Project, 
in Sacramento County, CA, Corps Permit Application Number SPK-2007-
02159

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Sacramento District has prepared 
a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that analyzes the 
potential effects of implementing each of six on-site land-use and 
eleven off-site water supply/alignment alternative scenarios for a 
large-scale, mixed-use, mixed-density master planned community on the 
approximately 3,502-acre Folsom South of U.S. Highway 50 Specific Plan 
area (SPA), located within the Sphere of Influence of the City of 
Folsom, Sacramento County, California. The DEIS has been prepared as a 
joint document with the City of Folsom (City). The City is the local 
agency responsible for preparing an Environmental Impact Report in 
compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
    The DEIS documents the existing condition of environmental 
resources in and around areas considered for development, and potential 
impacts on those resources as a result of implementing the 
alternatives. The on-site land use alternatives considered in detail 
are: (1) No Project Alternative (No development for both land use and 
water supply/alignment); (2) No USACE Permit Alternative (no discharge 
of dredged and/or fill material into waters of the U.S.); (3) Proposed 
Project Alternative, the Applicants' Preferred Alternative; (4) 
Resource Impact Minimization Alternative; (5) Centralized Development 
Alternative; and (6) Reduced Hillside Development Alternative. The off-
site water supply/alignment alternatives considered in detail are: (1) 
No USACE Permit Alternative (no discharge of dredged and/or fill 
material into waters of the U.S.); (2) Proposed Off-site Water Facility 
Alternative--Raw Water Conveyance--Grant Line Road Alignment and On-
site WTP; (3) Off-site Water Facility Alternative 1--Raw Water 
Conveyance--Grant Line Road Alignment and White Rock WTP; (4) Off-site 
Water Facility Alternative 1A--Raw Water Conveyance--Grant Line Road 
Route Variation Alignment and White Rock WTP; (5) Off-site Water 
Facility Alternative 2--Treated Water Conveyance--Douglas Road 
Alignment and Vineyard SWTP; (6) Off-site Water Facility Alternative 
2A--Treated Water Conveyance--Douglas Road Route Variation Alignment 
and Vineyard SWTP; (7) Off-site Water Facility Alternative 2B--Treated 
Water Conveyance--North Douglas Tanks Variation Alignment and Vineyard 
SWTP; (8) Off-site Water Facility Alternative 3--Raw Water Conveyance--
Douglas Road Alignment and White Rock WTP; (9) Off-site Water Facility 
Alternative 3A--Raw Water Conveyance--Douglas Road Route Variation 
Alignment and White Rock WTP; (10) Off-site Water Facility Alternative 
4--Raw Water Conveyance to Folsom Boulevard Alignment and Folsom 
Boulevard WTP; and (11) Off-site Water Facility Alternative 4A--Raw 
Water Conveyance to Folsom Boulevard--Route Variation Alignment and 
Folsom Boulevard WTP.

DATES: All written comments must be postmarked on or before September 
7, 2010. The USACE and the City will jointly conduct a public meeting 
that will be held on August 2, 2010 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The public 
meeting will be held at the Folsom Community Center, 52 Natoma Street, 
Folsom, California 95630.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in writing to: Lisa M. Gibson, 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

[[Page 38501]]

Sacramento District, Regulatory Division; 1325 J Street, Room 1480, 
Sacramento, California 95814-2922, or via e-mail to 
[email protected]. Oral and written comments may also be 
submitted at the public meeting described in the DATES section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa M. Gibson, (916) 557-5288, or via 
e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The South Folsom Property Owners Group, the 
project applicants, are seeking adoption by the City of the proposed 
SPA project and associated entitlements. The City and the South Folsom 
Property Owners Group are also seeking authorization from USACE for the 
placement of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States 
pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The Proposed Project 
includes 10,210 residential units at various densities on a total of 
1,477.2 acres; 362.8 acres designated for commercial and industrial 
use, including a regional shopping center; public/quasi-public uses; 
elementary, middle, and high schools on 179.3 acres; 121.7 acres of 
community and neighborhood parks; stormwater detention basins; 1,053.1 
acres of open-space areas and open-space preserves; and major roads 
with landscaping. In addition, the proposed project includes the 
construction of several off-site infrastructure facilities, including 
intersection expansions to allow access to and from U.S. 50 and the 
SPA, an overpass of U.S. 50, two roadway connections and sewer 
pipelines from the SPA into El Dorado Hills, a sewer force main 
connection to the existing City system, a detention basin and water 
pipelines and facilities. The SPA contains approximately 84.94 acres of 
waters of the U.S. The proposed land-use plan would involve the 
discharge of fill material into approximately 39.50 acres of waters of 
the U.S., and indirect impacts to 0.29 acres of waters of the U.S. 
resulting from fragmentation of existing waters. In addition, the 
proposed land-use plan involves the preservation of approximately 44.19 
acres of waters of the U.S., concentrated primarily on the Alder Creek 
corridor and adjacent tributaries and wetlands.
    For the proposed off-site water supply/alignment for the SPA, the 
City is proposing off-site water facilities that would involve the 
permanent assignment to the City of the contractual entitlements to 
Central Valley Project (CVP) contract entitlement water, totaling not 
more than 8,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) from the Natomas Central 
Mutual Water Company (NCMWC), diverting the water supply from the 
Sacramento River and conveying the water to the SPA. The proposed water 
supply would also involve the City purchasing dedicated capacity within 
the Freeport Regional Water Project (Freeport Project) from Sacramento 
County Water Agency (SCWA), which would serve as the point of diversion 
(POD) on the Sacramento River and partial conveyance pathway for not 
more than 6,000 AFY purchased from NCMWC. The City proposes to add the 
Freeport POD to the assigned CVP water to facilitate the diversion of 
these supplies at the existing Freeport Project diversion. The City 
proposes to pump and convey the assigned NCMWC CVP water supply through 
the Freeport Project diversion facility and conveyance pipeline to the 
point where SCWA and East Bay Municipal Utility District pipelines 
split. The City would then construct new water supply conveyance 
infrastructure from the bifurcation point to the SPA within an 
approximately 200-foot corridor. The corridor for the proposed 
construction of the water line and the proposed location for water 
treatment plants contains approximately 50.7 acres of waters of the 
U.S. The estimate of waters of the U.S. within the proposed water 
supply corridor was determined based on aerial photographs and National 
Wetland Inventory maps, and has not been field delineated or verified 
by USACE. Because the City has not yet completed project specific 
engineering details for the proposed off-site water supply/alignment, 
the exact impacts to waters of the U.S. cannot be determined. However, 
construction of the water supply infrastructure is expected to occur 
within an area of less than 100-feet in width, and, depending on which 
side of the corridor construction would occur, would impact an 
estimated 5.7 acres or 6.8 acres of waters of the U.S.
    USACE invites full public participation to promote open 
communication and better decision-making. All persons and organizations 
that have an interest in the SPA are urged to participate in the NEPA 
process.
    An electronic version of the DEIS may be viewed at the USACE, 
Sacramento District Web site: http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/regulatory/EISs/EIS-index.html: In addition, a 
hardcopy of the DEIS may also be reviewed at the following locations:
    (1) City of Folsom City Hall, Community Development Department, 50 
Natoma Street, Folsom, California 95630.
    (2) Folsom Public Library, Georgia Murray Building, 411 Stafford 
Street, Folsom, California 95630.

    June 23, 2010.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2010-16135 Filed 7-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P